The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1915-06-18

NiV'VuSAhSsS tHe govern
r ment of the United States sincerely
e hopes that it will submit that evil.
dence for consideration.
Whatever may be the contentious
= of the imperial German government
Y regarding the carriage of ~contraband
of wal on board the Lusitania or re-
l garding the explosion of that mate
, ial by the torpedo, it need only be said
that in the view of this government
these contentious are irrelevant to the
question of the legality of the methods
used by the German naval authorities
in sinking the vessel.
Principles of Humanity First.
But the sinking of passenger ships
involves principles of humanity
which throw into the background any
special circumstances of detail that
may be thought to affect the cases,
principles which lift it, as the impe-
rial German government will no doubt
be quick to recognize and acknowledge
out of the class of ordinary subjects of
diplomatic discussion or of Internal
iOnal controversy.
Whatever be the other facts re-
garding the Lusitania, the principal
fact is that a great steamer, primar-
lily and chiefly a conveyance for pas
sengers and carrying more than a
thousand souls who had no part or
lot in the conduct of the war, was
t%OrpedOed and sunk without so much
as a challenge or a warning, and that
men, women and children were sent to
their death in circumstances unpar-
alleled in modern warfare. The fact
that more than one hundred American
citizens were among those who had
persisted made it the duty of the gov
eminent of the United States to speak
of these things and Once more, with
solemn emphasis, to call the attention
of the imperial German government
to the grave responsibility which the
government of the United States con-
ceiyes that it has incurred in this
tragic occurrence, and to the indisput.
able principle upon which that respon-
sibility rests.
The government of the United
States is %contending for something
much greater than are rights of prop
erty or privileges Of commerce. 1t is
%contending for nothing less high and
sacred than the rights of humanity,
which every government honors it.
self in respecting and which no gov
eminent is justified in resigning on be-
half of those under its care and au-
thority. Only her actual resistance to
capture Oh refusal to stop when or
dered to do so for the purpose of visit
could have afforded the commander of
the submarine any justification for so
much as putting the lives of those on
board the ship in jeopardy. This
principle the government of the Unit
ed States understands the explicit in
structions issued on August 3, 1914, by
the imperial German admiralty to its
commanders at sea to have recogniz-
ed and embodied, as do the naval
codes of all other nations, and upon it
every traveller and seaman had a right
20 depend. 1t is upon this principle Of
humanity as well as upon the law
founded upon this principle that the
United States must stand.
The Chance for an Agreement.
" The government of the United
States is happy to observe that your
excellency's note closes with the init
nation that the imperial Ger
man government 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 character and conditions of the
war upon the sea may be changed.
" The government of the United
States would consider it a privilege
thus to serve its friends, and the
world. It stands ready at any time
to convey to either government any
intimatiOn or suggestion the other
may be willing to have it convey and
cordially 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 interests or
in any way mitigate the terrOrs of the
present distressing conflict.
" TN the meantime, whatever ar
rangement may happily be made be-
tween the parties to the war, and
whatever may in the opinion of the
imperial German government have
been the provocation OF the circum-
%stantial justification for the past acts
of its commanders at sea, the govern
ment Of the United States confidently
looks to see the justice and humanity