Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1915-06-18
HUMANITY .
REAL ISSUE;


tain she should not receive clearance
as merchantmen; and it performed
that duty and enforced its statutes
with scrupulous vigilance through its
regularly constituted officials.
1t is able, therefore, to assure the
imperial German government that II
has been misinformed. If the imperial
German government should deem it.
self to be in possession Of convincing
evidence that the officials of the gov
ernment of the United States did not
perform these duties with thorough.
ness, the government of the United
States sincerely hopes that 1t will sub
NIT that evidence for consideration.
Contention Over Contraband Irrelevant
Whatever may be the contentious
of the imperial German government
regarding the carriage of contraband
of war on board the LuSitania, or re.
garding the explosion of that material
by the torpedo, it need only be said
that in the view of this government
these contentious are irrelevant to tnd
question of the legality OF the meth
DDS used by the German naval author
tiles in sinking the. vessel.
But the sinking Of passenger ships
involves principles of humanity which
throw into the background any spe'
cial circumstances of detail that may
be thought to affect the cases, princi'
pies which lift it, as the imperial Ger
man government will no doubt be
quick to recognize and acknowledge
out of the class of ordinary subjects
of diplomatic discussion or Of interna'
tinnal controversy. Whatever be the
other facts regarding the LusitarSa,
the principal fact IS that great
steamer, primarily and chiefly con
veyance fer passengers, and carrying
more than a thousand souls who mad
no part or lot in the conduct Of the
war, was torpedoed and sunk without
so much as a challenge or warning
and that men, women and children
were sent to their death in circum'
stances unparalleled in modern war
fare.
The fact that more than 100 Ameri
can citizens were among those who
perished made it the duty of the gov
ernment of the United States to speak
OF these things and once more, Will
solemn emphasis, to call the attention
of the imperial German government
to the grave responsibility which the
government of the United States con
ceives that it has incurred in this ira
gic occurrance, and to the lndlsput
sponsibility rests.
Contendinq For Rights of Humanity
The government of the United
States is contending for something
much greater than mere rights OF
property or privilege of commerce: Il
is contending for nothing less high
and sacred than the rights OF human
ity, which every government nOnofa
itself in respecting and which no gov
ernment is justified in resigniEg on
a, hahz1,;. In, "a, C. those under It's care and au
tboritv. O1r}rTT her actual resistance To
capture or refusal tc2a-$ 70 stop When or.
dered 10 do so for the purpOSe-oI ~, y ~ -,
could have afforded the commandgi
Of the submarine any justihcaii2n 10!
so much as putting the lives OF tho5c
on board the ship in jeopardy.
the United States understands the eX'
plicit instructions issued on Aug. 3,
1914, by tile imperial German admir-
atty to its commanders at sea to have
recognized and embodied, az do the
naval codes of all other nations and
upon it every traveller and seaman had
a right to depend. 1t is upon this prin.
ciple of humanity as we'll as upon the
law founded upon this principle that
the United States must stand.
Ready to Help Ameiorate Warfare.
The government of the United
States is happy to observe. that your
eXcellency's note closes with the init
nation that the imperial German gov
ernment is willing, now as before, to
accept the good Offices of the United
States in an attempt to come to an
understanding with the government OF
Great Britain by which the characte
and conditions Of the war upon the
sea may be changed.
The government of the United
States would consider 1t privilege
thus to serve it's friends and the
world. 1t stands ready at any time to
convey to either government any init
nation or suggestion the other may
be willing to have it convey and cor.
daily invites the imperial German
government to make use of its ser
vices in this way at its convenience.
The whole world is concerned in any.
thing that may bring about even a
partial accommodation of interest or
in any way mitigate the terrors OF the
present distressing conflict.
In the meantime, whatever arrange.
ment may happily be made be.wsen
the parties to the war, and whatevel
may, in the opinion of the imperial
German government, have been the
provocation or the circumstantial jus.
tification for the past acts of its com
manders at sea, the government of the
United States confidently looks to see
the justice and humanity OF the gov.
ernment of Germany vindicated in all
cases where Americans have been
wronged or their rights as neutrals
invaded.
Renews Demand In First Note.
The government of the United
States therefore very earnestly and
very solemnly renews the represen.
tationS OF its note transmitted to the
imperial German government on the
18th of May, and relies in these repre-
sentations upon the principles OF hu,
manity, the universally recognized un.
derstandings OF international law and
the ancient friendship oil the German
nation.
The government of the United
States cannot admit that the procla.
nation OF war zone from which neu-
trail ships have been warned to keep
away may be made to operate as i'll
any degree an abbreviation of the
rights of American shipmasters or OF
American citizens bound on lawful err
rands as passengers on merchant
ships of belligerent nationality. 1t
does not understand the imperial Ger.
man government to question those
rights.
What Is Expected of Germany.
It understands it, also, to accept as
established beyond question the prin.
ciple that the lives of non-combatants
cannot lawfully or rightfully be put in
jeopardy by the capture or, destruc
tion of an unresisting merchantmen,