The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-29
CANNOT JUSTIFY
TCAINNNgI JUSTIFY
 SUBMARINE WAR View on Gennany's Methods Is Given By Authority.

Another naval authority has come
 forward with the assertion that Ger
 many's method of submarine war
 fare cannot be justified. This man is none other than General Benjamin Franklin Tracy, secretary of the United States navy during the ad-
 nainistration of President Benjamin Harrison, just twenty-five years ago. General TraGys views are shown in the following interview by a repre- sentative of the New fork Herald: General, what do you think of this latter day submarine warfare2 Would you have employed the submarine had this type been in existence in. 1 your day7''
 Had there been submarines in my l day certainly should have used them to their fullest possi biHties. said General Tracy quietly Amy naval
 engine of offence or defence would have been employed would have
 prepared to. do the greatest possible harm to the enemy had we. been at
 war. If the submarine could do it better than anything else T. would have used it, without a doubt. would you have used the SubTT1a- rine Hke-weN, like the German sub marine was used in torpedoing the, L11sitania ?'' I asked.
 ssMost decidedly not,'' replied the l general. with frownfng emphasis 1 ssAf ostz recddedly not-a' That act was nh1xraan-inhuman That act was in ezcusab1e. I agree that the subma- rine may be used against vessels that are not regular war vessels if such
 vessels are engaged in doing some thing that forfeits their peace vessel
 rights.
 ssBut whether the vessel is a pas 1 senger carrying craft or a ship of 1 commerce carrying only cargo and l crew the submarine must not tor pedo without warning, and that | of time to permit the saving of every l human being aboard.
 Mot to do this is to violate the 1 fun damental laws of humanity. It is l different in the case of a, war ship I All aboard of her are fighting men, and. well know that at any moment
 they may be sent to the bottom. But l to torpedo a, ship that is not war I vessel and to give be1ngerents no I chance for their HvesSinhurnan, in- 1 human
 General, in the event of a war be- tween the United States and Germany do you think. the submarine could or
 would be as important a factor as 1t
 has been thus far between the allies and Germany? Wouldn't the distance
 we are from Germany render the sub marine ineffective because of not being
 able to make the ocean trip of three
 thousand odd miles, with no base of repIenishmenf and ref1tting on this side2''
 sI could only hazard an answer.
 and I won't do that,'' said General Tracy. s'So far as naval operations against Germany might be carried on by the United States, it seems to me that Great Britain and Franc& are doing everything in a naval way that can be done. The German fleet is 1 bottled up, and the allies have ships
 enough to keep it that way. So what j more our navy could do if we went 4t to war with Germany cannot see T Aside from the submarine feature
 it is plain that in the event of war
 with Germany our war. ships could Il be hurt only by going over to the other side If they took part in the blockasding or bottIing up of German
 ports or German fleets of course they would run the same risk of being tor pedoed that the war ships of the a.l- lies have run. In short, whatever the nav1es of the allies have done up to now our navy could do. But the allies do not seem to lack vessels 1 Therefore, it would appear that everything that big ships can do is being done. We might help to do it.
 but our navy would not, supply the allies with something they now lack = stSo far as I can see the only way for the United States to carry on war with Germany in g. way supplemen- i .tary to what is being. done now by the enemies of Germany is to do exactly
 what Canada, is doing-send troops to the Continent as fast as they can
 be prepared and sent. We could land ,-I them in France and so augment the armies facing German troops there The American soldier might be conf l dent1y expected to live up to the mar tia1 traditions of his country.
 1 F.szy.,er, War. A.5s xOr,e5 F.s,aA 2, 5yvr,r-z