Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-04-21

enemies as part of the naval forces
of it's adversaries and deal with them
as with men-of-war, thus, at least nv
implication, pledging itself to give
warning to vessels which were not
armed and to accord security of life
to their passengers and crews, bur
even this limitation their submarine
commanders have recklessly ignored.
Many Killed without Warning
Vessels of neutral ownership, even
vessels of neutral ownership bound
from neutral port to neutral port
have been destroyed along with ves-
sells of belligerent ownership in con-
stantly increasing numbers. Some
times the merchantmen attacked
have been warned and summoned to
surrender before being fired on or
torpedoed; sometimes the passengers
and crews have been vouchsafed the
poor security Of being allowed to
take the ships boats before the ship
was sent to the bottom, but again
and again no warning has been given,
no escape even to the ships boats
allowed to those on board.
Great liners like the Lusitania and
Arabic, and mere ferry boats like the
Sussex, have been attacked without q
moments warning. often before they
have even become aware that they
were in the presence of an armed
ship Of the enemy. and the lives Of
noncombatants, passengers and crew
have been destroyed wholesale and In
manner which the government of
the United States cannot but regard
as wanton and without the slightest
color of justification.
No limit Of any kind has in fact
been set to their indiscriminate pur-
suit and destruction of merchantmen
of all kinds and nationalities within
the waters which the imperial gov
ernment has chosen to designate as
lying within the seat of war. The
roll of Americans who have lost their
lives upon ships thus attacked and
destroyed has grown month by month
until the ominous toll has mounted
into the hundreds.
Patience of the United States.
The government of the United
States has been very patient. At
every stage of this distressing expe-
rience of tragedy after tragedy 1t has
sought to be governed by the most
thoughtful consideration of the
extraordinary circumstances of an
unprecedented war and to be guided
by sentiments of very genuine friend
ship for the people and the govern
ment of Germany. 1t has accepted
the successive explanations and assur-
ances of the imperial government az
Of course given in entire sincerity
and good faith, and had hoped. even
against hope, that 1t would prove to
be possible for the imperial govern
ment 90 to order and control the acts
of its naval commanders as to square
it's policy with the recognized prin-
ciples of humanity as embodied In
the law of nations. It has made
every allowance for unprecedented
conditions and has been willing to
wait until facts became unmistakable
and were susceptible Of only one in
depreciation. It now owes It to .
Just regard for its own rights to say
to the imperial government that that
time has come. It has become pain
fully evident to It that the position
which It took at the very outset 10
inevitable. namely. the use Of subma-
rines for the destruction of an enc
my's commerce Is. Of necessity. be-
cause Of the very character of the
vessels employed and the very meth
DDS of attack which their employ
ment of course involves. utterly in
compatible with the principles of hui
mainly, the long established and in
controvertible rights Of neutrals and
the sacred immunities OF noncombat-
ants.
Sewer Diplomatic Relations.
II it is still the purpose Of the inn
perial government to prosecute re-
lentless and indiscriminate warfare
against vessels of all commerce by
the use of submarines, without re-
gard to what the government Of the
United States must consider the
sacred and indisputable rules Of in
ternational law and the universally
recognized dictates Of humanity, the
government Of the United States is at
last forced to the conclusion that
there Is but one course 1t can pursue.
Unless the imperial government
should now Immediately declare and
effect an abandonment of it's present