Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-29
German Madness.
New York World. }

The destruction of the American
ship Leelanaw by German sub
marine off the northeast coast Of
diplomatic strain between the United
States and Germany.
The sinking of the Leelanaw and
her cargo of fax was not one of the
grosser offenses of submarine warfare.
In this instance the more elementary
rules of law and humanity seem to
have been observed by the German
Commander. The members of the
crew were not murdered, but were
allowed to take to the boats. Never
theless, the destruction of the ship
was plainly in violation of the treaty
Of 1928 between the United States and
treats alternately as a sacred obliga-
ton and as a scrap of paper.
The detailed facts in the Leelanaw
case are yet to be obtained, but ac-
cording to the information at hand
the destruction of the ship was I'M
necessary as we'll as lawless. The
incident is not calculated to strength
en- American confidence in the good
faith of Germany, and in it's broader
aspects it is far more sinister than the
generally unfriendly tone of the Ger
man newspaper comment on the
Presidents note We had begun to
hope that whatever official and jour-
nalistic Germany. might say, there
was a disposition to make Germany's
deeds square more nearly with the
requirements of the Presidents de-
mands. Apparently that hope will
have to be abandoned unless there is
an immediate change for the better.
Mr.. Bryan, in, an address at San
Francisco Sunday night, said that TO
go to war with Germany now would
be like challenging lunatic asylum"
The comparison is felicitous. but
nevertheless the restraint of lunatics
is one of the serious functions of So
ciety. 1t is impossible to reconcile
the present German attitude toward
the rest Of the world, friend and foe
alike, with any theory OF sanity but
it does not follow that Germany gone
crazy must have a free hand until
reason fortuitously resumes sway.
The American people desire a sane
Germany. but if they cannot have
sane Germany they certainly will not
rest content with a maniac Germany
running at large and trampling down
all the rights and liberties of man
kind. We know of no force that can
compel sanity. but there are forces by
which rational people can protect
themselves from the depredations of
the insane.
We do not believe that in all the
history of modern civilization there
is another instance in which a great
people ever dealt SO patiently, SO
moderately, so optimistically with
persistent insult and injury as the
American people have dealt with the
wrongs inflicted upon this country by
Germany during the last year. Our
conduct has been creditable alike to
our charity, to our self-restraint and
to our idealism: but there are limits
to human endurance, and 1t remains
to be seen whether Germany can be
brought to realize that those limits
have virtually been reached.
Thus far there is little in the atti-
tude of the German press or In the
actions of the German Government to
show that there is shadow of belief
in Berlin that the United States
means what President Wilson says
when he declares that there are GER
tain great principles of neutral rights
in this war which the American peo-
pie are determined to maintain with
out compromise and at any cost