The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-10-24
GERMANY'S LONG Arm.
Charleston American.

udI lCSIO1L 1144Sl lSGA
1t seems the mystery of the Bremen
is cleared up. Probably there never
was a Bremen, or if there is she may
be the supply ship for the German
submarines that are swarming along
our coast to paralyze shipping.
Why the U-boat warfare has not
been carried into our waters long
ago is something hard to explain.
Probably the stand our government
has taken regarding submarines, and
Germany's painstaking care to avoid
every excuse for possible complica-
tions with this country may have much
to do with 1t.
Now, however, the German U-boats
have come, and most likely they have
come to stay. no matter if some OF
them be sent to the bottom Germanys
intention is clearly to frustrate the
shipment Of arms and munitions to
her enemies, and if she can, succeed
in it she certainly will save millions
of lives and shorten the war. Even
il shiploads of people should go down,
because their captain perhaps attacks
an undersea boat and brings death
and destruction on his passengers and
crew, the sacrifice Of few hundred
lives would still in the end save mil
lions across the sea.
That just such a thing may happen
is very plausible Already vessels
with guns on board are being cleared
from our ports, and if such vessels
can succeed in hiring a few Americans
to make the trip with them, the COM
plication will become acute immed-
lately, on account of the strange stand
our government has taken, that Amer
leans must be safe on any belliger-
ent vessel.
In order to evade all such compli-
cations, there is only one sensible and
logical way possible: The Presiden.
should warn all Americans off belli-
gerent vessels, the same as he warned
all americans off Mexican soil.
iIe may fret under the German
blockade of our Atlantic coast, Dut
the South especially has been fret
ting under the blockade instituted
by French and English men OF war
ever since the beginning of the war
and what is sauce for the goose Is
sauce for the gander. Our govern
ment can promote the interest of hu-
manity very much by warning all
Americans off belligerent vessels, and
by refusing to clear armed merchant
vessels. Unarmed merchant vessels
have the security of their crews
Guaranteed, no one will be killed II
they come off without resistance.
Armed vessels, however, Will un-
doubtedly be torpedoed without mercy
because no submarine will or can sub
iect itself to destruction.
If even at this late date we really
mean to act in the interest of humam-
ty, our government will adopt the
plan which Secretary Bryan deemed
the only just one, and the rejection
of which made him rather resign his
office than become a party to an IN
ire.ice that is bound to draw US soon
er or later into the vortex of war.
When man is surrounded by man
killers he is not very choice in the
selection of his weapons. So it is with |
a nation. Germany is hopelessly out
numbered and she is fighting for her
existence. That she has resolved to
adopt the submarine warfare at our
very door proves how determined she
is not to fall prey to numbers and
one sided rules. It incidentally shows
how long her arm is if she chooses
to stretch it forth in self-defence.