Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1915-05-12
ing
The Lusitania.

On the first impulse we are
all liable to utterly condemn
Germany for torpedoing and
sinking the steamship Lusita-
MIA with heavy loss of life
among people who were non
combatants, but the act was an
act of war in which the innocent
were sacrificed to the principle
of self defence, which is as dom
inent in nation as in an indi-
vidual struggling for life against
an implacable and merciless an
tagonist. The people who suf-
fered from it were all warned
of the risk they ran by entering
into a pronounced and definitely
determined zone of war, ia en-
tering which they took specu-
lative chance of escaping unhurt
They placed themselves in the
same position as that of a man
who had no interest in the bat
tie running the gauntlet between
two armies firing at each other.
when he was fully aware that
where he ran the air would be
full of flying, death dealing bull
let's. That is about all that need
be said along that line, except to
add that we deplore as much as
anyone so great a loss of lie on
a gambling chance.
In striking this blow Germany
struck the greatest terror of the
war in the hearts Of her foes.
They thought she could not
strike it or would not have the
courage to do so. She hit Eng
gland with England's own wea-
pon-starvation, for she has
demonstrated that she can make
her submarine blockade of Eng
lands shores effective if she SO
desires. The previous work of
Germany's underwater craft
within the war zone, while derid-
ed by her enemies for ineffect-
iveness of the measure, may now
be taken as a preliminary eX-
hibitiOn of capacity, to impress
her foes against reSOrting to
utmost extremitieS against her
self. That she was sure she
could single out and sink a p; +
particular ship is quite clearly
shown in the warning from the
highest official source that the
attack was coming, a warning,
by the way, that was laughed at
as a bluff on the part of Ger
many.
Our own government is pro.
testing against this method OF
warfare as outraging all the rules
of neutral friendship of nations
not involved in the war. To this
accusation Germany can wei
plead that England had already
broken pretty nearly all those
rules on the principle that she
had the right of might over al
the waters of the oceans, anC
would do as she pleased in beat
ling her enemy. The United
States, no less than all the other
neutral nations, is involved in {
dereliction here because she was
powerless to enforce the rules o.
neutrality. Washington NIGH
protest all she pleased, and die
80 protest, that Britain was mo-
observing any of our rights a:
a neutral nation as they bore re
lation to our intercourse Will
Germany. War was war, ant
whichever nation held power
over the seas made the rules b,
which the conflict would be con
Quoted. Now. following out thi:
theory, Germany makes a rule
for her own advantage, and by i
she hopes to accomplish a checl
on supplies reaching her enc
mics or forcing England to us'
her warships to protect he
commerce and give the German
navy a chance to operate agains
less overwhelming odds.
War is war, and under it's saw
agery the rules Of civilization
break down.
Stalking carpathian Stags.
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