The Washington herald., 1916-01-09

Editor of The washington Herald: In
Its leading editorial of Sunday. January
:, 1916. certain Washington morning
newspaper. rather more than noted for
the veiled esgerness with which ~ sp-
peals for conformation of the murderous
barbarity of the TeutoIiic conduct OF
submarine warfare. deliberately seeks 20
mislead It's doubtless large circle of
readers by the didactic and off-hsnd
style with which II lays down rule
of law that which the editor well knows
is not a rule of law.
The editorial in question Is entitled:
THE Case of the Persia" and the false
statement, verbatim ct iiteratim, is as
follows, viz:
TT may develop that the Austrian
governments position as stated herein Is
a modification of it's orders TO submarine
commanders. and that the commander
operating near Crete was not aware of
the new policy. More probably. however.
II will be shown that the commander did
not go beyond lawful bounds when he
destroyed the Persia. The present war
has developed the rule that private ships
under an enemy flag may be sunk by
submarines under conditions which were
not recognized as lawful when applied
to warships before the war. Submarines
cannot take prizes into port. as a rule,
and are themselves very vulnerable:
therefore the old rule that a vessel might
be sunk by q csptor II circumstances did
not permit of taking II into port, or II
the csptor were In imminent danger of
attack. has been enlarged TO Justify the
sinking OF a captured vessel in all cases,
provided sufficient time Is allowed for the
departure of the passengers and crew"
Now, the editor in question, IL he has
any knowledge whatsoever OF his theme.
is perfectly well aware that he has de-
liberately and Intentionally placed before
his readers, who have a right to rely
upon his accuracy and good faith, not
only a false statement Of an alleged new
rule Of maritime warfare, which has not
even a shadow of any basis outside Of
the war-obsessed Teutonic intellect, but
that he has, with equal deliberation,
made an inaccurate statement of that
which he is pleased to term the old
rule" Moreover. he is, or at least ought
to be, equally well aware that, in taking
the editorial stand above quoted. he is
openly siding with the Teutonic foreign
offices, as against all the protests" all
the diplomatic correspondence, and all
the diplomatic conversations (spinelessly
pusillanimous and UNANIMOUSLY inverte-
brate l admit. addressed by his own
government that OF the United States
OF America, to those same Teutonic for
eign offices. upon the subject of their in
humane, murderous, and unlawful meth
DDS OF conducting submarine warfare.
Two swallows do not make a sum-
mer;" and IL requires something more
than the ipse diXit OF two international
murderers TO formulate a new rule Of
maritime warfare, an excuse for
piracy and murder upon the high seas
The one circumstance which saves the
officers and crews OF these Teutonic sub
marines, in their murderous work upon
helpless women and children, from the
treatment due to pirates, is the fact that
their vessels are public armed cruisers
of the two Teutonic powers. II is this
fact. also. which makes submarine cruis-
ers smenable TO the same rules of mari
time warfare, precisely, which apply to
all other cruisers.
EDMUND BoRROws BRIGGS.