Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-08-27
GERMANY SEEKS TO
AVOID ANY BREAK
INDICATES SHE WILL APOLOGIZE
FOR LOSS OF AMERICANS IN
SINKING OF ARABIC"


tween the two nations were at first,
when the news that two Americans
had lost their lives when the British
steamer ARABIC" bound from Eng
land to the United States and carry
ing no contraband, was torpedoed
without warning and sunk by a Ger
man submarine the latter part of last
week, developments of the last few
days tend to indicate that Germany
will apologize for the act of it's SUBJ
marine commander if the facts as at
present known are substantiated by
the official report. Consequently,
rumors that the United States might
break diplomatic relations with Ger
many are no longer heard.
The opinion is based on two state
ments emanating from German
sources this week One was trans
mitted to Secretary Lansing Wednes-
day by the German ambassador,
Count Won Bernstorff, as having come
direct from his government. Its sig
nificant paragraph was:
"If Americans should have actually
lost their lives this would naturally
be contrary to our intentions. The
German government would deeply re-
eret the fact and begs to tender sim
cerest sympathy to the American gov
ernment."
Other Developments.
Following this President Wilson
was unofficially informed from
sources close to the German ambas-
sador that the next communication
from Berlin on the sinking of the
Arabic will be of a character satis-
factory to the United States. This
development was regarded as indi-
eating that Germany would make
some proposal satisfactory to the
United States respecting submarine
attacks on ships purely OF a passen-
ger carrying nature.
Officials are at loss to conjecture
what the German government Will
propose, but the assurances that
there is every desire in Berlin to-
avoid break with the United States
have relieved the situation very
much.
A further official statement, de-
claring that if the commander of the
German submarine exceeded his in
structions in sinking the Arabic, the
German government will give full
to the United States. was
given out at Berlin by Imperial
Chancellor Won Bethmann-Hollweg.
Pointing out that there are various
matters in connection with the Incl
dent that remain to be determined.
the chancellor concluded:
"Only after all these circumstances
have been cleared up will 1t be pos
sible to say whether the commander
of one of our submarines went be-
yond his instructions, in which case
the imperial government would not
hesitate to give such complete salts
faction to the United States as would
conform to the friendly relations ex-
listing between both governments"
DISPATCHES from Berlin say that
while the situation regarding the
case of the Arabic is by no means
clear. indications were noticeable OF
a belief that a moderate amount OF
optimism regarding the case is well
justified and that way will be found
out of the ENHANCEMENT. even should
It be established that the steamer
was torpedoed without warning-an
which the dispatch says
the German government has as yet,
in the lack of any official report on
the subject, no reason to accept,
Some Pessimism Prevails.
While it is generally taken that
the statements made by the German
presage a satisfactory ad-
justment of the situation, pessimism
still prevails in some quarters and
in connection with the German am
bassador's communication it was re-
called that three days after the sink
ing of the Lusitania the ambassador
presented a note expressing the SYM
Dathy and regret of his government
for the loss of American lives There
was no attempt, however, to deny
that the Lusitania had been sent 10
The bottom with her passengers WITH
out warning, and blame for the as
aster was placed upon the british
which permitted YES