Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1915-05-13
The Law of The Lusitania Case
IFrom the New York Times.)

ed. And the warning advertisement
published by the German embassy
here. being notice of an intent to
commit a crime, is of no more avan
for exculpation than a Black HAND
letter of threat
The rule of mercy to the crew and
passengers of captured merchant ships
of the enemy rests upon the universa
principle that the operations of war
are carried on against armed forces,
not against the enemys peaceable
citizens or subjects. certainly never
against neutrals. It rests upon the
principle of instructions for the gov
eminent of the armies of the United
States in the field during the civil
war, a code prepared by Dr.. Lieber
and revised by the hand of Abraham
Lincoln, in which it was declared that
men in arms remain moral beings
responsible TO one another and to
God" Germany snapped her fingers
at the law of morality when she did
| this deed of blood. She put herself
outside the domain Of law, and it is
a frequent comment upon her behav-
! Tor that by that act sue confessed
herself 10 be an outlaw ttiOn. We
/ know now how she makes war, how
she intends to make war-that discus
sion is ended. Had we known on
August 1 what is now so painfully
clear TO us we should beyond all
doubt have taken a different course.
We passed over in silence the lawless
violence and carnage visited upon
Belgium by the German invader, al
though many prominent Americans in
sisted that we should then have reg
istered our firm protest against cruel
spoliation in violation of neutral
rights under treaty signed by the
spoiler. We should have protested,
doubtless against the promiscuous
sowing of mines in the North Sea by
Germany. we should have shown less
forbearance in the cases of the Frye
and the Cushing, the Falaba and the
Gulfight.
Now that we are warned that Ger
many has resolved to make war in
disregard Of the laws of God and
man like a Malay running amuck, We
know what to do The time for pro-
tests has passed Il becomes now
our duty to demand that Germany
shall find means to carry on her wal
without putting our citizens to death
II is a demand in which other neutral
nations will have the right to join, for
aboard the Lusitsnia there were
Danes, Swedes, Greeks, Italians and
other neutrals. Ii may be said that
in this demand we shall call upon
Germany to surrender her right &c
fight her enemy in her own way. II
Is precisely that Her own way is that
tigerish ferocity of which neither neu.
trails nor her enemies have believed
her capable Beyond the pale of Law
she has no right. and she went fan
outside all law when she prearrangeC
and executed the destruction of thu
/ Lustania. II may be said that The
presentation of such a demand Nigh
involve us in war with Germany. w,
are not of that opinion. There ar,
measures short of war which may b.
taken 10 assert the rights and mani
fest the just resentment of a nation
And they are measures which thu
men OF power in Germany would no
. lightly disregard unless they are los
. in madness.
But If the dispatch without warn
ing of torpedoes against the grea
Ilusitania with 1000 human beings OF
board is TO be accepted as a trul
manifestation of the German spirit
T If Germany proclaims It, If she ha
, deliberately determined that all tn
Z world shall know that this is tn
, way in which she proposes TO maxi
! war. that this is her attitude towarl
= law, this is the measure of her hu
manity then all neutral nations ar
III 81 l,f1
. Germany and eradication of the mill
/ tary spirit of Germany are essentia
[ to their peace and safety. and the,
E will feel that they have tenfold create
, reason for desiring. and in the ex
IRENE emergency for helping to brinl
that about, that saving consummatior