The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1916-01-01
HOLDS AUSTRIA
TO RESPONSIBILITY
VIOLATE INTERNATIONAL LAW
Secretary LansInu's Note En-.
phatio n It's Declaration Of
Stand Of United States.
Plrm Declaration That the Govern
mont Of the Duel Monarchy Must
BE Held Responsible for the
Act Of Naval Commander.

Washington. Dec. 22.--The Secre-
tary OF State TO Ambassador Pentield.
Department Of State. Warrington.
December 10. 1915.
you are instructed to address .
note to the Austro- Hungarian minister
Of foreign AFFAIRS. textually 90 follow.
-'The government Of the United
States has received the note Of your
excellency relative to the sinking OF
the Ancona. which was delivered 1t
Vienna ON December IL. 1915. and
transmitted to Warrington. and has
given the note immediate and careful
consideration.
ION November IL. 1915. Baron
zwiedenek. the charge d'afaires Of
the imperial and royal government u
Washington. transmitted 70 the de-
partment Of state report Of the Aus
tro-Hungarian admiralty with regard
to the sinking Of the steamship An
coma, In which Il was admitted that
the vessel was torpedoed after her
engines had been stopped and when
passengers were still ON board.
This admission alone II. In the
view Of the government OF the United
States. suficient to fix upon the com
mander Of the submarine which nred
the torpedo the responsibility for hav-
Ing willfully violated the recognised
law OF nations and entirely disregard-
cd those humane principles which ev.
cry belligerent should observe In the
conduct of war at sea. In view Of
these admitted circumstances. the
government OF the United States feels
justified in holding that the details Of
the sinking Of the Ancona, the weight
and character of the additional testi-
mony corroborating the admiralty's
report. and the number Of Americans
killed or injured are In no way essen
tial matters of discussion. The culpar
bility Of the commander 10 In any case
established. and the undisputed fact
II that citizens Of the United States
we're killed. injured or put in jeopardy
By his lawless act.
Principles of Humanity Violated.
1.-THE rules OF international law
and the principles Of humanity which
were thus wilfully violated By the
commander of the submarine. have
been 90 long and 90 universally recog.
nixed. and are so manifest from the
standpoint of right and justice that
the government of the United States
does not feel called upon to debate
them and does not understand that
the imperial and royal government
questions or disputes them.
1.-The government Of . the United
States therefore finds no other course
open to II but to hold the imperial
and royal government responsible for
the act of its naval commander, and
to renew the definite but respectful
demands made In its communicative
Of the sixth Of December. 1915. 1t sin.
cerely hopes that the foregoing state
ment of its position will enable the
imperial and royal government to per
ceive the Justice of these demands
and to comply with them In the same
spirit Of frankness and with the same
concern for the good relations now
existing between the United Statel
and Austrfa-Hung which prompted
the government Of the United States
to make them.
LANSING
/