Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-08-21

The state departments attitude lis
that IL the German government has
any facts, which, in ixts opinion 20
ITO mitigate the circumstances Of the
ATTACK, such as an attempt to escape
or an attempt to resist or attack tho
submarine, the Berlin foreign Office
should have opportunity to present
sthem.
+ Todays announcement, moreover,
Indicates that before President VIII
ason takes any action there may be
some exchange of diplomatic COM
munications.
1t is understood that the state d.
partment's policy is TO show the ut
unost deliberation consistent with the
delicate question and to omit no op-
portunity of avoiding a severance of
relations with Germany so long as
there is a reasonable expectation that
sufficient excuse can be given for
the sinking of the Arabic. III.
| Secretary Lansing said he COZ
no more now than he had done and
was continuing to await official In
formation necessary TO determine the
government course
Although 1t has been reported that
the German embassy had evidence
that Catpain Finch of the Arabic had
been warneo and attempted TO escape
before the torpedo was discharged, II
WAS said at the state department that
no information of that kind had been
received from the German embassy or
any official quarter
Vice Consul Thompson's dispatches
from Queenstown this morning con-
firmed the White Star statement that
Ii had definitely determined that only
two Americans were lost. They ara
Mrs. Josephine Bruguiere, of New
York and San Francisco, and DIR. Ed
mund F. Woods, of GAINESVILLE. Wis.
1t was the first official agreement on
American losses. Nothing new was
received from Ambassador Page.
Look for Explanation.
In high official quarters emphasis
was laid on the eagerness Germany
has displayed to gain American SYM
pathy. The very fact that SHE has
restored in her efforts to accomplish
this, to methods which have been
critized in this country, was pointed
to as an evidence of the sincerity Of
her wish to earn and retain American
good will
At the very time when the Kaiser
was spending S2,000,000 weekly, az
charged for this purpose, the inten~
tional destruction of American lives
at sea- in defiance of President Will
sons last note to Berlin would in
volve SO meaningless a contradiction
in policies that these officials believed
there must be some sort of an sx-
planatlon back of the Arabic incident.
Reports were current that an ex-
PLANTATION of the kind had already
been foreshaded in messages via say
Vile They could not be confirmed.
So far as appeared on the surface
such hopes as were expressed of san
amieable settlement of the Arabic
matter were based on mere theoriz-,
ing. Nevertheless, hopes were enters
tained by men in positions which en-
titled their views to consideration.
The suggestion mostly common ad-
vanced was. that Germany would de-
clare:
What Germany May Claim.
The Arabic was torpedoed wien
! still within its armed convoy's pro-
| lection zone.
That the White Star liner tried to
ram the submarine.
That the merchantmen either tried
to escape, in disregard of warning
| to heave TO for search, or at least
executed some maneuvers whica fair
| ly entitled the German commander 10
believe an escape was being at
tempted
Pessimists agreed that none Of.
these contentious could possibly ps
made good, but the optimistic element
replied that only one side OF the story
| had been told and, besides, even K
the explanations referred TO could not
be proved, they would eliminate the
| idea of a deliberate "unfriendlyN|
German act against the United
| States.
| Summed up.
The situation was tepse.It was REC
| ognized that. ii might be, break was
inevitable. The administration. how
ever, was determined to avoid one VI
It could creditably be avoided. Hopes
were entertained, based on conclu-
sons rather than known facts, that
| this would be possible.