Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1915-06-17
NOTE TO GERMANY
Alternative In Case Kaiser Re.
fuses Is Left Unmentioned.

1 lOht ~. W june w IN
text of the American rejoinder to the
German governments reply to the
note following the sinking of the Lu
sitania follows:
THE Secretary of State ad interim
to the American Ambassador to Der
lin:
| Department of State,
Washington, June 8, 1915.
American Ambassador, Berlin:
you are instructed to deliver text
ually the following note to the min
lister of foreign affairs:
I'm compliance with your excellen
cy's request ] did not fail to transmit
to my government Immediately upon
their receipt your note of May rs in
reply to my note of May Is, and your
supplementary note of June /, setting
forth the conclusions so far as reach
ed by the imperial German govern
ment concerning the attacks on the
American steamers Cushing and Gull
flight. ! am now instructed by my
| government to communicate the fol
lowing 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 Cushing and the Gull.
| fight, OF the principle of the freedom
OF all parts of the open sea to neu.
trail ships and the frank willingness
OF the imperial government to &C.
knowledge 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 es.
tablished; and the government Of the
United States will in due course lay
before the imperial German govern
ment as it requests full Information
concerning the attack on the steam
err 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 a merchantmen to escape
capture and secure assistance alters
the obligation of the officer seeking
to make the capture in respect OF the
safety OF the lives Of those on board
the merchantmen, although the vessel
has ceased her attempt to escape
when torpedoed. These are not new
circumstances. They have been in
the minds of statesmen and of inter-
national jurists throughout the devel
opment of the 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 insisted.
Nothing but actual forcible resistance
or continued efforts to escape by
flight when ordered to stop for the
purpose of visit on the part Of the
merchantmen has ever been held to
crew. The government OF the United
States, however, does not understand
that the imperial German government
is seeking in this case to relieve it.
self of liability, but only intends to
set forth the circumstances which
led the commander of the submarine
to allow himself to be hurried into
the course which he took.
"Your excellency's note, in discuss
ing the loss of American lives result
ing 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
At of that vessel and your excellency
expresses the fear that this informa-
ton may not have been brought to the
attention of the government Of the
United States. II is stated In the
note that the Lusitania was undoubt.
eddy equipped with masked guns, sup
piled with trained gunners and spe-
cial ammunition. transporting troops
from Canada, carrying a cargo not
permitted under the laws Of the Unit
ed States to a vessel also carrying
passengers, and serving, in virtual eff.
forces of Great Britain.
Fortunately these are matters con-
corning which the government of the
United States Is In position to give
the imperial German government Of
ficial information. OF the facts alleg-
ed in your excellency's note, II true,
the government OF the United States
would have been bound to take Off
cial cognizance in performing it's rec
ognized. duty as neutral power and
In enforcing its national laws. II
was Its duty to see to II that the Lu.
sitania was not armed for offensive
action, that she was not serving as a
transport, that she did not carry a
cargo prohibited by the statutes OF the
United States, and that, II in fact she
was a naval vessel OF Great Britain
she should not receive clearance as a
merchantmen; and II performed that
duty and enforced its statutes with
scrupulous vigilance through its regu-
larly constituted officials. II is able,
therefore, to assure the imperial Ger
man government that 1t has been mis-
informed
'If the imperial German govern.
ment should deem itself to be in pos.
session Of convincing evidence that
the officials OF the government of the
United States did not perform these
duties with thoroughness, the govern
ment of the United States sincerely
hopes that II will submit that evidence
for consideration.
Whatever may be the contentious
of the imperial German government
regarding the carriage OF contraband
Of war on board the Lusitania or re-