The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-06-11
L|vFS ON UNARMED
SHIPS MUST NOT
Be ENDANGERED
President Wilson's Note Sticks to
Original Contention
LUSITANIA SINKING UhJUSTIFIED
United States is Standing and Must
Stand for Sacred Rights of
Humanity.

Washington, June 1l-There was
made public this morning the note oI
the United States government tc
Germany
The note asks the German govern
ment for assurance OF the safety OF
American lives and American ships
on the high seas. The alternative in
case of refusal is not stated. The
main points of the note follow -
/. Germany was not justified in
destroying lives On the Falaba, even
though she attempted to escape
2. Germany is officially informed
that the Lusitania was not armed.
8. The principles of humanity are
paramount and the United States
stands firmly for them.
A. The United States would gladly
transmit any suggestion to England
to promote these principles.
s. The representations of the note
of May 10 for the safety of noncom-
batants are renewed.
g. The right of Germany to abb
breviate rights of Americans by the
war-zone proclamation is denied.
T. The door is left open to further
investigation of facts as to the Lus-
tania, but Germany is expected to
adopt measures to safeguard noncom-
batants on unresisting merchantmen
The note follows
THE SECRETARY OF STATE AID
INTERIM TO THE AMERICAN
AMBASSADOR AT. BERLIN
Department of State, Washington,
ame hstog June 8, 1915.
American Emhassador, Rerlin:-
You are instructed to deliver
textuallys the following note to the
minister of foreign affairs:-
a''In compliance with your excel
lency's request / did not fail to trans
nit to-, my government Immediately
upon their receipt your note of May
% in reply to my note of May 10, and
your supplementary note of June l,
setting forth the conclusions 90 far
as reached by the imperial German
government concerning the attacks
on the American steamers Gulfight
and Cushing. / am now instructed
by my government to communicate
the following in reply
"The government of the United
States notes with qualification the
full recognition by the imperial Ger
man government, in discussing the
cases of the Gushing and the Gull
flight, of the principle of the freedom
of all parts of the open sea to neut-
raj ships and the frank Willingness
of the imperial German government
to acknowledge and meet its liability
where the facts of attack upon neut-
raj ships which have been guilty of
any hostile act by German aircraft
or vessels of war is satisfactorily es-
tablished and the government of the
United States will in due coursej lay
before the imperial German govern
ment, as it requests, full information
concerning the attack on the steamer
Cushing.
With regard to the sinking of the
steamer Falaba, by which an Ameri-
can citizen lost his life, the govern
ment of the United States is surpris-
ed to find the imperial German gov
eminent contending that an effort on
the part of merchantmen to escape
capture and secure assistance alters
the obligation of the officer seeking
to make the capture in respect to the
safety of the lives of those on board
the merchantmen, although the YES
sci has ceased her attempt to escape
when torpedoed.
These are not new circumstances.
They have been in the minds of
statesmen and 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 al
ter the principles of humanity upon
which it has insisted. Nothing but
actual and forcible resistance or con-
tinued efforts to escape by flight
when ordered to stop for the purpose
of visit on the part of the merchant
man has ever been held to forfeit the
lives of her passengers or crew.
"The government of the United
States, however, does not understand
that the imperial German govern
ment is seeking in this case to re-
lieve itself of liability, but only in
tends to set forth the circumstances
which led the commander of the sub