The Washington times., 1915-03-30
SAvAGERY OF THE SEAS


BY far the most egregious case of
maritime savagery that the subma-
rine warfare has yet produced, is
the destruction of the steamships
Aguila and Falaba, which were tor
pedoed and sent to the bottom with
out giving their crews and passen-
gers time to get safely away from
the doomed craft. The dispatches
state that in the case of the Falaba
five minutes was given to get the
ships people over the sides, into
boats, and out of the danger zone.
Before this could be done, and while
people were still in plain sight on
the decks, the torpedo was fired. 1t
is believed that. number of the
lives lost were claimed by the ex-
plosion of the torpedo. This vessel
had aboard crew of ninety and 100
passengers, and of these more than
100 are supposed to have been lost.
In the case of the Aguila, twenty-six
deaths are credited to the action of
the submarine.
This is not war, according even to
medieval standards; it is, murder.
There has never before now been a
time within the epoch of civilized
standards, when such things could be
done.
From the first days of the German
incursion into Belgium and the
smash into northern France, there
have been charges of the most hor-
rible cruelty against the Germans.
These have been denied just as in
sistently as they have been advanced,
and it has been difficult for the out
side world to make certain whether
| the excesses were worse than must
be expected in such style Of war
fare.
But there can be no uncertainty
about the things that are happening
in the submarine raids; and these
things are the best possible testi-
mony as to the methods of the Ger
mans. On the sea, they are sacrific-
ing innocent, non-combatant, un-
armed and defenseless women and
children. They are not doing it by
accident. They announced that they
would have to do it, and told the
world to look out for it. Neutrals
might get in the way and be sacri-
feed in the same fashion. No mat
ter; it would be their lookout if they
got in the way.
This gives the most telling color
of probability to the stories of Ger
man cruelty in the warfare on land
In the light of the circumstantial
stories of horrors that have been
repeated from every section of the
western war zone, and in the knowl-
edge of the butcheries that have
been perpetrated on the seas, it will
never be possible to convince the
world that all the stories of atroci.
ties in Belgium were fabrications. A
nation that makes war in this fash.
ion will somehow have to pay the
penalty for it. The Turks have not
been worse, in their most frightfu
assaults on enemies against whom
they were moved by the inspiration
of fanatic religious hatred.
1t has been a succession of awfu
stupidities, this policy of the German
war authorities. 1t has enlisted
against the German cause all tht
decent sensibilities of the world. i
has served no useful purpose save t.
redouble the determination of Ger
many's enemies that such hara-kir
must be stopped and effectively pun
ished. 1t will be a long account
writ in blood, that the powers will
one day present at the Wilhelm
strasse on the point of bayonet
and for which payment will be en-
forced to the last farthing, with al
the world, warning and neutral, full!
, sympathetic with the demand.