Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-19

by the express assent of all civilized
nations.
Disrcgards Protest
Notwithstanding the earnest protest
OF our government, the imperial Ger
man government at once proceeded to
carry out the policy it had announced.
1t expressed the hope that the dangers
involved, at any rate the dangers to
neutral vessels, would be reduced to a
minimum by the instructions which it
had issued to its submarine command
erS and assured the government of
the United States that IT. would take
every possible precaution both to re-
spect the rights of neutrals and to
safeguard the lives of noncombatants.
Recites Happenings
What has actually happened in the
year which has since elapsed has
shown that those hopes were not jus
tined. those assurances insusceptible
OF being fulfilled. In pursuance of the
policy of submarine warfare against
the commerce of its adversaries thus
announced and entered upon by the
irnperial German government in spite
of the solemn protest of this govern
ment, the commanders of German
undersea vessels have attacked mer-
chant ships with greater and greater
activity, not only upon the high seas
surrounding Great Britain and Ire
land, but wherever they could en-
counter them, in q way that has grown
more and more ruthless, more and
more indiscriminate, as the months
have gone by, less and less observant
of restraints of any kind; and have
delivered their attacks without COM
junction against vessels of every ma
tionality and belligerent upon every
sort of errand.
Tragedy Follows Tragedy
NnGCnlG NJ
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. Some times the
merchantmen attacked has been
warned and summoned to surrender
before being fired on or torpedoed;
been vouchsafed the poor security of
being allowed to take to the ships
boats before she was sent to the bot
tom. But again and again no warn
ing has been given, no escape even TO
the ships boats allowed to those on
board. What this government fore
saw must happen has happened.
Tragedy has followed tragedy on the
seas in such fashion, with such ct
tendant circumstances as to make 1t
grossly evident that warfare of such a
sort, if warfare it be, cannot be car
ried on without the most palpable vio-
lation of the dictates alike of rights
and humanity.
"Whatcver the disposition and intcn-
ton of the Imperial German govern
mcnt, II has manifcstly proved impOs-
Siblc for il to keep such methods OF
attack upon the commerce of its enc
mics within the bounds set by either
the reason or the heart of mankind.
In February of the present year the
ed this government and the other neu-
trai governments of the world that it
has reason TO believe that the govern
ment of Great Gritain had armed all
merchant vessels of British ownership
and had given them secret orders to
attack any submarine of the enemy
they might encounter upon the seas,
and that the Imperial government felt
justified in the circumstances in treat
ing all armed merchantmen of bellig
erent ownership as auxiliary vessels Of
war, which it would have the right to
destroy without warning. The law of
nations has long recognized the right
of merchantmen to carry arms for
protection and to use them to repel
attack, though the use of them in such
circumstances, at their own risk; but
the Imperial German government
claimed the right to set these under
it deemed extraordinary. Even the
terms in which it announced it's pur-
pose thus still further to relax the re-
straints it had previously professed IFS
willingness and desire to put upon the
operations of its submarines carried
the plain implication that at least the
vessels which were not armed would
still be exempt from destruction with
out warning and that personal safety
would be accorded their passengers
and crews; but even that limitation if
it was ever practicable to observe ii
has in fact constituted no check at all
upon the destruction of ships of every
sort.
again and again the Imperial Ger
man government has given this gov
eTnment its solemn assurances that at
least passenger ships would not be
thus dealt with, and yet il 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 fcrryhoats like the Sussex have
been attacked without moments
warning some time before they had
even become aware that they were in
the presence of an armed vessel of the
enemy and the lives of non-combatant
passengers and crews, have been sacri-
feed wholesale, in n manner which the
of the United States can