Middletown transcript., 1915-04-10
MIDDLETOwN. DEL. APRIL 10, 1915
THE ASSASSIN OF THE SEA

QellDerhCe SlnhiuB ny d subhaii ihS u q
passenger ship. Two ships, in, fact,
for the Aguila carried few passengers
and has death list But the atrocities |
practiced against the Aguila, sufficient |
in themselves to arouse the Indignation
of the entire civilized world, are practi-
cally lost sight of in the hideous crime !
of the venomous raid upon the Falaba, |
a regular liner in the Liverpool African
service.
The Falaba carried about 15O passe-
gers. They included merchants, traders
and government officials. They were
women among them. Far away from
shore a submarine chased the ship,
caught up, with her and ordered her
abandonment in five minutes. Fancy
those passengers, and crew number
ing nearly one hundred in addition, get
ting away in five minutes! No wonder
boats were smashed in the hurry. And
in the midst of the confusion that sub
marine, with shocking bloodthirstiness,
launched its torpedo. The aim was
deadly. So was the execution. Men
were killed outright. Others were
thrown into the water or jumped over
board in the hope of escape. 1t was a
slaughter 1t was a massacre. And
while the drowning were struggling
for life, the crew of the submarine,
which circled around, Laughed and
ieered." So some of those who were
rescued report. Laughed and jeered!"
1t seems impossible of belief that even
brutes could take pleasure in such
sight. And yet when it is considered
that only hardened brutes could take
the lives of non-combatants in this
heartless manner, it is not so impossi.
to believe after all.
When the submarine began warfare
against British shipping with the warn
ing that all neutral vessels were in dan
ger, international law was flung to the
Winds International law requires that
when it is necessary to sink the mer-
chant snip of an enemy, human life
may not be put in jeopardy. There
was belief that in spite of threats
reasonable care would be taken. True,
the invasion of Belgium upon the order
of German militaris II had been in utter
defiance of solemn pledges; true, treat
les had been torn into SCRAPS of paper;
true, the Zeppelins had dropped bombs
on women and children and had taken
deadly toll; true, swift cruisers with
powerful gnns had bombarded defense
less coast towns and wrought appalling
butcherp upon the peaceful inhabitants
but despite this record of blood and bru-
tality there was thought among civil
ized human beings that the submarine
would at least stop short of earning the
title of the Assassin of the Sea.
But the thought was vain. Two ships
carrying passengers have been sunk
and with brutal savagery the crew Of
the murderous submarine Laughed anC
jeered" 1t was not war that the com
mander of this craft was engaged in
1t was murder. We wish there was
some word in known language stronger
than murder or murderer to apply tt
this ghastly crime and the one whit
ordered it committed. 1t is impossible
to express with any existing vocabular!
the frightfulness, the wickedness, tht
fiendishness, the inhumanity of thi
merciless wiping out of human life. l
is barbarism gone mad.
German writers and scholars of renowl
have been doing their best to gain 70
Germany the sympathy Of neutrs
nations. What heavy task is their
in face of such an atrocity as this
bomb-dropping Zeppelin, a lombard
ment and consequent mass acre o
women and children, the horrible wor
of an Assassin of the sea, can do NOR
in single stroke to ALLEVIATE public sen
timent than all of the arguments 0
the professors of the German univel
sites can mend in a life time. W
cannot believe that the German peopl
sanction these murders. Theirs was
great nation and making astonishin
progress by peaceful means. What
pity that military element, bent o
war, should in the twinkling of an ey
plunge them into dreadful carnage an
that Zepplins and submarines shoul
insult every sense of decency that til
world possesses.
1t is not the fault of the progressive
peaceful obstacle-overcoming, con
merce-winning, industry-building Ge
man people that these things have con
upon them. The fault lies in Il
system that has forced militarism
the front at the expense of all els
Still, we like to think that it is IL
Individual commander of the submaril
who, in committing this murder, h
acted on his own responsibility. HOY
ever, we shall soon see. For Il
official in Berlin who indorses tn
crime-who does not repudiate it-mu
inevitably place himself upon a lev
with the actual criminal. = PhitGdetph
Inquirer.