Bismarck daily tribune., 1915-12-31
AUSTRIA NOT
50 NAUGHTY
IN new NOTE
Intimated at Washington That
Diplomatic Relations Are on
Better Plane.
AMERICANS DETAINED;
PASSPORTS NOT REGARDED
United tates Citizens Are Unable
to Leave Capital; German Con-
suls Decline to Act.

Washington, Dec. 3U.-Austria' S re-
ply to the last American note On the
destruction of the AncOna liner now
is being transmitted to the United
States and probably will be before
President Wilson and Secretary Lam
sing within tho next twenty-fOur
hours.
Ambassador Penfield cabled today
that the note from the Austrian for
cign Office had been delivered to
him; that it was about 1900 words
long, and that it was being translated
into the diplomatic code for the
cable
Americans Detained in Vienna.
at the same time, in a separate
dispatch, Ambassador Fenfieldl re-
ported that americans in Vienna not
having certificates of birth or natur-
alzation were unable to leave be.
cause German consular officers were
refusing to wise their passports
through Germany en- route for Hol'
land to embark for home. Whether
this dispatch reflected state Of ten
sion in Vienna over the negotiations
was not made clear.
Although Ambassador Penfcld is
said to have given the state depart
nlent no light on the tenor of the
Austrian reply. There were intima'
tions today from high official quar-
ters that the situation between the
two countries probably is in better
way for the preservation Of diplo-
matte relations than it was after the
first exchange of notes.
London Comment on Note. 5,ss4;a
The Austrian reply to the second
American note on the AncOna states
that the commander of the Austrian
submarine has been punished for not
sufficiently taking account of the
panic aboard the Ancona, which rem
dered Decentralization more difficult.
The reply of the Austrian govern
ment is forwarded to Reuters Tele-
gram company from Vienna by way
of Amsterdam. The note says, in
part: ...:,. .... -.
''In reply to the second American
'AncOna note, tho Austrian-Hungaran
government fully agrees with the
Washington cabinet that the sacred
loss of humanity Should be taken in
to account also in war, and cmpha-
sizes that it, in the course OF this
war, has given numerous proofs or
the most humane feeling.
"'rhe Austrian1Hungarian govern
ment, too. can positively concur in
the principle. that enemy private yes
sells, SO far as they do not try or Of
fer resistance, shall not be destroy
ed before the persons aboard are Sc
cur. '.s
Note Is Like First.
"The assurance that the United
States government attaches value to
the maintenance Of the existing good
relations between Austra;Hungary
and til United States is warmly re-
CiprOcated by the AustriaIl hungarian
government, which now, as hereto
fore, is anxious TO render these rela-
tions more cordial"
The Austro-Hungariau government
then communicates the result of the
inquiry into the sinking Of the AnCO-
ma, which was recently concluded.
Their report is virtually tie same
as that previously given out by vi
enna.
The Austrian reply TO the Ameri-
can note expresses tIe hope that the
Washington government will be able
to supply all the details and particu.
lars as TO how the Americans on the
AncOna were killed.
Austria is willing to pay the in
demnity for the loss of Americans
who went down with the boat, but is
not willing to pay for those w.lo were
lost in the capsizing of lifeboats pre-
vious to the torpedoing Of the An
coma.