New Britain herald., 1915-07-10
GERMANY DECLINES TO GIVE ASSURANCES
 NOT TO ENDANGER AMERICANS ON SEAS
Reply u S Note Submarine Warfare States That Vessels in Legitimate Trade Will Be Respected--K Kaiser Eyades
 All Responsibility for Sinking of Lusitana

! since have been conducted for the regulation of the laws Of maritime war, Germany and America have jointly advocated progressive prin- cip1es, especially the abolishm ent oi the right of capture at sea and the protection of the interests of neu. erals.
 Even at the beginning of the 1 present war the German govern
 ment immediately declared it's will ingness in response to proposals of 1 the American government, to ratify l the declaration of London and its naval forces to all the restric- tions provided therein in favor of neutrals. Germany likewise has been always tenacious of the pr,n. ciple that war should be conducted
 against the armed and organized forces of an enemy country but that the enemy civilian population must be spared as far as possi ble from the measures of war Tlls Imperial government cherishes She dennite hope that some way will be found when peace is concluded, or perhaps earlier, to regulate the
 law of maritime war in manner guaranteeing the freedom of the
 seas and will welcome it with grat- stftude and satisfaction if 1t can
 work hand In hand with the Amerl-
 can governme enb on that occasion.
 German Government Not Guilty.
 If in the present war the princi-
 pies which should be the ideal of the future have been traversed
 more and more, the longer its dura-
 tion, the German government has
 no guilt therein. It is known to the American government how Ger
 many's adversaries, by completely
 paralyzing peaceable traffic between Germany and neutral countries. have aimed from the very begin ming and with increasing lack of consideration at the destruction, not So much of the armed forces as the life of the German nation, re- pudiating in doing so all the rules of international law and disregard ing all rights of neutrals,
 On November 3. 1914, England de-
 clared the North sea a war zone and by planting poorly anchored mines and by the stoppage and capture of
 vessels made passage extremely dan-
 gerous and difficult. for neutral ship
 ping by actually blockading neutral
 coasts and ports contrary to all inter- national law. Long before the begin ming of submarine war England prac- tically completely intercepted legiti-
 mate neutral navigation to Germany also. Thus Germany was driven to a submarine war on trade.
 On November 14, 1914, the Eng fish premier declared in the House I of Commons that it was one or England's pricipal tasks to prevent I food for the German population from 1 reaching Germany via neutral ports.
 Since March 1st England has been
 taking from neutral ships without ] further formality all merchandise ! proceeding to Germany, as we'll as all l merchandise coming from Germany, i even when neutral property. Just as 1t was also with the Boers, the German 1 people is now to be given the choice Sof perishing from starvation with it's women and children or of relinquish- ing it's independence.
 Fought in Self Defense.
 While our enemies thus loudly and @openly proclaimed war without mercy until our utter destruction, we were
 conducting a war in self-defence for our national existence and for the 4 sake of peace of an assured perman- I ency. We have been obliged to adopt ! a submarine warfare to meet the de- I clared intentions of our enemies and I the method of warfare adopted by l them in contravention Of international I law.
 With the efforts in principle to pro- I tect neutral life and property from I damage as much as possible, the Ger
 man government recognized unreserv- I edly in it's memorandum of February l 4 that the interests of neutrals might ! suffer from the submarine warfare. l However, the American government
 will also understand and appreciate
 that in the fight for existence which
 has been forced upon Germany by it's adyersaries and announced by them it is the sacred duty of the Imperial
 government to do all within it's power
 to protect and save the lives of Ger l man subjects. If the Imperial gov ernment were derelict in these, it's duties 1t would be guilty, before God T and history of the violations of those I principles of highest humanity, which