Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-07-20
As 1T LOOKS 70 NE.

The belligerent nations of Europe,
especially Great Britain and Germany
are paying no attention to international
law. England's violation of these laws
is confined to an invasion of the prop.
erty rights Of neutrals. Germany has
gone further and added to the destruc-
ton Of property in violation of law, the
taking of human life in manner and
form as devoid of humane instinct as
is the way of the wild beast In Selling
it's prey.
To further parley with these bellig-
erents automatically is silly and fruit
less. have been pleased with the
stand our government has taken. The
president has done we'll, and in the
state department as now organized,
have confidence. After having sought
for ten months to teach and persuade
the belligerents to observe the rights
|of neutrals and utterly failed, parley
with them no longer.
When Germany, early In the war,
long before any other power had done
SO, set her mines in the North Sea
waters, she trampled upon the rights
of all nations. The seas are the path
way of the nations. To obstruct this
highway and blow up ships is as helm
GUS as the act of the highwaymen upon
the streets. 1t is ample cause for war
- they ought to have been told SO nine
months ago. Tell them SO now, strip
ped Of all the honeyed words of dip
lomacy.
Let us throw the great weight and
powerful influence of this mighty ma
ton into the arena Of this conflict by
calling things by their right name. Let
us declare that for the injuries our
people have received by the lawless
acts OF belligerents, we demand the
fullest possible remuneration. II this
return is not made now, it must come
finally If the friendship of our people
is worth the having !
The destruction of life and property
Of the neutral nations has been ruth
less and this nation, as leader among
neutrals, should lead in demand for
settlement and abandonment Of pres
ent methods.
international law covering naval
warfare Is the same now as it was In
the time of our civil war. Then one Of
our gallant naval officers held up a
British vessel on the high seas, and
took therefrom two distinguished rebel
commissioners. No one was harmed.
The British ship was left to proceed on
Its way:
What happened?
England fastened to declare that the
British flag had been insulted; Eng
lish soil, represented by the deck Of
the English ship, had been invaded,
and frosty demand for the release
of the mon was made. The exigencies
of our situation, then in the early dark
days OF the rebellion, made it impera-
tive that we should lie down and let
the commissioners, Mason and Slidell,
go. They went to England and there
among other things, concocted the plan
of having built and armed in English
navy yards, rebel privateers to wipe
our commerce from the sea. For this
England at later day paid fifteen mil.
lions Of dollars (not half enough) as
the award Of the court Of arbitration.
Here we have suggestion Of what Is
coming out Of the present situation. In
the days of our civil war international
law as now, permitted cities to mine
their harbors within the three mile
limit for their protection, but who ever
heard Of their declaring war zones and
planting mines in the deep seas to
blow up the commerce Of the world?
Such method of warfare destroys the
freedom of the seas, and no longer
confines a war between two belliger.
ents to their own domain. 1t involves
every nation whose ships sail the sea,
and as in the present war, within an
arbitrarily declared war zone covering
the deep sea, this method creeps Sc
cretly up under water and sends mis-
sile into the hold OF vessel bearing
two thousand civilian souls, who in Joy
and delight at their near approach to
the port of destination, are suddenly
plunged into the horror Of struggling
mass of humanity in the pitiless waters
of the ocean. At the same time the
little band of highwaymen come to the
surface in their craft and look on until
the sea swallows their victims.
Can 1t be within the range OF human
vision that the time will ever come
when the nations Of the earth will e1.