The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1915-06-16
WILSON DEMANDS
OPEN ASSURANCE
That American Lives Be
Safeguarded.
SPEAKS FOR HuMANITYs SAKE
Insists On Stand Of Govern.
-: ment Ia Recent Note
To Berlin.
ASKS SOME CHARGES PROVEN

ASKS SOME CHARGES PROVEN
Washington, June 10.-The Unit
ed States in it's latest note to Ger
many made public tonight formal
ly asks the Imperial Government
for assurance that measures here
after win be adopted to safeguard
American lives and American
ships" on the high seas. The alter
native in case of refusal is not stat
- ed.
Text OF American Note.
The text of the note follows:
"The Secretary of State ad Inter-
= i'm to the American Ambassador at
I Berlin
department of State, Washing
ton, June/9,' 1915-American Am
bassador, Berlin:-You are in
- structed to deliver textually the fol-
lowing note to the Minister of For
eign Affairs
"In compliance with Your Excel
lency's request, l did not fail to
transmit to my Government imme-
~, diately upon their receipt your note
of May 90, In reply to my note Of
May Is, land your supplementary noet
of June 1, setting forth the conclu-
sions so far reached by the Impe-
rial German Government concern
ing the attacks on the American
steamers Cushing and Gulflight. I
am now instructed by my Govern
ment to communicate the following
in reply:eesg sa'Ts e
"The Government of the United
States notes with qualification the
full recognition by the Imperial
German Government, in discussing
the cases of the Cushing and the
Gulfight, of the principle of the
freedom of all parts of the open sea
to neutral ships and the frank will
ingness of the Imperial German
Government to acknowledge and
meet its liability where the fact of
attack upon neural ships which have
not been guilty of any hostile act by
German air craft of vessels Of war
is satisfactorily established; and the
Government of the United States
will In due course lay before the
Imperial German Government. as it
Z requests. full information concern
ing the attack on the steamer Cush-
ing.
"With, regardhp the sinking of
the steamer Fa(aba. by which an
4 American citizen lost his life. the
Government of the United States is
surprised to find the Imperial Ger
man Government contending that
an effort on the part of a merchant
man to escape capture and secure
assistance alters the obligation of
the officers seeking to make the cap
ture In respect of the safety of the
( lives of those on board the mer-
chairman, although the vessel has
ceased her attempt to escape when
torpedoed. These are not new cir
cumstances They have been in the
minds of statesmen and of interna-
tional jurists throughout the devel-
opment of naval warfare. and the
Government of the United States
does not understand that they have
ever been held to alter the princi-
pies of, humanity upon which 1t has
insisted. Nothing but actual forci-
BILE resistance or continued efforts
to escape by fight when ordered to
stop for the purpose of visit on the
part of the merchantmen, has ever
been held to forfeit the lives of her
passengers or crew. The Govern
ment of the United States. however,
does not understand that the Impe-
rial German Government is seeking |
in this case to relieve itself of liabil-
ity. but only intends to set forth the
circumstances which led the COM
mander of the submarine to allow
himself to be hurried into the
course which he took.
"Your Excellency's note. lin dis
Guessing the loss Of American lives
realizing from the sinking Of the
steamer Lusitanis. sdverts at some
length 10 certain Information which
the Imperial Germ:a Government
las received with regard 70 the
character and OUTFIT Of that vessel.
and Your Excsllency expresses the
foar that fhia infoPmatfon may not