The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-06-16
ASKS ONLY FOR
JUSTICE At HANDS
Of GERMANY
"Department of State,
"Washington, June 9, 1915.

washington, June ., 1919.
"American Ambassador, Berlin:
"You are instructed to deliver
textually the following note to the
minister of foreign affairs:
"In compliance with your excel
lency's request 1 did not fail to trans
nit to my government Immediately
upon their receipt your note of May
% in reply to my note of May Is,
and your supplementary note of June
/, setting forth the conclusions so far
as reached by the imperial German
government concerning the attacks
on the American steamers Cushing
and Gulflight. I am now instructed
by my government to communicate
the following in reply:
''The government of the United
States notes with qualification the
full recognition by the imperial Ger
man government in discussing the
cases of the Cushing and the Gull
flight of the principles of the free
dom of all parts of the open sea to
neutral ships and the frank willing
ness Of the imperial German govern
ment to acknowledge and meet its
liability where the fact of attack up
on neutral ships which have not been
guilty of any hostile act by German
aircraft or vessels of war is satisfac-
torily established; the government
of the United States will in due
course lay before the imperial Ger
man government, at its request, full
information concerning the attack or
the steamer Cushing.
Unpleasant Surprise.
"With regard to the sinking of the
steamer Falaba, by which an Amer
can citizen lost his life, the govern
ment of the United States is sur
prised to find the imperial German
government contending that an effort
on the part of merchantmen to es-
cape capture and secure assistance
alters the obligation of the officer
seeking to make the capture in res
pect of the safety of the lives of
those on board the merchantmen, al
though the vessel had ceased her at
tempt to escape when torpedoed.
These are not new circumstances.
They have been in the minds of
statesmen and of international jur-
lists throughout the development of
naval warfare, and the government
of the United States does not under
stand that they have ever been held
to alter the principles of humanity
upon which it has insisted. Nothing
but actual forcible resistance or con-
tinued efforts to escape by flight
when ordered to stop for the purpose
of visit on the part of the merchant
man has ever been held to forfeit the
lives of her passengers or crew. The
government of the United States,
however, does not understand that
the imperial German government is
seeking in this case to relieve itself
of liability but only intends to set
forth the circumstances which led the
commander of the submarine to al
low himself to be hurried into the
course which he took.
Has Official Information.
"Your excellency's note, in discuss
ing the loss of American lives result
ing from the sinking of the steamship
Lusitania, adverts at some length to
certain information which the i'm
perial German government has re-
ceived with regard to the character
and outfit, of that vessel, and your ex-
ceIlency expresses the fear that this
information may not have been
brought to the attention of the gov
ernment of the United States. 1t is
stated in the note that the Lusitania
was undoubtedly equipped with
masked guns, supplied with trained
gunners and special ammunition,