The Washington times., 1915-12-09
THE ANcoNA CASE AGAIN

public tomorrow, it is understood
the text Of the note il has dispatched
to Vienna concerning the Ancons
case.
In this instance the United States
finds itself with two-fold griev.
ance. Not only was the Ancona sunk
under circumstances that cost
American lives, and that violated
every consideration Of humanity, but
the injury was compounded by the
contemptuous attitude Of the Vienna
government in failing to answer
American inquiries as to its view Of
the affair. ~
A month has elapsed since the An
coma was sent to the bottom of the
Mediterranean. There was a COM
plete agreement, as to all essentials,
in the stories that crew, officers, and
passengers told about the barbarity
The ship was attacked without warn
ing; was shelled after she had stop
ped; continued to be shelled while
her lifeboats were being put over the
sides with the ships company. Many
of the lives lost were sacrificed by
this firing; it was testified that the
submarine circled round and round
the ship, firing all the time.
When the earliest inquiries were
made by the American Government
Vienna issued statement from it's
naval authorities, saying the ship
tried to escape, and was not shelled
This was in direct conflict with all
other testimony. Being merely the
statement Of the navy, however
Washington wanted it supplemented
and made official and diplomatic by
a statement from the Vienna foreign
office, and for this the State Depart
ment has pressed ever since. The
foreign office explanation has not
been forthcoming despite all insist
ence.
There seems only one explanation
Of this delay. If the early assurance
from the Austrian naval authorities
was correct, then there is no reason
why the foreign office should delay
giving the diplomatic answer to ou4
diplomatic inquiry. If the naval ex-
PLANTATION was not correct, then Aus
tria is convicted of direct misrepre.
sentation. In the beginning the
navy officers we're able to make the
positive statement that the ship was
not shelled, and that she tried to es.
cape. Now they say that they can.
not answer our State Department
because they have not been able tc
communicate with the commander OF
the submarine.
The two declarations are utterly
inconsistent with any presumption
Of sincerity at Vienna. They sug.
gest that the Austrian government
is playing horse with Washington, az
Berlin has done for many months
in regard to its submarine policy anc
acts. Apparently there is a definite
understanding between Berlin and
Vienna that they will give the United
States no satisfaction, but will stick
together in defying it and prosecut.
ing the submarine warfare as they
please. They know very well thai
aside from the United States they
have no need to fear the displeasurt
of any neutral; and apparently they
are growing more and more confident
that they need not fear the United
States, either. Courtesy gets shorter
and shorter shrift in the successiv,
developments Of the Teutonic atti
tude toward the United States.
We are assured that the --latest
note to Austria is couched in more
vigorous language than has yet beer
employed by the Washington Gov
ernment since this series of contro
versies began. 1t is hard to under
stand how it could be more vigorous
than the Lusitania, note, which in
sisted on complete accountability
and even if language should be founC
to strengthen that statement there
would still have to be misgivingl
as to whether any kind of language
used by our Government, could max,
an impression on the Germanic crust
1t looks as if something more effec
tive than any sort of Language
would have to be employed if results
shall be attained, and for such de
velopment the time seemingly is no
far ahead:
pOPK IN PllBIIC Rim. .nINOS