Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-04-26
FINAL WORD ON
SUBSEA CRISIS
GOES TO BERLIN
Note Dispatched From Washing
ton Demands That Attacks
on Merchantmen Cease.
REGARDED AS AN ULTIMATUM
President Declares That Unless Ger
many Immediately Declares and e.
fects Abandonment of Present
Methods of Submarine War
fare. United States viii
Sever Relations.

Sever Relations.
Washington, d. C.-The final note to
Germany on the submarine contro-
versy with the United States, which
was made public by the state depart
ment, is essentially an ultimatum TO
the kaiser, in the view of authorities
on International law The full text of
the note follows:
ITO Ambassador Gerard:
You are instructed to deliver TO
the secretary of foreign affairs COM
munication reading as follows:
Il did not fail to transmit immedi-
ately by telegraph to my government
your excellency's note OF the 10th in
slant in regard to certain attacks by
German submarines, and particularly
in regard to the disastrous explosion
which on March "a last wrecked the
French steamship Sussex in the Eng
lish channel.
I have now the honor to deliver, I'M
der instructions from my government,
the following reply TO your excellency:
Information now in the possession
OF the government of the United States
fully establishes the facts in the case
OF the Sussex, and the differences
which my government has drawn from
that information it regards as con-
firmed by the circumstances set forth
in your exceuency's note OF the 10th
instant
On the gath of March, 1916, at
about ESQ o'clock in the afternoon,
the unarmed steamer, Sussex, with
325 or more passengers on board,
among whom were a number of Amer
lean citizens, was torpedoed while
crossing from FoIkestone to Dieppe.
The Sussex had never been armed;
was a vessel known to be habitually
used only for the conveyance of pas
sengers across the English channel,
and was not following the route taken
by troop ships or supply ships.
About eighty of her passengers.
noncombatants of all ages and sexes.
including citizens of the United States,
were killed or injured
German Submarine Blamed.
"A careful, detailed and scrupulous-
ly impartial investigation by naval and
military officers oa~the United States
has conclusively established the fact
that the Sussex was torpedoed without
warning or summons to surrender and
that the torpedo by which she was
struck was of German manufacture. In
view of the government Of the United
States, these facts from the first made
the conclusion that the torpedo was
fred by German submarine unavoid-
able.
1t now considers that conclusion
substantiateG by the statements of
your excellency's note A full state
ment OF the facts upon which the gov
eminent OF the United States has
based its conclusion is inclosed.
The government OF the United
States. after having given careful con-
sideration to the note of the imperial
government OF the 10th of April. re-
grets to state that the impression
made upon il by the statements and
proposals contained I'm that note is
that the imperial government has
failed to appreciate the gravity of the
situation which has resulted, not alone
from the attack on the Sussex. but
from the whole method and character
OF submarine warfare as disclosed by
the unrestrained practice of the COM
manders of German undersea craft dur
ing the past twelve months and more
in the indiscriminate destruction of
merchant vessels of all sorts, nation
alities and destinations.
II the sinking Of the Sussex had
been an isolated case. the government
of the United States might find IT DOS
sible T. hope that the officer who was
responsible for that act had willfully
violated his orders or had been Grim
inally negligent in taking none OF the
precautions they prescribed and to
hope that the ends of Justice might be
satisfied by imposing upon him an ade-
quate punishment. coupled with a for.
mai disavowal OF the act and payment
of suitable indemnity by the i'm
peFlal government.
But, though the attack upon the
Sussex was manifestly indefensible
and caused a loss of life so tragical as
to make 1t stand forth as one of the
most terrible examples of the inhu.
manity of submarine warfare as the
commanders OF German vessels are
conducting it, it unhappily does NOT
stand alone.
"On the contrary. the government of
the United States is forced by recent
events to conclude that IL is only one
instances, 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