New Britain herald., 1916-02-28
BERLIN IS FIRM IN DETERMINATION ID
 SINK ARMED SHIPS
(COntinued From First Page

! therefore the new iT1stru ctions will not be postponed or modified.
 Appended to the communication,
 which was signed by Count Won | Bernstorff, was a list of about twenty ] incidents wherein 1t is charged, Ger 1 man and Austrian submarines have been attacked by merchantmen armed ostensibly for defensive purposes. At no place in the communication is it suggested that American citizens be warned to remain off armed merchant ships, and the question of what con" stitutes defensive armament is not
 brought up although it is admitted in
 various quarters that such a question
 probably will be raised
 Austria Seconds Germany. Baron, Zwiedenek, charge of the
 Austrian embassy called upon Secre- tarN Lansing after Count Won Bern
 storff had left, and informed him that Germany's views, as set forth in the note from Count Won Bernstorff, were identical with those of his gov
 ernment, and that Austria, in effect, seconded everything contained in the
 German communication
 Secretary Lansing is understood to
 have advised neither of the TeutOnic
 diplomats what the views of United
 States would be toward the com munication. 1t is understood that the note would be brought to the atten- ton of President Wilson before night and that nothing definite regarding it would be decided until after it had been submitted to the cabinet to-
 morrow.
 In Hands of Bernstorff.
 Washington, Feb. 2s.-Germany' response to the request of the United States for assurances regarding the conduct of submarine warfare in the future is in the hands of Count Won Bernstorff, the German ambassador. The reply is in the form of instruc- tions to the ambassador and will not te put into the form of a 1-)te unless the secretary desires.
 The amba assa dor's instructions were to inform the United States that as si;rances regarding the future con- duct of Teutonic submarines given in tte Lusitania and Ara bic cases, still are binding, but that they apply only to merchantmen of a peaceful char acter Germany contends that British armed ostensibly for defense, carry guns for the special purpose of attacking German sub- | marines and thus show themselves lot to be peaceful and subject to de- | truction To support this claim the l 5erlin foreign office sends a list of a 1 core of incidents where British 1 nerchant ships have attacked sub l narines
 Britain Accused of Bad Faith.
 The instru ctions call attention to 1 he claim of Germany that despite as l l,rances of Great Britain that her l n nercha ntmen armed for defense twill 1 lever fire unless first fired upon and 1 hat they will never attack any l -essel," British ships are prepared l md instructed not only to resist but l D attack Germany claims that her l ,eW policy toward armed ships l ,ouares with international law inas- ] much as British merchantmen violate 1 he law as interpreted by the United 1 states.
 Burden of Proof on England.
 Germany realizes that should it 1 sink an armed ship upon it will rest ] he burden of proof regarding the l ,uns but contends that upon the gov owning the ship would fall 1 he burden of proof regarding the 1 character of armament 1
 The ambassador was instructed to all attention to the fact that French 1 hips are not armed, that British 1 hips entering American ports are not l rmed and that consequently the Berlin government considers remote hances of difficulties with the United 1 states as a result of the new policy if sinking all armed enemy mer- hant ships beginning tomorrow mid tight.
 A,mino Ships Not Authorized by Law.
 The German government takes the ,csition that the arning of merchant hips for defense is a tradition rather han a rule of information code my specific authority for arming hips and that the pra actce is from .ustom rather than rule. Germany , S represented as taking the position nat there are ships on the seas rhch, in theory, are armed only for defensive purposes, but that for all ,ractical purposes such armament is 'ffensive when a submarine is con- crned