Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1916-01-09

Their Own Government
Later on a number Of these Amer
leans were permitted to return to
/ Tampico on the Government trans
port Hancock, to look after their
/ property, but not until they had
signed away their rights as Amer
ican citizens and had accepted the
ultimatum of our government that in
returning TO Mexico they did so at
their own risk, Notwithstanding the
fact that our Government, with its
Monroe Doctrine. stands as protector
of Mexico against old world nations.
1t may not be amiss to state that the
/ German commander asked the Eng
lish and Dutch commanders of bat
tleships or cruisers stationed at Tam
pico to assist in protecting the lives
of Americans from the Mexican mob,
! but his request was refused It is
also a notorious fact that the British
Consulate at Tampico peremptorily
closed its doors against all Amer
leans when their massacre seemed in
evitable by the Mexican mob
As to the Rights of Americans to
Travel on Belligcrent Ships.
Second, The Americans whose
deaths are charged to the German
submarines were passengers on bel
ligerent vessels sailing in belligerent
waters and carrying munitions Of
war for those at war with Germany;
! nor did these calamities happen until
after England had placed an embar-
so on everything the Germans may
have needed, including foodstuffs,
and with the boast that she would
starve Germany into submission. Ac-
cording to newspaper reports, not a
few of the Americans whose deaths
are charged to the German sub
marines, were going to Europe on
commercial missions while others
still were being drawn TO that coun-
try through curiosity. Some Of these
commercial and curiosity adycntur-
crs were accompanied by their FAM
ilies and this in q measure accounted
for the deaths Of American women
and children. We are told that these
Americans had a perfect right to
travel on beiligerent ships sailing IN
belligerent waters and carrying mu-
nitions of war for the nations on
gagged in a death struggle with Ger
many Most agGuredly they had that
) right, just as q man has the right to
walk down a street in which two or
more men are engaged in n duel with
! guns. It is reasonable TO believe,
however that the man would defer
! travelling over that particular portion
of the street at least until the gun
duel was over What applies TO the
individual American citizen in this
instance is equally applicable to the
! American citizen travelling on bell
/ hgerent ship sailing in belligerent
/ a u1 In ~
war, especially at this particular
time, when the nations Of Europe
I are engaged in death struggle. It
is far from me to justify the sinking
of vessels with innocent Americans
on board any more than would JUS
/ tify the acts of General sherman, in
his March to the Sea-" in burning
the homes over the heads OF South
[ crn women and children and turning
them out 10 siarve aud die from ex-
posurc, at a fate To which many OF
them succumbed General sherman
justified bis act as zone OF the for
/ tunes OF war" and the Southern
4 people accepted 1t as such, while
those Of the North, according to the
Northern writer's OF tho time had no
+ trouble in finding justification for
the course pursued by the Northorn
general.
'"The E,uies OF Commcrcialism.r
The sinking OF certain vessels by
German submarines has been desig-
mated as barbarous," and yet IL is
less, at least no more, barbarous than
the determination Of England to
bring Germany into submission by
sterving to death her womcn and
children Recently the newspapers
told us that certain people in the
United States were committing the
terrible crime OF using the u S.
mails for the base purpose Of send
ing to starving German babies food
in q concrete or condensed form.
The discovery of this terrible
crime" has caused grave concern"
in Administration circles at Wash
ington, while the shipment OF muni-
tions of war from this country to be
rsed in k'lling the fathers of these
starving German babies, is justified
Under the Rules OF Commercialism"
and as being consstcnd with the
neutrality" the Administration is
'oointaining toward the warning
European nations-a neutrality
(which doesn't care how soon the
Allies destroy Germany
Eng!and's Contempt for the United
States.
Third. Since the beginning OF the
European war England. many times,
and France several times, have vio-
lated our neutrality laws In the gros-
sest and most high-handed manner,
and England especially, has Justified
her position by practically telling us
that She was pleasing herself and not
the United states. and her "expla-
nations" have been such as to war
rant the belief among fair-minded
Americans that as nation, England
held the United States IN contempt
and woald act toward our Govern
nent as she pleased Certain it is
that her treatment of our commerce
has cost the cotton-planters Of tho
South millions of dollars, and yet
her conduct has caused no such
grave concern in Administration
circles in Washington as has the rec