Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-21

destruction of merchant vessels of
all sorts, nationalities, and destina-
tions which have become more and
more unmistakable as the activity of
German undersea vessels of war has
in recent months been quickened and
extended
The imperial government will re-
call that when, in February, 1916,
it announced it's intention of treat
ing the waters surrounding Great
Britain and Ireland as embraced
within the seat of war and of de-
stroying all merchant ships owned
by its enemies that might be found
within that zone of danger, and
warned all vessels, neutral as well
as belligerent, to keep out Of the
waters thus prescribed or to enter
them at their peril, the government
of the United States earnestly pro-
tested. a..
NEUTRALS ENDANGERED.
1t took the position that such a
policy could not be pursued without
constant gross and palpable viola
tions of the accepted law of nations,
particularly if submarine craft were
to be employed as it's instruments.
inasmuch as the rules prescribed by
that law, rules founded on the prin-
ciples of humanity and established
for the protection of the lives of
noncombatants at sea, could not in
the nature of the case be observed
by such vessels. -.~s b..
1t based it's protest on the ground
that persons of neutral nationality
and vessels of neutral ownership
would be exposed to extreme and
intolerable risks; and that no right
to close any part of the high seas
could any part be asserted by the
imperial government in the circum-
stances then existing.
The law of nations in these mat
tiers, upon which the government OF
the United States based that pro-
test, is not of recent origin or
founded upon merely arbitrary
principles set up by convention.
1t is based, on the contrary, upon
manifest principles Of humanity and
has long been established with the
approval and by the express assent
Of all civilized nations.
The imperial government, not
withstanding, persisted in carryil
out the policy announced, express
ing the hope that the dangers in
volved, at any rate to neutral ves-
sells. would be reduced to mini
mum by the instructions which II
had issued to the commanders of
it's submarines, and assuring the
government of the United States
that it would take every possible
precaution both to respect the
rights of neutrals and to safeguard
the lives or noncombatants.
EMPLOY NO RESTRAINT.
In pursuance of this policy Of
submarine warfare against the COM
merce of it's adversaries, thus an
nounced and thus entered upon in
despite of the solemn protest of the
government of the United States,
the commanders of the imperial
governments undersea vessels have
carried on practices Cf such ruth
less destruction which have made
it more and more evident as the
months have gone by that the i'm
periaI government has found it inn
practicable to put any such re-
straints upon them as it had hoped
and promised to put.
Again and again the imperial
government has given its solemn as
.surances to the government of the
United States that at least passen-
ger ships would not be thus dealt
with, and yet 1t has repeatedly per-
mitted its undersea commanders to
disregard those assurances with en-
tire impunity. AS recently as Febru-
airy last it gave notice that it would.
regard all armed merchantmen OWL
ed by it's enemies as part of the
armed naval forces of it's adver-
saries and deal with them as with
men-of-war. thus, at least by impli-
cation, pledging itself to give warn
ing 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 ig-
nored.
Vessels of neutral ownership,
even vessels of neutral ownership
bound from neutral port to neutral
port, have been destroyed along
with vessels of belligeTent owner
ship i'm constantly increasing num-
bers Sometimes the merchantmen
attacked have been warned and
summoned to surrender before be-
ing fired on, or torpedoed; some
times their passengers and crews
have been vouchsafed the poor Sc
curity 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