The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-13
AMERICANS WILL
TAKEPASSACEON
DEUTSCHLAND
Merchant "Sub" viii Carry
Them as Def to Allies.
Ii Attacked or Sunk, q. S. VIII
Then Have to Act.
MANY WANT To MAKE TRIP
Ruling in Sussex Case Expected
to Give Boat Protection.
KONG Can Easily Equip Vessel
With LifebOats.
If Attacked or Sunk, u s. VIII
Then Have to Act.
MANY WANT TO MAKE TRIP
Ruling in Sussex Case Expected
to Give Boat Protection.
KONG Can Easily Equip Vessel
With LifebOats.


the statement of the French and BTU
ish embassies that the German sub
marine liner Deutschland would De
fired upon without warning and
treated as an enemy warship, 1t was
learned today that the officials of the
German line controlling the daring
undersea boat have agreed to carry
two American citizens on the return
trip.
II the government upholds its ruling
in tho Sussex case now that the
Deutschland is held strictly d me-
chairman, it must, to be cohslsIene'
in case of an attack without warning
rule that the act is deliberately uh-
friendly to the United States.
In the note to Germany OF July
Is 1915. the state department mace
this promise to the imperial German
government: ,-:.a
THE government Of the United
States will continue to contend TOT
tbet freedom (of the seas) from what
ever quarter violated, without com
promise and at any cost.
Must Protect Passengers
In several notes to the various bel
iiperent powers this government mas
defined clearly the rules Oh naNdl
warfare affecting the rights OF Ihel
chantmen and the duties OF war YES
eaIs These rules apply with fun
force to the merchantmen .Deutsch-
land and the American citizens taxing
passage on her will be given the en-
tire protection of the United states
In the first Lusitania note to Ter
many the state department said:
the lives of noncombatants,
whether they be of neutral citizenship
or citizens of one of the nations AT
war, cannot lawfully or righttully De
put in jeopardy by the capture or de-
,a.H l.
man."
Germany, the note assumed, recog-
nized also 1.-The obligation to take the
usual precaution of visit and search.
In other notes the United States
government declared that the lives
of noncom batants cannot be lawfully
put in jeopardy by the capture or de-
struction of unresisting merchantmen
and to recognize the obligation to take
sufficient precaution to ascertain
whether suspected merchantmen is
in fact of belligerent nationality, and
that nothing but forcible resistance of
continued efforts to escape by fight
when ordered to stop for the purpose
of visit on the part of the merchant
man has ever been held to forfeit the
lives of her passengers or crews"
Hold Allies to Account.
Germany in her reply to the Ameri-
can note threatening to sever diplo-
tack on the Sussex, an English chan
mel steamer, declared she was pre-
pared to confine the operations of the
war for the rest of its duration to the
fighting forces of the belligerents"
Where American interests are in
volved in allied operations, it was de-
clared, this government must hold the
allied powers to a similar course or
else be put in the position of holding
Germany to a strict accountability
hi forrlA
of Germany's enemies.
The North German Lloyd has re-
ceived from persons in all parts of the
country offers running as high as $780,
600 for the privilege of taking passage
on the Deutschland on her return trip.
I'VE have letters from some per-
sons" said a representative of the
company today, who said they would
pay any price we wanted. There was
one $4,000 offer, several of $4,000
and virtually scores running from
$1,000 to $4,000. Nearly all of them
came from Americans"
Unless American citizens were
aboard the Deutschland when at
tackled, state department officials said
there would be no ground for the
United States to protest against the
destruction of the liner and no rea-
son for the state department to make
an inquiry of the allied nation whose
warships had destroyed the Deutsch-
land.
Any One Can Make Trip.
There will be no government OBJ
lection, so far as could be learned. to
the taking on of passengers by the
Deutschland. Insp. Gen. George
Uhler of the federeda1 steamboat in
spection service. said the Deutschland
could carry passengers, but first would
have to comply with the American
law requiring that passenger vessels
have a certain number of lifeboats
lifebelts, hose, etc.
He believes the Deutschland could
be equipped with these if Capt Paul
Konig, her commander. consented to
take one or more passengers.
If an American should sign as a
member of the Deutschland's crew
there would be a rigid investigation to
determine if he were a bona fide
member or had ST. ned up to evade the
American laws. The presumption
that such a person was not bona