The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-04-08
From washington. DC

U
cy. If war comes, it will be war that
might have been avoided. If war
comes, America will pay for the Viii
/ son administration with thousands of
her best lives and millions Of her treas
ure
international law is a maze of unin-
! telligible phrase to most persons. In
ordinary times the average citizen con-
Germs himself but little In information
al questions. Unable to comprehend
the rules under which diplomacy is con-
Quoted, in a crisis such as the present
he is inclined to trust blindly in the adj
ministration, or embrace the first ex-
PLANTATION, no matter how impossible
We have seen the submarine situa-
ton stated nowhere so clearly as it was
recently explained by Senator Burton
in his speech at Trenton. 1t is notable
that Mr.. Burton, who is an authority
on international law, is the last of the
Republican leaders to attack the adj
ministration foreign policy. He has
evidently felt that delicate situation
caused by the war the President should
be uncampered by criticism. But when
/ the crisis came and we began founder
! ing toward the weller of blood IN
Europe, Mr.. Burton has spoken plainly
on the dangers Of shifty diplomacy.
In few sentences he showed why our
present unenviable plight is due to
President Wilson's vac.llating foreign
policy, and he explained this so clearly
that anyone can understand it.
''The whole difficulty 4" said Mr..
Burton, ''arise from the exercise of
those. two conspicuous talents of the
present administration, the passion for
interference in the affairs of other ma
tions and the inability to keep away
from both sides of the question.
ION the tenth of February, 1915,
the administration warned the German
Government of the consequences of
carrying out the policy foreshadowed
its admiralty proclamation in case it
should result in destroying any mer-
chant vessel of the United States or in
causing the death of American citizens
and threatened to hold the German
| Government to strict accountability
for any such act.
GA note from the Secretary Of State
on the 18th of May last limited the rule
| that lives of non-combatants of neutral
states should not be put in jeopordy on
UNARMED merchantmen. The word
'unarmed' is important.
Gin the latter part of January, 1916,
The State Department in a note to the
various powers sought to induce the
Allies to disarm their merchantmen
and placed especial stress on the dis
advantages of submarines in conflict
with armed merchant men, saying in
substance that it would not be fair that
the submarines should be compelled to
expose themselves to destruction from
such vessels and that merchantmen
should not be permitted to carry ar
mament at all, stating further that the
Uunited States government was SER
iously considering the announcement
of the purpose to treat a merchant
vessel carrying guns as an auxiliary
cruiser because of the changed condi-
tons in maritime warfare resulting
from the introduction Of the submarine
and its defenseless character.
after the publication of this note,
Germany and Austro-Hungarv on
about the 10th of February very
promptly and adroitly announced that
on and after March 1st they would
regard all merchantmen carrying arma-
ment as warships and would exercise
the right to destroy them without
warning.
F'What did the President do then?
He said, No, for such course would
involve the loss of life of American
citizens, and American citizens have
the right to travel on merchantships
armed for defense.
''Thus we attempted to persuade
England and France to give up right
which they claimed under international
law, but would not as American citi-
zens yield a right which we alleged
belonged to. them UNDER THE SAME
LAW.
III OLLlSG WOI0St We COOA IAAC EOSA-
ton that England and France had no
right to arm their merchantmen, for
thus they became warships, while, on
the other hand, only few weeks later
we maintained that although they were
warships, Germany had no right to sink
them without warning.
''Thus it appears that the whole con-
troversy in which we are now engaged,
fraught as it is with so much danger to
the peace of the United States, WAS
BROUGHT ABOUT BY SHIFTING
OUR POSITION AND TAKING A
STAND DIRECTLY CONTRARY TO
THE ONE FIRST ASSUMED.
mo wonder it IS hard to stand by the
President. In Mexico we marched up
the hill and then marched down again;
in this controversy over the arming of
merchantmen we marched down the
hill and then marched up again
''You may steer ship by the north
c+or bt1f Won cannot steer If nv a