Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1915-07-30

| a belligerent act Of retaliation is per
Sc an act beyond the law and the de.
| tense of an act as retaliatory is an all.
| mission that it is illegal:
Acts AS If Exempt From Law.
The government of the United
| States, however, is keenly disappoint.
ed to find that the imperial goTern.
| ment regards itself as in large degree
exempt from the obligations to oh.
serve these principles, even where
| neutral vessels are concerned, by
what it believes the policy and prac
tice of the government Of Great .Bsi.
tain to be iii the present war with re
gard to neutral commerce. The in.
Derial German government will readily
understand that the government OF
the United States cannot discuss tn
policy OF the government of Grea
Britain with regard to ncutral trade
except with that government it:e1r
and that it must regard the conduct
OF other belligerert governments a
irrelevant to any discussion with the
imperial German government Of what
this government regards as grave and
unjustifable violations of the right
of American citizens by German naval
commanders. Illegal and inhum2n
acts, however justiiable they may bo
thought to lie against an enemy VIII
is believed TO have acted in contra.
yentinn CT law and humanity, &C
maGifestly irdefensibie when they dc
prive neutra.S of their acknowledge
rights, particularly where they violate
tie right to life itself.
If a belligerent cannot retaliatC
against an enemy without injur,ng
the lives OF neutrals as well as their
property, humanity. as we'll as jus
ND n .iIIn ri FOR tho TiCnSt-
Of neutral r9wers shcT'd dictate tha
the practice be discontinued. II per
sisted in il would in such ci cum
stances constitute an unpardonahlo
offense against the sovereignty of the
neutral natiGn affected. TIE e yer Z"
ment of the United States is not un
mindful Of the extraordinary conui
tions created by this war or of the
radical alterations OF circumstance
and method CT attack produced by the
use of instrumentalitie of naval war
fare which the nations of the w. I'd
cannot have had in view when the
existing rules of international lay
were formulated, and it is ready to
make every reasonable allowance 10
these novel and unexpected aspect .
Of war at sea; but it cannot cOnzen
to abate any essential or fundamen5a
right of its people becau 81 OF mere
alteration of circumstance. The ii2at.
of neutralS in time of war are basel
upon principle, not upon eXpedeu"y
and the principles are immutabie. II
is the duty and obligation OF be.,ig2T
ents to find a way to adapt, the new
circumstances to them.
The events Of the past two month
have clearly indicated that it is po
sible AMI practicable to conduct sncl
submarine operations as have. charac
terized the activity of the impe IA
German naval commanders within the
so-called war zone in substantial &C
cord with the accepted practices =
regulated warfare. The whole wcrli
has looked with interest and incr a g
ing satisfa ton at the demonstrate II
Of that possibility by German n2Va
commanders. 1t is manifestly pGss;'
hla, therefore. to lift the whole prac
tice of submarine attack abave thG
criticism which i las aroIsel and
remove the chief causes o. oTense.
Expect i3eTaration For Lustania.
In view cf tue omission Of ill@ga,itT
made by the imDnrial government
when it pleaded the right o. re LA
ton in dorenae OF its acts. ami |.
view Of the manifest possibility o.
conforming 10 the es:ab isled rules
of naval warfare, the government OF
.
the imperial government will l1nge:
refrain from disavcwing the wa1ton
act OF its naval commander in sinking
the Lusitania or frCm offering repa' J.
ton for the American lives lost. s
far as repaTation can be mf de for. Il
needless destruction of human life by
an Illegal act.
States, while not indifferent to the
friendly spirit in which it IS made
cannot accept the suggestion of the
imperial German government tina!
certain vessels be DESIGNATED and
agreed upon which shall be free on
the seas no:. illegally prescribed. The
very agreement would, by implica;i" n,
subject other vessels to iii2 al attack
and would be a curtailment, an l.
therefore, All abandonment OF the
principles for which this government
counse!s every nation would cOncedt
as of course.
The government of the United
States and the imperial German gov
ernment, which are contending for
the sarse great object, have long
stood together in urging the very prin,
ciples upon which the government ri
the United States now so so!emniy /.
sists. They are both contendiu~ 70
the freedom Of the seas. The gov =
ment OF the United States vii! Il.
: tinue to contend for that free =,
from whatever quarter violated, h
out compromise and at any COS Il
invites the practical co-oDeTa%tn Of
the imperial German g1ve~nla II al
this time, when cooperation ma &C
complish most, and this great t, III ION
object be most strikingly AMI eEec.
lively achieved.
proffer o. Services as Mediator.
The imperial government expresses
the hope that this object may be in
some measure accomplished even be-
fore the present war ends. It can be.
The government Of the United States
not only leals obliged to insist upon
1t by whomsCoyer violated or ignored
in the protection Cf its own citizens,
but is also dccnly interested in seeing
it male practicable between the bel.
ligerents themselves, and holds itself
ready at any time to act as the con-
mon friend who may be privileged to
suggest a way. IN the meantime the
very value which this government, sets
upon the long and unbroken friend.
ship between the reOple of the gov.
ernment OF the United States and the
people and government Of the Ger.
solemnly upon the imperial German
government the necessity for scrl'
pulous observance OF neutral rights
in this critical matter. Friendship it.
self prompts it to say to tie imperial
government that repetition BY the
commanders OF German naval vessels
OF acts il contravention of these
rights must he regs rded by the gov.
ernment OF the United States, when