The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-13
IS MOST EMPHATIC
 DECLARATION YET
 BY THIS COUNTRY.
Unless Demands Are Quick ly Complied With There Is Grave Danger of Rup- ture of Relations Between Two Countries

Washington, December 12.--The text
 of the American note to Austria
 Hungary regarding the sinking of the
 Italian steamship Ancona, made pub
 lie tonight, reveals formal demand
 by the United States for prompt de-
 nouncement of the ''illegal and inde- fensibe' act; for punishment of the submarine commander, and for rep
 aration by the payment of indemnity
 for the killing and injuring of in- nocent American citizens.
 These demands follow statement in. forming Austria Hungary that the good rela tions of the two countries must rest upon common regard for law and hu. manity." The note arraigns the shelling and torpedoing of the liner as '1nhu- mane," 'barbarous,' and a ''wanton slaughter of helpless men. women and children"
 In official and diplomatic circles the communication is regarded as being tho most emphatic declaration to come from the United States government since the beginning of the European war No at- tempt is made to conceal the fact that unless the demands are quickly compiled with diplomatic relations between the two countries will be in grave danger of be- ing severed.
 The text of the note, which was handed tc the Austrian foreign office Thursday by Ambassador Penield. follows: NOTE TO AUSTRIA rIa Sprrrtarv-a ESfa 4f..s \ Penfield:
 Department of State. Washington, De-
 cember $, 1915.
 Please deliver a note to the minister of foreign affairs, textually as follows:
 Reliable information obtained from American and other survivors who were passengers on the steamship Ancona show that on November ' a submarine flying the Hungarian flag fired a solid shot toward the steamship; that thereupon the Ancona attempted to es cape; that after a brief period and be- fore the crew and passengers were all able to take to the boats the subma- rine fired number of shells at the vessel and finally torpedoed and sank her while there were yet many persons on board: and that by gunfire and laundering of the vessel a large num- Der of persons lost their lives or were seriously injured among whom were citizens or the united states.
 The public statement of the Austro- Hungarian admiralty has been brought to the attention of the government of the United States and received careful consideration. This statement substan- tially confirms the principal declara- tion of the survivors, as 1t admits that the Ancona after being shelled was torpedoed and sunk while persons were still on board
 KNEW OF OUR ATTITUDE
 "The Austro-IIungarian government has been advised. through the corre- spondence which has passed between the United States and Germany, of the attitude of ythe government of the United States as to the use of sub marines in attacking vessels of com merce and the acquiescence of Germany in that attitude, yet with full knowl- edge on the part of the Austro- Hun garian government of the views of the of the United States as expressed in no uncertain terms to the ally of Austria Hungary, the comman- der of the submarine which attacked
 tContinued on page TwO)