Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-04-20
.ssent q All ciyilized nations.

wfthstanding, persisted in carrying
out the policy announced. expressing
the hope that the dangers involved,
at any rate the neutral vessels. would
De reduced to a minimum by instruc-
tons which 1t had issued to COM
manders of it's submarines and assur-
Ing the government of the United
States that 1t would take every pos
sipie precaution both to respect the
rights of neutrals. and to safeguard
the lives of noncombatants.
In pursuance of this policy of SUBJ
marine warfare against the commerce
OF Its adversaries. thus announced and
thus entered upon in spite of the SOL
emn protest of the government of the
United states, commanders of the i'm
perlal governments undersea vessels
nave carried on practices of such
ruthless destruction which have made
II more and more evident as months
nave gone 10Y that the imperial gov
eminent has found 1t impracticable to
put any such restraints upon them
as it had hoped and promised.
Again andI again the imperial gov
eminent has given it's solemn assur-
ances to the government of the United
states that at least passenger ships
would not be thus dealt with, and yet
1t has repeatedly permitted fts under
sea commanders to disregard these as
surances with entire impunity.
Case of Armed Merchantmen.
As recently as February last IL
gave notice that it would retard all
armed merchantmen owned by It's
enemies as part of the naval forces
Of its adversaries, and deal with them
as with men Of war, thus, at least by
implication, pledgfng itself to give
warning to vessels which were not
armed and to accord security OF life
to passengers and crews; but even
this limitation their submarine com
manders have recklessly ignored.
Vessels Of neutral ownership, even
vessels Of neutral ownership bound
from neutral port to neutral port,
have been destroyed along with YES
sells or belligerent ownership, in con
stantly increasing numbers.
Some times the merchantmen at
tackled have been warned and sum-
moned to surrender before being fired
on or torpedoed; sometimes passen-
gers and crews have been vouchsafed
the poor security OF being allowed to
take 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 al
lowed to those on board.
Great liners like the Lusitania
and the Arabic and mere passenger
boats like the Sussex have been at
tackled without moments warning,
often before they have even become
aware that they were in the presence
of an armed ship of the enemy, and
the lives of noncombatants, passen-
gers and crew have been destroyed
wholesale and in a manner which the
government of the United States can
not but regard as wanton, and with
out the slightest color of justifica-
tion.
No limit OF any kind has In fact
been set to their indiscriminate pur-
suit and destruction of merchantmen
of all kinds and nationalities within
waters which the imperial govern
| ment has chosen TO designate as lying
within seat of war.
The roll of Americans who have
lost their lives upon ships thus at
tackled and destroyed has grown
month by month until the ominious
| toll has mounted into hundreds.
Government Has Shown Patience.
The government of the United
States has been very patient. At every
stage of this distressing experience of
tragedy 1t has sought to be governed
by most thoughtful consideration of
the extraordinary circumstances of the
unprecedented war, and to be guided
by sentiments of very genuine friend
ship for the people and government of
Germany.
1T has accepted several explana-
tions and assurances OF the imperial
government as of course given in en-
tire sincerity and good faith, and has
hoped, even against hope, that It
would prove to be possible for the
imperial government so to order and
control the acts of its naval comman-
ders as to square its policy with the
recognized principles Of humanity as
embodied in the law of nations. It
has made every allowance for unpre-
eedented conditions and has been
willing to wait until facts become I'M
mistakable and were susceptible of
only one Interpretation.
TT now owes 1t to q just regard for
Its own rights to say to thee imperial
government that that time has come.
It has become painfully evident to 1T
that the position which 1t took at the
very outset Is inevitable. namely, the
use of submarines for the destruction
of an enemy's commerce is, of neces-
sity, because of the very character of
vessels employed, and the very meth
DDS of attack which their employment
of course involves, utterly ineompat-
ible with all principles OF humanity,
the long established and incontrover-
tible rights of neutrais and the sacred
immunities of noncombatants.
IF 1t is still the purpose of the i'm
perial government to prosecute a re-
lentless and indiscriminate warfare
against vessels of all commerce by the
use of submarines, without regard 70
what the government Of the United
States must consider the sacred and
indisputable rules of international