Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-04-19

vessels: 1t based its protest on the
ground that persons of neutral national
tiles and vessels of neutral ownership
would be exposed to extreme and intol-
cradle risks; and thai no right to close
anv part of the high seas could lawfully
be asserted by the imperial government
in the circumstances then existing. The
law Of nations in these matters upon
which the government of the United
States based that protest, is not Of re-
cent origin or founded upon merely ar
bitrary principles set up by convention.
1t is based on the contrary upon mani
fest principles of humanity and has
long been established with the approval
and by the express assent of all civil
lied nations.
"The imperial government, notWith-
standing, persisted with carrying out
the policy announced, expressing the
hope that the dangers involved at any
rate TO neutral vessels would be re-
duced to minimum by the instructions
which it had issued to the commanders
of its submarines, and assuring the gov
ernment of the United States that it
would take every possible precaution
both to respect the rights of neutrals
and to safeguard the lives of nOn-com-
batants.
"In pursuance Of this policy Of sub
marine warfare against the commerce of
its adversaries, thus announced and
thus entered upon in despite of the
solemn protest Of the government of
the United States, the commanders of
the imperial governmental Wndersea
vessels have carried on practices Of such
ruthless destruction which have made
it more and more evident as the months
have gone by that the imperial govern
ment has found it impracticable to put
any such restraints upon them as it had
hoped and promised to put. Again and
again the imperial government has Civ
en- its solemn assurances to the gov
ernment of the United States that at
least passenger and freight ships would
not be thus dealt with and yet it has
repeatedly permitted its undersea com
manders to disregard these assurances
with entire impunity. As recently as
February last, il gave notice that ii
would regard all armed merchant men
owned by its enemies as part of the
armed naval forces of its adversaries
and deal with them as with men of war,
thus, at least, by implication, pledging
itself to give warning to vessels which
are unarmed and to accord security of
life to their passengers and crews but
even this limitation their submarine
commanders have recklessly ignored.
"Vessels of neutrar ownership, even
vessels of neutral ownership bound
from neutral port TO neutral port, have
been destroyed along with vessels Of
belligerent ownership in constantly in.
creasing numbers. Sometimes the mer-
chantmen attacked have been warned
and summoned to surrender before be.
/ ing fired on or torpedoed; sometimes
their passengers and crews have been
vouchsafed the poor security of being
allowed to take to the ships boats be
fore the ship was sent to the bottom
/ But again and again no warning has
been given, no escape, even to the ship :;
boats allowed to those on board.
"Great liners like the Lusitania and
Arabic and mere passenger boats like
the Sussex have been attacked without
a moment s warning, often before they
have become aware that they were il
the presence Of an armed ship of the
enemy and the lives Of non-eombatants
passengers and crew have been destroy
ed wholesale and in a manner which tn,
government Of the the United State,