Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1916-04-28

Sussex was manifestly indefensible
and caused loss Of life SO tragical as
to make it stand forth as one of the
most terrible examples of the inhu-
mainly OF submarine warfare as the
commanders of German vessels are
conducting it, it unhappily does not
stand alone
ION the contrary, the government OF
the United States is forced by recent
events to conclude that it is only one
instance, even though one of the most
extreme and most distressing in
stances, of the deliberate method and
spirit of indiscriminate destruction of
merchant vessels, of all sorts, nation
alities and destinations, which have
become more and more unmistakable
as the activity of German undersea
vessels of war has in recent months
been quickened and extended.
"The imperial government will re-
call that when, in February 1915, it
announced it's intention of treating the
waters surrounding Great Britain and
Ireland as embraced within the seat
of war and of destroying all merchant
ships owned by it's enemies that
might be found within that zone of
danger, and warned all vessels, neu-
trail as well as belligerent, to keep
out of the waters thus prescribed or
to enter them at their peril, the gov
eminent of the United States earnest
ly protested.
Peril Was Shown.
"The government of the United
States took the position that such
policy could not be pursued without
constant gross and palpable violation
of the accepted law of nations, partic-
ularly if submarine craft were to be
employed as its instruments, inasmuch
as the rules prescribed by that law,
rules founded on the principles of hui
mainly and established for the protec-
ton of the lives Of noncombatants at
sea, could not in the nature of the
case be observed by such vessels.
1T based its protest on the ground
that persons of neutral nationality and
vessels of neutral ownership would be
exposed to extreme and intOlerable
risks; and that no right to close any
part of the high seas could lawfully
be asserted by the imperial govern
ment in the circumstances then exist
ing.
"The law of nations in these mat
tiers, upon which the government of
the United States based that protest,
is not of recent origin or founded upon
merely arbitrary principles set up by
convention. 1t is based, on the con-
trary, upon manifest principles of hui
mainly, and has long been established
with the approval and by the express
assent of all civilized nations.
Persists in Policy.
"The imperial government, notwith-
standing, persisted in carrying out
the policy announced, expressing the
hope that the dangers involved, at any
rate to neutral vessels, would be re-
duced to a minimum by the instruc-
lions which it issued to the command
ers of it's submarines, and assuring
the government of the United States
that it would take every possible pre-
caution both to respect the rights of
neutrals and to safeguard the lives of
noncombatants.
"In pursuance of this policy of sub
marine warfare against the commerce
of it's adversaries, thus announced and
thus entered upon in despite of the
solemn protest of the government of
the United States, the commanders of
the imperial governments undersea
vessels have carried on practices Of
made it more and more evident as the
months have gone by that the i'm
perial government has found it inn
practicable to put any such restraint
uron them as it had hoped and prom
Used to put.
Again and again the imperial gov.
eminent has given its solemn assur-
ances to the government of the United
States that at least passenger ships
would not be thus dealt with, and yet
it has repeatedly permitted it's under
sea commanders to disregard those as
surances with entire impunity.
"As recently as February last it gave
notice that it would regard all armed
merchantmen owned by it's enemies as
part of the armed forces of it's adver-
saries and deal with them as men of
war, thus, at least by implication,
pledging itself to give warning to yes
sells which were not armed and to af-
ford security of life to their passen-
gers and crews; but even this limita-
ton their submarine commanders have
recklessly ignored.
Neutral Vessels Sunk.
Vessels of neutral ownership. even
vessels of neutral ownership bound
from neutral port to neutral port, have
been destroyed along with vessels of
belligerent ownership in constantly in
creasing number Sometimes the mer-