The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-06-17
Text Of American Note to Germany.

Washington, b. c., June 10.-The
q text Of the American rejoinder to the
German governments reply to the
note following the sinking of the
Lusitania follows:
THE Secretary of State ad interim
to the American ambassador to Ber-
lin:
Department of State,
Washington, June 8, 1915.
American Ambassador, Berlin:
You are instructed to deliver text
ually the following note to the min
lister of foreign affairs:
''In compliance with your excel
lency's request did not fail to trans
init to my government Immediately
upon their receipt your note of May
28 in reply to my note of May Is,
and your supplem entary note of June
4, setting forth the conclusions so
far as reached by the imperial Ger
man government concerning the at
tacks on the American steamers
Gushing and Gulflight. l am now in
structed by my government to COM
municate the following in reply:
THE government of the United
States notes with qualification the
full recognition by the imperial Ger
man government, in discussing the
cases Of the Gushing and the Gull
flight, of the principle of the free
dom of all parts Of the open sea to
neutral ships and the frank willing
ness of the imperial government to
acknowledge and meet it's liability
where the fact of attack upon neu-
trail ships which have not been gull
;ty Of any hostile act, by German air.
craft or vessels Of war is satisfac-
torily established; and the govern
ment of the United States will in due
course lay before the imperial Ger
man government as it requests full
information concerning the attack
on the steamer Gushing.
Surprised at German View.
with regard to the sinking of the
steamer Fabala, by which an Ameri-
can citizen lost his life, the govern
ment of the United States is surpris-
ed to find the imperial German gov
eminent contending that an effort on
the part Of a merchantmen to escape
capture and secure assistance alters
the obligation Of the officer seeking
to make the capture in respect OF the
safety of the lives of those on board
the merchantmen, although the YES
sci has ceased her attempt to escape
when torpedoed These are not new
circumstances They have been in
the minds of statesmen and of inter-
national jursts throughout the de-
velopment of the naval warfare and
the government of the United States
does not understand that they have
ever been held to alter the principles
of humanity upon which it has insist
ed. Nothing but actual forcible re-
,sistance of continued efforts to es-
cape by flight when ordered to stop
for the purpose of visit on the part
of the merchantmen has ever been
held to forfeit the lives of her pas
sengers or crew. The government of
the United States, however, does not
understand that the imperial German
government is seeking in this case
to relieve itself of liability, but only
intends to set forth the circum-
stances which led the commander of
the submarine to allow himself to be
hurried into the course which he
took.
% "Your excellency's note, in discus
sing the loss of American lives re-
sulting from the sinking of the
steamship Lusitania, adverts at some
length to certain information which
the imperial German government has
received with regard to the character
and outfit of that vessel and your ex-
cellency expresses the fear that this
information may not have been
brought to the attention of the gov
eminent of the United States. 1t is
.koko.l ;n n0fo thof the al MIA
was undoubtedly equipped with
masked guns, supplied with trained
gunners and special ammunition,
transporting troops from Canada,
carrying a cargo not permitted under
the laws of the United States to a
vessel also carrying passengers, and
serving, in vitual effect, as an auxil-
iary to the naval forces of Great
Britain.
Fortunately these are matters
concerning which the government of
the United States is in a position to
give the imperial German govern
ment official information. Of the
facts alleged in your excellencys
note, if. true, the government of the
United States would have been bound
to take official cognizance in per-
forming us recognized Oulv us
neutral power and in enforcing it's
national laws. It was it's duty to see
to it that the Lusitania was not arm
ed for offensive action, that she was
not serving as a transport, that she
did not carry a cargo prohibited by
the statutes of the Unitel States, and
that, if in fact she was naval YES
sci of. Great Britain she should not
receive clearance as merchantmen;
and it performed that duty with
scrupulous vigilance through its
regularly constituted officials. 1t is
able, therefore, to assure the imper-
ial German government that it has
been misinfOrmed.
''If the imperial German govern
ment should deem itself to be in pos
session of convincing evidence that
the officials of the United States did
not perform these duties with thor
ughness, the government of the Unit
ed States sincerely hopes that 1t will
submit that evidence for considera-
ton.
ls.Whateyer NAV be the contention