New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1916-07-29
THE SUBMARINE MERCHANT
MAN.

!, The state department has dc
cidcl that the Deutschland is
merchantmen Il could harul,
have decided otherwise. On
cannot help feeling n certain com
passion for the unfortunate An
glo-SaNon lawyers MS they wran
gle in net of their own making
The awkward realities Of the So:
interfere with the international
Law made by England on land
They made these fantastic laws
for Great Britain. the shark OF
the sea. But q submarine has
nut them to confusion by going
clean through the meshes Of their
terhnicality. They cannot call a
Submarine anything hut what il
is. in this particular instance.
namely II merchantmen.
/, II the submarine Deutschland
Is a merchantmen within the
thrcc-mile limit she cannot sud
denly change her status the mo-
ment she leaves our territorial
waters. She is a merchantmen
| on the high seas ITO less than in
harhor. AS Dr. Won Jagow re-
marks in an interview with DR..
William Bayard Hale:
"We claim nothing for this
new type Of merchantmen save
that she is entitled to De hailed,
visited and the crew placed in
safety before she is destroyed
the precise rights which have been
insisted upon for every other mcr.
chant ship by your Government.
If. after she is hailed. she at,
tempts to escape. she does so at
her own risk. and may properly
be attacked aud sunk. But to al.
lcwthc attack without warning
upon an nnarmed. fragile boat.
with the lives Of the crew at the
mercy Of a single shot. that is
something Of which we refuse to
believe the United States is cap.
able.
While the Deutschland is
purely a commercial enterprise.
the German Government is NAT,
nrally watching with a high de.
gre of interest the treatment ac-
corded her by the Government Of
the United States. and it is certain |
that the German people are pre-
pared to accept the attitude of
Washington ON this question al.
most rs decisive on the whole sub.
lect Of the sincerity Of the pro.
fcssiens Of American neutrality"
1t the Allied cruisers should at.
tack the Deutschland without
the Administration
would be in honor bound 10 dis
patch an Immediate ulsimstum to
Paris and London. Failure to
receive an emphatic disavowal
would mean the instant severance
Of dirlemstic relations between
The United States and the En-.
teate. Any other course Of &C.
lion would expose our boosted
neutrality As the rsnkes, hypo-
'rssy. II would prove that we
have no interest in prcteesinyi
merchantmen, but that our sole
n'errss hes in the protection ell
Stylish merchantmen. Incident,
sllv IL would give to the Tsrpsssi
Marty in Germany an inccasre-E
Fersaale argument in favor Of the
'm.asssssse resumption on the !
Arrest ressshle scale cf sahms.
'sne warfare, For the rresss:en, 5. I
ssna against attacks on merchant.
aen was aSsess ne: merely ON the
ssNse~ssen of American rights hutl
'rss justified On the hsSh plane AZ
Our State ne~srsm,~.'
sasssc il quite e.esr thar an attack :,
N a merchantmen, even an armed ],
asv hsssmSn without warmth. Ii
ven it there we're no American =
Messengers On h<sasIs woelsi he ~ Il
'xrssea Is deliberate sFruas Il
SssaSs the cmsse<l States 4
U s not only car honor that i !,
1 stake ia this question bat cur !,