The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-12
"ACT! CRIES ROOSEVELT.
Calls sinking Of the LusitRniN
Wholesale Murder.

Theodore Roosevelt in an article err.
titled Murder on the II gh Seas" in the
metropolitan Magazine for June. de-
clares hat Germany has not established
an effective kade OF the French and
British coast lines. He calls the destruc.
tion Of the Lusitaria wholesale murder
and says that this country must act with
'ecision AID vigor IN order 10 preserve
The self-respect OF the republic and to
fulfil the duty demanded by humanity
at large. His article follows:
The German submarines have estab-
lished no effective blockade OF the British
and French coast lines. They have en-
deavored to prevent the access of French,
British aud neutral ships TO Brit ,in and
France by attacks upon them which defy
every principle Of International law as
laid down In innumerablc existing trea-
ties. including this Hague conventions.
Many OF these attacks have represented
pure piracy and not a few OF them have
been accompanied by murder on an ex-
tended scale. In the case OF tho Lust
tanis the scale was so vast AZ the
murder became wholesale.
"A number OF American ships had al
ready been torpedOed in similar fashion.
In one case the lives lost Included those
not only OF the American captain but
Of his wife and little daughter When
he Lusitania sank some 1900 nom
| combatants, men. women and children.
were drowned ard more than 100 OF
these were Americans Centuries have
passed since any war vessel Of a civilized
Power has shown such ruthless brutality
| toward non-comhatants. and especially
toward women and children. The pirates
OF the Barbary Coast behaved at times In
similar fashion, until the civilized ma
tons Joined IN suppressing them. and
the pirates who were outcssts from
among these civilized nations also at
| one time perpetra;ed similar deeds until
they were sunk or hung. But none ~
these old time pirates committed muir
der or so vast a scale az in the case of
the Lusitania
THE day after the tragedy the news
papers reported in one column that in
Queenstown there lay by the score tho
bodies ~ women and children some of
the dead women stll clasping the
bodies Of the little children they held IN
their arms when death overwhelmed
them. In another column they reported
the glee expressed by the Berlin tour
. mails at this great victory ~ German
policy II was victory over the de.
fenceloss and the unoTending. and It's
signs and trophies were the bodies OF
the murdered women and children
When those who guide tho military
policy of state hold up to the sold .ers
on their army the Huns and the terror
hN ha 90
tstion. they thereby render themselves
responsible for any HunniSh deed vn'ch
may follow. The destruction of cities
like Lourain and pinHnt. the scientific
vivisection OF Belgium as warning "a
other nations, the hidrous Nron gloing Ia
civilians, men. women and children. In
Belgium and northern France. IN order
thereby 10 'errorize the civilian popula-
tion-al these deeds AMI those like
them done on the land have now been
parslleled by what has happened on tho
sea.
Tn the teeth Of these things We earn
a. a nation mcisureless scorn and con.
tempt II We follow the lead - those
who eNdlt peace above righteousness
II We heed tho voices OF those feeble
folk who hleat to high heaven that
there is peace when there Is no peace
For many months our Government has
. pf'N'iN'n hc'N"'n rlgn' ana wrong =,
neutrality which would have excited
! the emuous admiration OF Pontius Pi.
IN .o.-thc Hrch-tNpiral neutral 81 "a
finH We htv" urged as justification
Tor falling 10 du orr duty i'm NeNir.
that ~ do so would horrnt american
dollars. Are We now n change faces
and advance tho supreme Interest o,
/ American dollars as a Justification for
continuance in the refusal 10 do tn,
duty impose on us in connection witt
tho world war;
Unless We act with immediate decl.
sion and vigor We shall have failed IN
the duty demanded hy humanity "a
large, and demanded even more clearly
by tho self-respect of the American re.
! public"