Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-05-19
Ubr flame es'trr 5ettl.onraat
subscription. I ". N advance. $50.
official Paper OF County and City.
e. M. Carr. Hubert Carr, Wade p.
Long, Fred w. Hermann,
Editors and Proprterors., -.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 1915.

VIZ Z -lGlG .Y.6 y - : !. 80. = -.
PRESIDENT WILSON'S PROTEST
IT,. AGAINST GERMAN WAR
~ METHODS. 2Et ,5$s
I'm view Of recent acts Of the
German authorities in violation Of
American rights on the high seas
which eliminated In the torpedoing
and sinking Of the British steamer
Lusitania on May Z. 1915. by which
over 100 American citizens lost their
lives, it is clearly wise and desirable
that the government Of sthe United
States and the imperial German
government should come to q clear
!, and full understanding as to the
grave situation which has resulted.
''The sinking Of the British pas
senEer steamer Falaba by 9 German
submarine on March %, through
which Leon G. Fhrasher, an Amer
lean citizen, was drowned, the at
tack on April % on the American
vessel Gushing by a German aero
plane; the torpedoing on May Of
the Outright by German sub
marine, Is result OF which two or
more American citizens met their
death; and, finally. the torpedoing
and sinking Of the steamship Lust-
tania, constitute ! 9 series Of events
which the government Of the United
States has observed with growing
I concern, distress, and amazement.
u 55."1R ecalling the humane and enlight.
ened attitude hitherto assumed by
the imperial German government IN
matters Of international. right, and
particularly with regard to the free
dom Of the seas: having learned to-
recognize the German views and
1 the German influence in the field
+ Of international obligation as always
engaged upon the side Of Justice and
I humanity; and having understood the
instructions sof the imperial German
government to its naval command
ers to be upon the same plane OF
humane action prescribed by the
naval codes of other nations, the
government OF; the United States was
loath to believe-it can not now
bring itself to believe-that these
acts, SO absolutely contrary to the
rules, the practices and the spirit
Of modern warfare, could have the
! countenance, or sanction Of that
great government. It feels it to be
its duty, therefore, to address the
imp erial German government con-
corning them with the utmost frank
ness and in the earnest hope that
it is not mistaken in expecting &C
ton on the part of the imperial Ger
man government which will correct
the unfortunate impressions which
have been created and vindicate once
more the position Of that government
with regard to the sacred freed ON on
Of the seas. }, $5.s5 Ii. ,5S 4.
'"'The government of the United
States has been aprised that the I'M
Sperial German government considered
themselves to be obliged BY the ex-
traordinary circumstances Of the
present war. and the measure adopt;
ed by their adversaries in seeking
to cut Germany off from all com
imerce, to adopt methods Of retalia-
ton which go much beyond the Or
binary methods Of warfare at sea,
in the proclamation of a war zone
from which they have warned neu-
stral ships to keep away. This gov
eminent has already taken occasion on
to inform the imperial German gov
.ernment that it can not admit the
adoption Of such measures or such
= warning Of danger to operate as
in any degree an abbreviation OF the
rights Of American shipmasters or
sof American citizens bound on law
ful n errands as passengers on mer-
chant ships Of belligerent nationality;
and that it must hold the imperial
German government to a strict &C.
scountability for any infringement. OF
those rights, intentional OF incident
Il. It does not understand the I'M
perial German government to ques-
ton those rights. 1t assumes, on
the contrary, that the imperial gov
eminent accept, as OF course, the
rule that the lives of noncombata
whether they be Of neutral citizen
ship or citizens Of one of the ma
tions at war, can not lawfully be put
in jeopardy by the capture or
destruction Of an unarmed merchant
man, and recognize also, as all other
nations do, the obligation to take the
usual precaution of visit and search
to ascertain whether a suspected
merchantmen is in fact OF belhgerc
ent nationality or is in fact carrying
contraband of war under a neutral
flag. y
'aThe government OF the United
States, therefore, desires to call the
attention of the imperial German
government, with the utmost earn
q ~ : Is
estness, to the fact that the objec-
ton to, their present method of at
tack against the trade of their enc
mics lies in the practical impossible
ity Of employing submarines in the
destruction Of commerce without dis
regarding those rules Of fairness,
reason, justice and humanity which
all modern opinion regards as i'm
perative. 1t is practically, impossi-
BILE for the officers Of a submarine
to visit q merchantmen at sea and
examine her papers and cargo. 1t
is practically. impossible for them
to make prize Of her. and, If they
cannot put a prize crew on board
sEA1,o~~ ooppof sink her with