The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1915-05-20


destruction of an unarmed merchant
man and recognize also, as all other
nations do, the obligation to take the
usual precaution of visit and search
to ascertain whether a suspected
merchantmen is in fact of belligerent
nationality or is in fact carrying con-
traband of war under a neutral flag
Basis of Objection.
The government of the United
States, therefore, desires to call the
attention of the imperial German
government, with the utmost earnest.
ness, to the fact that the objection to
their present method of attack
against the trade of their enemies
lies in the practical impossibility of
employing submarines in the destruc-
ton Of commerce without disregard
ing these rules of fairness, reason,
justice and humanity which all mod
ern opinion regards as imperative.
at is practically impossible for the
officers of a submarine to visit mer-
pers and cargo. 1t is practically i'm
possible for them to make a prize of
her; and, If they cannot put a prize
crew on board of her, they cannot
sink her without leaving her crew
and all on board Of her to the mercy
of the sea in her small boats. These
facts, it Is understood, the imperial
German government frankly admit
Warning Not Given.
1--WE are informed that in the in
stances of which we have spoken
time enough for even that poor meas
ure Of safety was not given and in at
least two Of the cases cited not so
much as a warning was received.
Manifestly submarines cannot be u.s.
ed against merchantmen, as the last
few weeks have shown, without an
inevitable violation of many sacred
principles of justice and humanity
American citizens act within their
indisputable rights in taking their
ships and in travelling wherever their
Legitimate business calls them upon
the high seas, and exercise those
rights in what should be the we'll JUS
tilted confidence that their lives will
not be endangered by acts done in
clear violation of universally &C
knowledged International obligations
and certainly in the confidence that
their own government will sustain
them in the exercise of their rights.
Criticizes Embassy Act.
There was recently published in
the newspapers of the United States.
l regret to inform the imperial Ger
man government, formal warning,
German embassy at Washington, adj
dressed 70 the people of the United
States and stating, in effect, that any
citizen of the United States who ex-
ercised his right to travel upon the
seas would do so at his peril if his
journey should take him within the
zone of waters within which the i'm
perial German navy was using sub
marines against the commerce of
Great Britain and France, notwith-
standing the respectful but very ear
nest protest Of his government, the
government of the United States.
81 do not refer to this for the pur-
pose of calling the attention of the
imperial German government at this
time to the surprising irregularity Of
a communication from the imperial
German embassy at Washington adj
dressed to the people Of the United
States through the newspapers, but
only for the purpose Of pointing out
that no warning that an unlawful
and inhuman act will be committed
can possibly be accepted as an excuse
or palliation for that act, or as an
abatement OF the responsibility for
it's commission.
Long acquainted as this govern
ment has been with the character Of
the imperial German government and
with the high principles OF equity by
which they have in the past been actu-
ated and guided, the government Of
the United States cannot believe that
the commanders Of the vessels which
these acts Of lawlessness
did so except under misapprehension
of the orders issued by the imperial
German naval authorities. 1t takes it
for granted that, at least within the
practical possibilities of every such
case, the commanders even of sub
marines were expected to do nothing
that would involve the lives of non
combatants or the safety of neutral
ships, even at the cost of failing of
their object Of capture or destruction.
Asks for Disavowal
1T confidently expects, therefore,
that the imperial German government
will disavow the acts of which the
D.p,ou,I of