The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-16
AUSTRIA'S REPLY

London, Dec. 16.-The reply of
the Acknowledgements government
to the note of the United States
relative to the sinking of the
steamer Ancona by an Austrian
submarine, was handed to Fred
erick c. PenfieId, United States
am mbassador at Vienna, on Tues
day, according to a dispatch from
Amsterdam to Reuters Telegram
company. The correspondent
quotes from the reply as follows:
From the sharpness with
which the government of the
United States believed it ought to
censure the commander of the
submarine and from the firmnesS
with which the demands address,
ed to the strO-Hungarian gov
ernment appear to have been
brought forward, it could be eX-
pected that the American govern
ment would clearly give the actual
circumstances upon which II re-
lies.
LAS can be easily recognized,
the representation on the clrcum-
stances contained in the note al
lows numerous doubts and gives
not at all sufficient reasons for
blaming the commander of the
submarine and the Austro- Hun
garian government. even if the
representations prove correct in
ali points and judgment in the
case is based on the most rigorous
legal interpretations
United states Omits Names.
1.-The American governf1ent also
omitted to. indicate the persons to
whose statements it refers and to
whom il apparently believes it
must attribute @Enigher degree of
trustworthiness than to COM
nander of the imperial royal
navy
''As to the number, names and
details concerning the fate of the
American citizens who, in the
critical moment, were aboard the
above mentioned steamer, the
note does not give any explana-
ton.
But in view of the fact that
the Washington cabinet now has
given a positive declaration that
at the above mentioned incidents
subjects of the United States came
to grief. the ustro-Hungarian
government in principle is pre-
pared to enter into an exchange
Of opinion with the American
government.
Offers Exchange of Correspondence.
But in the first instance it
must raise the question of why
this government refrained from
juridically motivating the de-
mand stated in its note with re-
gard to the special circumstances
of the discriminating incident,
which are especially pointed out
by the American government, and
in the place of a such motivation
mentioned an exchange of cor
respondence which it had with the
American government about an
other affair.
THE Hungarian govern
ment is the less able to follow the
Washington cabinet in this un-
usual attitude, aS it in no way
possesses a knowledge of all the
correspondence having reference
to it. The ustrO-Hungarian gov
ernment also iS not of the opinion
that this knowledge could be suf-
ficient for the present case, which
according to its own information,
is materially different from the
case or cases to which the Ameri-
can government apparently is re-
ferring.
Asks for Legal Maxims.
Therefore, the Austro-Hun-
garian government must leave it
to the Washington cabinet to
draw up the individual legal
maXims which the commander of
the submarine is alleged to have
violated when sinking the Ancona.
THE American government also
thought 1t advisable to point out
the attitude which the Berlin
cabinet in the aforementioned
exchange of correspondence had
taken. In the highly esteemed
note the Austro- Hungarian gov
ernment finds no support for this
course. II the American govern
ment should have intended there
by to express an opinion as if a
precedent exists for the present
case, the Austro-Hungarian gov
ernment in order to prevent mis-
understandings must declare that
1t, of course, must preserve full
liberty to urge its own legal inter-
pretations during the discussion
of the Ancona case
The government expresses to
Am bassador Penfield full synpa-
thy for the victims of the ADcopa