The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1915-05-20
|GERMANY'S ANSWER
WON 7 Be RECEIVED
FOR OVER A WEEK
Official Statement to
This Effect Reaches
Washington.
.GERMANY'S OFFER
Will Allow Crews and Pas
sengers to Escape if YES
sells Are Unarmed.
|GERMANY's OFFER

Washington. ID. C.-Official i'm.
formation was received here todnv
that Gefmany's reply to the American
note will not be completed for at least
week and probably will not reach
Washington for at least ten days.
Ii is known that Germany will in
dicate her willingness to have the
submarines act toward all merchants
men just as dcstroycrs or cruisers
| would, giving ample time for pass
cnScrS and crew to leave. provided
the merchantmen are unarmcd or il
the passengers and cOntraband lraf-
fic are separated.
| Berlin Papers Defend Submarine.
| Berlin, Germany via London)
Last evenings newspapers, dis
cussing the American note to Ger
many. are agreed that ii is impossible
Tor Germany to abandon her sub
marine warfare. Various newspapers
point out what they regard as the in
consistency of the Washington gov
ernment in asserting against Ger
many the right of American citizens
to go wherever they please on the
seas, but abandoning the right
against England land also in admit
ting the legality of England's declar-
alton OF war zone, but protesting
against Germany's submarine zone"
| 1T is further pointed out by the
newspapers that the American note
admits the right of German vessels
TO search British vessels and to cap
ture them if they are contraband. But
Ii' is declared that Washington must
know this right is rendered Illus
/ ionary through England's course OF
arming merchantmen and ordering
them 10 ram submarines by which
| Capt Otto Weddingen, one of Ger
many's submarine commanders, lost
! his life
The newspapers complain that the
note is fully in accord with the Eng
lish standpoint that the Lusitania was
| n harmless merchant vessel and ig
nores the fact that she was armed
and carrying munitions.
| The KreuZ-Zeitung asserts that
Germany was thoroughly right in de-
! manding that neutrals avoid the war
zone
Italy's Course Factor.
Washington. ID. C.-Two import
ant factors. which became known
last night. are working to delay for
lanother week Germany's reply to the
American note of May 13, on the
| Lusitania disaster
The first of these is that the next
few days is expected to decide wheth-
er Germany is to be confronted with
a new military situation by the en-
trance of Italy into the war, thereby
cutting off all supplies through the
I Mediterranean
The second is that interested dip
| lomatists here believe that the in
terim of the delay will reveal wheth-
er the United States. of its own ini-
tiative, will send a general protest to
the Allies regarding their violations
OF international law by interfering
With commerce between American
ports and the neutral countries of
Europe.
! Positive assurances to the state de-
partment are that Italy is sion to
enter the war, though in Austro-Ger
man quarters the confidence still pre-
walls that the break may be averted.
1t is realized that should Italy be-
come a belligerent Germany will lose
all hope of receiving foodstuffs
through the Mediterranean, and the
wheat supply of southeastern Europe
will be cut off.
This almost complete isolation
would make the submarine an even
more invaluable weapon for reducing
the enemy's supplies and commerce