Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-06-11

CONTINUED from First Page.1
GuIfight. I am now instructed by my
Government to communicate the fol-
lowing in reply:
The Government of the United States
milton by the Imperial German Gov
ernment, in discussing the cases Of the
Cushing and the Gulfight, of the prin-
ciple of the freedom of all parts of the
open sea to neutral ships, n the
frank willingness of the Imperial Ger
man Government to acknowledge and
meet its liability where the fact of
attack upon neutral ships which have
not been guilty of any hostile act" by
German aircraft or 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 requests,
full information concerning the attack
on the steamer Gushing.
With regard to the sinking of the
steamer Falaba, by which an American
citizen lost his life, the Government of
the United States is surprised to find
the Imperial German Government con-
tending that an effort on the part of a
merchantmen to escape capture and
secure assistance alters the obligation
of heo officer seeking to make the cap
ture in respect of the safety of the lives
of those on board the merchantmen,
although the vessel had ceased her at
tempt to escape when ~torpedoed.
These are not new circumstances. They
have been in the minds of statesmen
and of international jurists throughout
the development of naval warfare, and
the Government of the United States
does not understand that they have
ever been held to alter the principles
of humanity upon which 1t has insist
cd NTnFbtnn k,,N aANr,a1 Tor1tAIz ~
sistance 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 h lives of passengers or crew.
The Government of the United States,
however, does not understand that the
Imperial German Government is seek
ing in this case to relieve itself of liza
bility. but only intends to set forth the
circumstances which led the comman-
der of the submarine to allow him
self to be hurried into the course which
he took.
Your Excellency's note, in discussing
the loss of American lives resulting
from the sinking of the steamship
Lusitania, adverts at some length to
certain information which the Imper-
ial German Government has received
with regard to the character and out
fit of that vessel, and you Excellency
SAPl II lGdI TIA iii lHlOEIlld-
ton may not have been brought to the
attention of the Government of the
United States. IT is stated in the note
that the L~usitania was undoubtedly
equipped with masked guns, supplied
with trained gunners and special am
munition, transporting troops from
Canada, carrying a cargo not permit
ted under the laws of the United States
to a vessel also carrying passengers
and serving. in virtual effect, as an
auxiliary to the nava forces of Great
Britain.
Fortunately, these are matters con-
corning which the Government of the
United States is in a position to give
the Imperial German Government Off !
cial information. OF the facts alleged
in your Excellency's note, If true,
the Government of the United States
would have been bound to take official
~cognizance in performing its ~recogniz-
ed duty as a neutral power and in en-
forcing its national laws. 1t was its
duty to see to it that the Lusitania
was not armed for offensive action,
that h was not serving as a trans
port, that she did not carry a cargo |
prohibited by the statutes of the
United States and that If in fact she
was a naval vessel of Great Britain,
she would not receive clearance as a
merchantmen; and it performed that
duty and enforced its statutes with
scrupulous vigilance through its regu-
larly constituted officials.
1t is able, therefore, to assure the
Imperial German Government that it
has been misinformed. If the Imper-
1al German Government should deem
itself to be in possession of convincing
evidence that the officials Of the Gov
eminent OF the United States did not
perform these duties with thorough
ness, the Government of the United
States sincerely hopes that 1t will SUBJ
init the evidence for consideration.
Whatever may be the contention of
the Imperial German Government re-
garding the carriage OF contraband of !
war on board the Lusitania or regard
ing the explosion of that material by
the torpedo. it need only be said that
In the view OF this government these