The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-03-17
From Fridays Oary.


w. Z. McMurchy, Washington cor
respondent for The st. Paul Daily
News. sent the following to his pa
per:
Congressman F. F. Ellsworth Of
Mankato, Mimi, offered resolution
in the house on the submarine con-
troversy attacking it from a differ
ent angle than taken in the McLe-
more resolution, which warned Amer
can citizens off armed merchantmen
Of the belligerent nations. The Ellis
worth resolution referred to the com
mittee on foreign relations, provides:
Whereas, many of the leading
powers of the world are engaged in
war; and --.. -.
Whereas. the United States is at
peace with all nations; and
Whereas, it is the desire of the
congress to guard Zealously the
rights and privileges of American cit
liens to the end that their rights as
such shall not in any measure be
abridged, and that they may travel
the high seas upon vessels and mer-
chantmen of any nation; and
Whereas, there is apparent confu-
sion and misunderstanding as to what
constitutes merchantmen, and as to
the nature and character of vessels
engaged in commerce and carrying
armament for use in engaging war
ships in naval combat; and
Submarines the Legitimate.
Whereas, through the universal
equipment of the navies of the Unit
ed States and of the other leading
powers of the world with submarine
torpedo boats, said submarine tor
pedo boats are generally recognized
as legitimate war vessels; and
Whereas, the nature and charac-
ter of said submarine torpedo boats
is such as to change the character of
vessels of belligerent nations princi-
pally engaged in commerce and armed
for defense. and to render said YES
sells of belligerent nations in certain
cases effective as warships or auxili-
airy cruisers; therefore be it,
Resolved, that it is the sense of
the. house that any vessel displaying
the flag of any signatory or adhesive
power which has signed, adhered to
or ratified the convention of October
IS, 1907, of The Hague, being con-
vention eight concerning the rights
and duties of neutral powers in naval
war, nor at war with any other power
or powers participating in said Hague
convention, or vessel of any belliger-
ent power, which is equipped with
armament of sufficient caliber,
strength or carrying power to dis
able, contend in a naval engagement
with, or to destroy any submarine
torpedo boat, or other warship en-
gagged in naval warfare, shall be
deemed a warship or auxiliary cruis-
er of the nation whose flag it flies
and subject to all the provisions of
The Hague convention of October 49,
1907, governing and regulating the
use of neutral ports or waters as a
base of naval operations, and shall
be dealt with by the United States
as warship or auxiliary cruiser, re-
CARELESS of any direct authority, i'm
mediate control, or responsibility of
the power whose flag 1t flies, or OF
whether it bears any external marks
distinguishing it as warship, and
of whether it's commander be in the
service of the nation whose flag il
flies and duly Commissioned or listed
as an officer of the fighting fleet OF
such nation and regardless of wheth-
er or not the" crew of said vessel is
subject to military discipline"
Rights Not Involved.
In support of his resolution Con-
gresham Ellsworth says:
1.-The question of American rights
is not involved, but it is the ques
ton Of the character of armed mer-
chantmen.
"The McLemore resolution to warn
Americans not to take passage on
armed merchantmen begged the real
question involved.
81 do not believe that any rights
or privileges of an American citizen
should be abridged by official action
under any conditions. If. however
the so-called armed merchantmen
are not in fact merchantmen but
cruisers, then the whole question is
settled, for no one ought to contend
for a moment that citizen who
would take passage upon cruise,
would expect the government to re-
sent any assault upon him as any
thing more than an attack of war
ring nation upon its enemy