Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-07-13
GERMANY MAKES REPLY.
Main Question at Issue Remains
Untouched.
UNWILLING TO ADMIT CULPABILITY

Necessary to Sink Lusitania for Self
Protection, and Americans Lost
their Lives Because they Took
Risks that Were Unnecessary
Willing to Guarantee the Safety of
Americans in Neutral Vessels that
Do Not Carry contraband.
Berlin, July 9.-Via London, July 10.
Germany offer, embodied in the
reply to the American note regarding
the sinking of the Lusitania, and
submarine warfare, which was deliv-
cred to American Ambassador Gerard
last night. is:
First, reiterated assurance that
American ships engaged in legiti-
lnale trade will not be interferred
Win nor the lives Of Americans on
neutral ships be endangered.
Second, that German submarines will
re instructed to allow all American
passenger S4npS ~ pass freeiy anu
SaIeIy, Germany entertaining in re-
,urn the confident hope ,nal the AMER
can government Will see that these
snipS DO not carry ConIrabanu; Sucn
snlpS 10 be provided Win distinguish
mg marks and their arrival announc-
Ell a reasonable time in advance. The
same privilege is extended to reason
abe humber OF neutral passenger SnlpS
under the American nag, anu Snouiu
the number OF SnlpS thus available lor
passenger service prove lnauequate,
many is willing to permit Amerl-
ca to place four hostile passenger
steamers under The America.i mag ~
ply between North America and
Europe under the same conditions.
The text OF the note follows:
Berlin, July s.
The undersigned has :he honor to
make the following reply to his ex-
cellency, Ambassador Gerard, to the
note OF the 10th ultimo, reference to
the impairment of American inter-
ests by the German submarine war.
The imperial government learned
with satisfaction from the note now
earnestly the government of the United
States is concerned in seeing the prin-
ciples Of humanity realized in the
present war. Also this appeal hnds
ready echo in Germany and the i'm
perial government is quite willing to
permit its statements and decisions
in the present case to be governed by
The principles of humanity just as II
mas done always.
The imperial government well
coined with gratitude when the
American government in the note Of
May Is, itself recalled that Germany
always had permitted itself to be gov
erned by the principles Of progress
and humanity in dealing with the law
Of marine war. Since the time when
Frederick the Great negotiated with
40
Thomas Jefferson the treaty OF friend
ship and commerce Of September 9,
1885, between Prussia and the repub-
lie of the west, German and American
statesmen have, in fact, always stood
together in the struggle for the free
dom of the seas and for the protection
of peaceable trades. The information
al proceedings which since have been
conducted for the regulation Of the
laws of marine war Germany and
America have jointly advocated pro-
abolishment Of the right Of capture
at sea and the protection Of the in
terests of neutrals.
Even at the beginning Of the pres
ent war the German government i'm
mediately declared it's willingness in
response to proposals Of the Ameri-
can government, to ratify the Declara-
tion of London and thereby subject it
self in the use of it's naval forces to
all the restrictions provided therein In
favor of neutrals. Germany likewise
has been always tenacious of the prin-
ciple that war should be conducted
against armed and organized forces Of
an enemy country, but that the enemy
civilian population must be spared as
far as possible from the measures OF
war The imperial government cher
isheS the definite hope that some way
will be found when peace is concluded,
or perhaps earlier, to regulate the law
of marine war in a manner guaran-
teeing the freedom of the seas, and will
welcome it with gratitude and salts
faction if ii can work hand
with the American government on that
occasion.
IF in the present war the principles
which should be the ideal of the fu
ture have been traverSed more and
more, the longer its duration, the Ger
man government has no guilt therein.
1t is known to the American govern
ment how Germans adverSaries, by
completely paralyZing peaceable traffic
between Germany and neutral coun-
tries, have aimed from the very be-
ginning and with increasing lack Of
consideration at the destruction, not
so much Of the armed forces as the
life Of the German nation, repudiating
in doing so all the rules of interna-
tional law and disregarding all rights
of neutralS.
ION November 3, 1914, England de-
clared the North sea a war area and
by planting poorly anchored mines and
by the stoppage and capture of YES
sells made passage extremely danger
Gus and difficult for neutral shipping,
/ l. III. u.
neutral coasts and ports contrary to
all international law. Long before the
beginning of submarine war, England
practically completely intercepted
legitimate neutral navigation to Ger
many also. Thus Germany was driven
TO submarine war on trade. On No
vember ii, 1914, the English premier
declared in the house OF commons that
it was one of England's principal
tasks to prevent food for the German
population from reaching Germany via
neutral ports Since March l, England
has been taking from neutral ships
without further formality all mer-
chandiSe proceeding to Germany as
well as all merchandise coming from
Germany, even when neutral property.
Just as it was also with the Beers,
the German people is now to be given
the choice of periShing from starva
lion with its women and children or Of
relinquishing it's independence.
While our enemies thus loudly and
openly proclaimed without mercy until
our utter destruction, we were con-
Quoting a war in self defense for our
national existence and for the sake of
peace of an assured permanency. We
have been obliged to adopt a subma-
rine warfare to meet the declared in
tentions of the enemies and the meth
DDS Of warfare adopted by them in
| contravention of international law.
while all it's efforts in principle to
protect neutral life and property from
damage as much as possible, the Ger
man government recognizes unreServ-
edly in its memorandum of February
4, that the interests of neutrals might
suffer from the submarine warfare.
However, the American government
will also understand and appreciate
that in the fight for existence which
has been forced upon Germany by its