The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-05-11
A THREE -coRNERED BARGAIN

The New York Suns" Washington correspond
ent says that Germany would like to bargain with
the United States regarding the limitation of Ger
many s submarine warfare, and that while Germany
has not made any official overtures she will do so on
a basis something like this:
That Germany will abandon her submarine operations
inv diving losses neutrals if Great Britain viii permit
foodstuHs 20 enter Germany.
OF course any bargaining to that end would be a
threecornered affair with Great Bktain as the third
party. So far as the United States is concerned
such an arrangement might be very satisfactory
one. First OF all such bargain, if strictly lived
up to, would be protection to the lives of such
Americans as are so venturesome as to risk trips
on English vessels into the war zone In the second
place it would be benefit TO Ameican interests in
material way to be able to ship foodstufs without
interruption into Germany. So much for the United
States.
Presumably if it is true that Germany is to pro-
pose such bargain the of it are satisfactory
to Germany. 1t would seem, therefore, that the
acceptance of the proposition would depend largely
on Great Britain. What her attitude would be of
course is problematical.
The British acceptance of the proposal, it might
perhaps be concluded would hinge largely on
whether the British see more advantage in keeping
foodstuffs out of Germany than in being safe
guarded against the destruction of the lives of her
people and her property on board British merchant
vessels in the present zone of operations of German
submarines.
In brief, then it might be said that the bargain
the Sun man declares Germany is about to offer
reduces itself to this
Germany will prevent the loss of lives of British
The of of
through starvation due to cutting off the food supply.
If it is true that Germany has any such PROPOSE
tion to make it might explain to some extent the
thus far unexplained advantage that Germany
sought to gain by its alleged sinking of the Lusi-
tania with the accompanying great loss of life
Germany, assuming that it ultimately will be
proved that she was responsible for the sinking of
the liner may perhaps attempt to justify that act
on the ground that it was a drastic step taken to
force England to agreement TO let food stuffs
go into Germany If that is so, incidentally, Ger
many must be put to desperate straits to obtain
food.
Solely from the viewpoint of the United States the
bargain alleged to be about to be proposed would
be boon to America for the reasons stated above
So far concerns the likelihood of its acceptance
by Great Britain, however, there is much doubt
For one thing, the withdrawal of the British ban
on the shipping of food into Germany would do
more than open up source of food supply to the
German non-eombatants. 1t would do the same for
the German fighting men and thus one of
the greatest possible means of the British weak
ening the German military operations.
Moreover 1t would present greater opportunities
for neutral nations to smuggle war supplies into
Germany in the guse of foods, to the injury of
Britain.
And, besides that, in these days when interna-
tional agreements are regarded as mere scraps of
paper, what assurance would Great Britain have