Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-20

solemn assurances to the government
or the United States that at least
passenger ships would not be thus
dealt with, and yet it has repeatedly
permitted its undersea commanders
to disregard those assurances with
entire impunity. AS recently as Feb
ruary last it gave notice that 1t would
regard 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 application pledging
itself to give warning TO vessels
which were not armed, and to accord
security OF life to their passengers
and crews: but even this limitation
their submarine commanders have
! recklessly ignored
Neutral Ships Destroyed.
Vessels of neutral ownership. even
vessels of neutral ownership bound
from neutral port to neutral port,
have been destroyed along with ves-
sells of belligerent ownership in con-
stantly increasing numbers. Some
times the merchantmen attacked
have been warned and summoned to
surrender before being fired on or
tOrpedOed: sometimes their passen-
gers and crews have been vouchsaf fed
the poor security of being allowed to
take to 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 allowed to those on board
Great liners. like the Lusitania and
Arabic. and mere passenger boats,
like the Sussex, have been attacked
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. passengers
end crew have beer destroyed whole
sale and in maLner which the gov
ernment OF the United States cannot
but regard as wanton and without
the slightest color of justification. No
limit Of any kind has. in fact. been
set to their in1iscriminate pursuit
and destruction of merchantmen OF
all kinds and nationalities within the
waters which the imperial govern
ment has chosen to designate as lying
within the seat Of var. The roll Of
Americans who have lost their lives
upon ships thus attacked and de-
stroyed has grown month BY month
until the ominous toll has mounted
into the hundreds.
United States Patient.
s"The government of the United
States has been very patient. At
every stage of this distressing expert
ence of tragedy after tragedy it has
sought to be governed by the most
thoughtful consideration OF the ex-
traordinary circumstances of an un-
precedented war and to be guided by
sentiments of very genuine friendship
for the people and government of
Germany. 1t has accepted the sue
cessive explanation and assurances of
the imperial government as OF course
given in sincerity and good faith and
has hoped, even against hope, that II
would prove to be possible for the i'm
perial government so TO order and
control the acts of its naval com
manders as to square its policy with
the recognized principles of humanity
as embodied in the law of nations. II
has made every allowance for un-
precedented conditions and has been
willing to wait until the facts be-
came unmistakable and were suscep-
tible of only one Interpretation. Il
now owes it to a just regard for its
own rights to say to the imperial gov
ernment that that time has come. 1t
has become painfully evident to 1t
that the position which it 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
the vessel employed and the very