Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-05-17

many's diplomatic correspondence with
the United States on the submarine is
sue has extended over nearly a year,
and more than once have brought the
two countries to pass where a break
seemed unavoidable. All along Presi-
den Wilson has spoken primarily for
the inviolable rights Of Americans and
generally for the rights OF neutrals.
Germany has been restrained by q
powerful public sentiment aroused
against curtailing the effectiveness OF
her best weapon against her enemies,
and President Wilson has been embar-
raised by dissension in the cabinet
and later in congress and by pro-Ger-
ma propaganda conducted throughout
the United States.
Submarine warfare did not actually
enter the realm of diplomacy until after
the destruction of the Lusitania. The
accumulation of cases affecting Ameri-
cans was taken up In the first noue TO
Germany, which was dispatched May
is, 1915. 1t characterized the attacks
on the Fallaba, Gushing, Gulflight and
the United States has observed with
growing concern, distress and amaze
ment.'
mo Word or Act" Note.
1t expressed the hope that submarine
commanders engaged in t~orpedoing
peaceful ships without warming were IN
such practices operating without the
sanction of their government. The note
closed with these words:
The imperial German government
will not expect the government of the
United States to omit any word or AIT
necessary to the performance Of its
sacred duty Of maintaining the rights
of the United States and it's citizens
and of safeguarding their free exercise
and enjoyment"
On May 20, 1915, Germany replied
with a note which covered a wide range
OF argument and was held to be gen.
orally unsatisfactory. 1t alleged that
the Lusitanfa had masked guns aboard,
that h in effect was a British auxil-
larry cruiser, that she carried munitions
of war, that her owning company,
aware of h damages she risked in
the submarine war zone was in reality
responsible for the loss Of American
lives. The note met none of the con-
tentions of the United States so far as
the Lusitania and ALA sinkings
were concerned, although a supplement
tary note later did acknowledge that
Germany was wrong in the attacks on
the Cushing and the Gulflight, ex-
pressed regret for those two cases and
promised to pay damages.
6ryan's Resignation.
While the American reply to the note
wa being framed. d%issension in the
cabinet resulted in he resignation of
Secretary Bryan. who commended for a
policy OF warning Americans off bel
ligerent ships. He resigned because he
thought he could not sign the next note
TO Germany, which, he feared, would
lead the United States into a
DR.. Dumba, the Austrian ambassa-
President Wilson. sent to the Berlin
foreign office a message, which was
represented as stating substantially
that MI. Bryan had intimated to the
ambassador that the vigorous tone Of
the American note should not be re-
garded in Berlin as too warlike. Sec
rotary Lansing. Mr.. Bryan's successor,
in his reply to the German note. took
issue with every contention Germany
had set up in the lila and Lusi-
tania cases, denied flatly the contention
that the Lusitania was armed, and re-
minded Germany that 1t was the duty
of the United States to speak with SOL
emn emphasis to call the attention of
grave responsibility which the govern
ment of the United States conceives
that it has incurred in his tragic oc-
currence. and to the indisputable prin-
ciple upon which that responsibility
rests.
The note averred that the declara-
ton of a submarine war zone could
not abbreviate the rights of Americans
on awful journeys and renewed the
representations Of the note transmitted
to Germany on May Is.
Once Near Agreement.
Germany did not reply until July s
and the rejoinder was p~reponderantly
characterized by American newspapers
not as a note, but as an address by
Foreign Minister Won Jagow to the
American people. In official circles it
was said to come no nearer to meeting
the American contentious than did the
former German note. 1t made a coun-
ter proposal that both countries agree
upon a certain number Of neutral pas
senger steamers for traffic between
the United States and Europe, which
the German government offered to
guarantee against submarine attack,
provided they carried no contraband.
The nature Of the reply vas re-
garded officially as convincing evidence
that Germany was holding the subma-
rine warfare negotiations as a club over
ernrmen into some action to compel
Great Britain to relax the food block
ade.
President Wilson steadily refused
to permit the diplomatic negotiations
of the United States with one bellig-
erent to become %entangled with the re-
lations with another.
The United States replied on July q
that the German note was very "un-
satisfactory" The United States, it de-
clared. was "keenly disappointed"
"IIlegal" and "lnhuman."
Submarine attacks without warning
endangering Americans and other neu-
trails We're characterized as illegal and
inhuman' and 'manifestly indefensi-
BILE"
The German retaliation against the
British blockade. it maintained, must
j. not interfere with the rights Of n%eutrals
which the note declared were BIASED
upon principles, not expedience, AND
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