The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-04-29


neutral ownership, even vessels bound
from neutral port to neutral port. have
been Destroyed along with vessels Of
beIligerent ownership in constantly in
creasing numbers
Sometimes the merchantmen at
tackled has been warned and sum-
moned to surrender before being fired
on or torpedoed; sometimes passen-
gers or crews have been Vouchsafed
the poor security of being allowed to
take to the ships boats before she was
sent to the bottom.
Tragedy Followed Tragedy
But again and again no warning
has been given; no escape even to
the ships boats allowed to those on
board.
what this government foresaw
must happen has happened. Tragedy
has followed tragedy on the seas in
such fashion, with such attendant cir
cumstances as to make it grossly evil
dent that warfare Of such a sort, if
warfare it be, can not be carried on
without the most palpable violation Of
the dictates alike of right and human
| ity.
Whatever the disposition and in
tention of the imp arial German gov
eminent, it has manifestly proved i'm
poss- BILE for it to keep such methods
| of attack upon the commerce OF Its
| enemies within the bounds set by
either the reason or the heart of man
kind.
''In February of the present year
the imperial German government in
! formed this government and the other
neutral governments of the world that
it had reason to believe that the gov
eminent of Great Britain had armed
| all merchant vessels of British owner
! ship and had given them secret orders
| to attack any submarine of the enemy
/ they might encounter upon the seas,
! and that the imperial German govern
ment felt justified in the circum-
stances in treating all merchantmen
! of beIIigerent ownership as auxiliary
vessels of war, which it would have
! the right to destroy without warning
"The law of nations has long recog-
nized the right Of merchantmen to
carry arms for protection and to use
them to repel attack, though to use
]
own rick; but the imperial German
| government claimed the right to set
these understanding aside under cir
cumstances which it deemed extraor-
binary.
Even the terms in which it an
nounced it's purpose thus still further
| to relax the restraints it had previous
~ professed it's willingness and desire
! to put upon the operations of its sub
marines, carried the plain implication
that at least vessels which were not
armed would still be exempt from de-
struction without warning and that
personal safety would be accorded
their passengers and crews; but even
| that limitation, if it was ever practic
able to observe it, has in fact con-
stituted no check at all upon the de-
| struction Of ships of every sort.
! Promises Repeatedly Violated.
again and again the imperial Ger
man government has given this gov
eminent its solemn assurances that at
least passenger ships would not be
thus dealt with. and yet it has again
and again permitted its undersea COM
manders to disregard these assurances
with entire impunity.
Great liners like the Lusitania and
the Arabic and mere ferry boats like
the Sussex have been attacked with
out a moments warning. sometimes
before they had even become aware
| that they were in the presence of an
armed vessel of the enemy.
Lives WantonIy sacrificed.
1.-THE lives of noncombatants, pas
sengers and crew have been sacri-
feed wholesale, in a manner which
the government of the United States
cannot but regard as wanton and
without the slightest color of jusifica-
ton.
No limit of any kind has, in fact,
been set to the indiscriminate pursuit
and destruction of merchantmen OF
all kinds and nationalities within the
waters, constantly extending in area,
where these operations have been car
ried on.
"The roll of Americans who have
lost their lives on ships attacked and
destroyed has grown month by month
until the ominious toll has mounted in.
to the hundreds.
zone of the largest and most shock
ing instances OF this method of war
fare was that of the destruction Of the
French cross-channel steamer Sussex
The Sussex Case.
'It must stand forth, as the sinking
of the steamer Lusitania did, as sc
singularly tragica1 and unjustifable as
to constitute truly terrible example
of the inhumanity Of submarine war
fare as the commanders of German
vessels have for the past twelve
months been conducting.
eff this instance stood alone, some
explanation, some disavowa1 by the
German government. some evidence o
criminal mistake or wilful disobedi
ence on the part of the commander
of the vessel that fred the torpedo
might be sought or entertained; but
peatedly been assured by the Whit
House that they would be consultet
) by the President before he took an,