Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-04-20

{. So. , Id
involved at any rate to neutral yes.
sells would be reduced to minimum
by the instructions which it had is
sued to the commanders of its sub
marines, and assuring the govern.
ment of the United States that it
would take every possible precaution
both to respect. the rights Of neu-
trails and safeguard the lives of non
| COmbatants.
... Ruthless Destruction.
In pursuance of this policy of sub
marine warfare against the commerce
of it's adversary, thus announced and
| thus entered upon, despite the sol
emn protest Of the government Of the
| United States, the commanders Of the
imperial governments undersea YES
sells have carried on practices of such
ruthless destruction which have made
| it. more and more evident as the
months have gone by that the impe.
rial government has found it imprac-
ticable to put any such restraint up
on them as it had hoped and prom.
ised to put. Again and again, the
imperial government has given its
solemn assurances to the government
Of the United States that at least
passenger ships would not be thus
dealt with, and yet it has repeatedly
told it's undersea commanders to dis
regard those assurances with impun-
ity. AS recently as February last, it
gave notice that it would regard all
armed merchantmen both by its enc
mics as part Of the naval forces Of
it's adversary and deal with them as
, men-of-war. Thus, at least by implica-
ton, pledging itself to give warning
to vessels which were not armed, and
to accord security of life to their pas
sengers and crews. But even this
limitation, their submarine command
ers have recklessly ignored.
Vessels Of neutral ownership bound
from neutral ports to neutral ports
have been destroyed along with YES
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 their passengers and
crews have been vouchsafed the poor
security of being allowed to take to
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 allow
ed to those on board, great liners like
the Lusitania and Arabic, and mere
passenger boats like the Sussex have
been attacked without moments
warning, often even before they be-
came aware that they were in the
presence Of an armed ship Of the en-
envy and the lives of non-cOmbatants,
passengers and crews, have been de-
stroyed, wholesale, and in manner
the government of the United States
cannot regard but wanton and with
out the slightest color of justification.
No Limit Set. ..s
No limit of any kind has in fact
been set to their indiscriminate pur-
| suit of all kinds and nationalities
which the Imperial government has
chosen to designate as lying in the
seat of war. The roll of Americans
who have lost their lives on ships
thus attacked and destroyed has
grown month by month, until the ON
nous toll has amounted into hund-
reds. .....
The government of the United
States has been very patient. At
every stage of this distressing eXper-
fence Of tragedy after tragedy, it has
sought to be governed by the most
thoughtful consideration of the most
extraordinary circumstances of an I'M
precedented war and to be guided by
sentiments of very genuine friendship
for the people and government of Ger
many.
Accepted Assurances.
1t has accepted the successive ex-
plantations and assurances of the I'M
perial government as, of course, given
in entire sincerity and good faith, and
has hoped even against hope that it
would prove possible for the Imperial
government SO to order and control
the acts of it's naval commanders as
to square its policy with the recog-
nized principles of humanity as en-
bodied in the law of nations.
1t has made every allowance for UNI
precedented conditions and has been
willing to wait until the facts became
unmistakable and were susceptible Of
only one Interpretation
It now owes it, to a just regard of
its own rights to say to the Imperial
government that that time has come.
it has come painfully evident too that
the position which it took at the very
outset is inevitable, namely the use
of the submarines for the destruction
of an enemys commerce is of neces-
sity because of the very character of
the resSelS emnlnyad and tho paathadc