Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-12-23
IMPOSSIBLE TO
misunderstood
THE FINAL NOTE
Austria Informed That Her Own
Admission Warrants De-
mands Made by Uni
ted States.

washington. Dec 22.--The reply of tho
United states to Austria's note on the
destruction Of the italian liner Ancona
declares that official admission by the
Austrian admiralty that tho liner was
,orpcdocd after she had stopped and
while passengers still were aboard, alone
is sufficient for the American demand for
disavowal, reparation and punishment OK
the submarine commander.
Secretary Iansing's second note. al
ready probably in the hands of the AUS
TRAN foreign minister and made public
here to-day, rcnews the demands of he
United States and says that the details
90 which Austria alluded in her reply
to the first American communication are
In no way essential to the discussion. 1t
emphasizes that continuance OF good
relations between the two countries de-
ponds upon the action OF the turtrian
government. Tho full text of the note
which is addressed to American AM
bassador penfeld, follows:
The government of the United States
has received the note of Your Excellency
relative to the sinking of the Ancona,
which was delivered at Vienna on De-
cember l5 1915, and transmitted to Wash
and careful. consideration.
"On November 49, 1917. Baron Zw!edinek,
the charge d'affaires of the imperial and
/ royal government at Washington, trans
mitted to the department of state re-
port Of the Austro-EfunEar ian admiralty
with regard to the sinking of the steam
ship Ancona in which it was admitted
that the vessel was torpedoed after her
,trit hpI 4
sengers were still on board This ad-
mission alone is, in the view of the gov.
eminent of the United States. sufficient
to fix upon the commander of the sub
marine which fired the torpedo the re-
sponsbility for having wilfully violated
the recognized law of nations and entire
+ ~ disregarded these humane principles
which every be!igerent should observe
In the conduct of war at sea. In view OF
these admitted circumstances the govern
ment Of the United States feels justified
in holding that the details Of the sinking
or the Ancona. the weight and character
of the additional testimony corroboratng
the admraltys report. and the number
of Americans killed or injured. are in no
way essential to matters of discussion.
The culpability OF the commander Is in
any case established. and the undisputed
fact is that citizens of +he United States
were Killed. injured, or put in jeopardy
by his lawless act.
, The rules OF international law and the
principles of humanity which were thus
wilfully violated by the commander of
the submarine have been so long and so
universally recognized and are 80 mani
fest from the standpoint of right and JUS
ice that the government of the United
states does not feel called upon to debate
them and does not understand that the
imperial and royal government questions
or disputes them.
The government of the United States
therefore finds no other course omen to l.:
but to hold the imperial and royal gov
eminent responsible for the act Of its
naval commander and to renew the def
mite but respectful demands made in its
communication of the 9Th of December
1918. 1t sincerely hopes that the fore.
going statement of its position will enable
the IMPERIAL and royal government to per.
ceive the Justice of those demands and to
comply with them in the same spirit Of
frankness and with the same concern for
the good relations now existing between
the United States and Austria Hungary,
which prompted the government of the
| United states to make them