Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1916-01-01
SECOND NOTE TO AUSTRIA
ON SINKING OF ANCONA
Note Declares That Admission That
Ship Was Torpedoed After Halt
ing. Warrants Punishment.

Wasn-netcn-The reply o. the
United States to Austria note on the
destruction CT the Italian liner An |
coma declares that the official admis- /
sion Of the Austrian admiralty that /
the liner was ,orpedoed after she had /
stopped and while passengers still /
were aboard. alone is sufficient for the /
/ American demand for disavowal. re- |
paration and punishment OF the sub
marine commander.
Secretary Lansing's second note to
! Austria Thursday renews the demands
of the United States and says the
! details 10 which Austri2 referred in
| her reply TO the first American COM
munication are in no way essential to
/ the discussion. II emphasizes that
continuation Of good relations between
the two countries depends upon the
action OF the Austrian government.
The text of the note follows,
The government OF the United
States has received the note Of your
eXcellency relative to the sinking Of
the AncOHa. which was delivered at
Vienna on Dec. Is. 1915. and transmit
ted 10 Washington. and has given the
note immediate and careful consdera-
ton.
On Nov -, 1915, Baron Zweidinek,
the charge d'affaires OF the imperial
and royal government at Washington,
transmitted to the department of state
report of the Austro- Hungarian ad-
miralty with regard to the sinking Of
the steamship Ancona, in which ii was
admitted that the vessel was torpe-
dOed after her engines had been stop
ped and when passengers were still on
board This admission alone IS, in
the view OF the government OF the
United States, sufficient TO fix upon
? the commander of the submarine
which fired the torpedo the RESPONSE
4 bility for having wilfully violated the
l recognized law of nations and entirely
disregarded those humane principles
= which every bellserent should ob
: serve i'm the conduct of war at sea.
= In view of these admitted circum
l. stances, the government of the United
l States feels justified in holding tina
e the details of the sinking of the An
+ coma, the weight and character OF tn
e additional testimony cOrrobOratinS III
II admiraltys report and the number o
o Americans killed or injured are in n
way essential matters Of discussion
D. The culDability of the commander
n in any case established end the undl'
o. puted fact is that citizens of the Uni
e. ed States were killed. injured or pr
y in jeopardy by his lawless act
Dr. THE rules of international law an
he the principles of humanity which wei
d. thus wilfully violated by the comma
III der of the submarine have been S
IL long and so universally recognize
ry and are so manifest from the stan
point of right and justice that the go
IT. eminent of the United States does n
feel called upon to debate them al
p- does not understand that the imperi
and royal government questions or dl
III putes them.
all The government of the Unite
States, therefore, finds no other cour
OF open to it but to hold the imperial al
Ut royal government responsible for t
81 act of its naval commander and to !
ie' new the definite but respectful
ed' mands made in its communicated
lat the 9th of December, 1915. 1t sincel
ur- " hopes that the foregoing stateme
of its position VIII enable the imper
and royal government to perceive t
Justice of those demands and to co
| in, Snirlt
o's frankness and with the same conce
lty for the good relations now exist
RS. between the United States and A
tho tria-Hungary which prompted the g
xxi eminent of the United States to ma
the them"
.f;