Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-28
SUBMARINE WAR
TO BE CONTINUED
CONTINUED From First Page1

Austrian embassy. followed Count
Won Bernstorff to Secretary Lansing s
office and conferred a few minutes.
No statement was made as to his visit
but 1t was understood he told Mr..
Lansing Austria's position was the
same as Germany's.
The note at the outset reiterates
the previous pledges which were given
on September l, and October 5. last
year, for the safety of unresisting
liners and then goes on to say the
German government does not believe
those assurances have been modified
by the new memorandum.
Must Not Resist ....
During the negotiations over the
Lusitania, it says, no mention was
made of the armed merchantmen,
and that the United States in one of
its notes on the Lusitania mentioned
unarmed merchantmen. Attention
then is called to the assurances pre-
Viously given in which it is stated
that liners will not be sunk without
warning, provided they do not offer
resistance. Attention also is called to
the statement of the American gov
ernment in its notice to port author
tiles that the presense of armament on
board merchant vessel creates the
presumption that the vessel is armed
for offense
1t is stated that a submarine COM
mander cannot be expected to warn
an enemy merchantmen which has a
right to fire on the submarine which
warns it and the German government
sets up the contention that equipment
and intention to resist warning given
by submarine does not come within
the definition of defensive armament.
Germany contends that a similar
viewpoint was taken by the United
States and that it secured assurances
from tho Italian government that its
armed merchant ships leaving Amer
lean ports would not fire on sub
marines which warned them.
Question L. s. Stand
The note then sets forth that the
German government did not issue it's
new instructions to submarine COM
manders until after it had come into
possession of confidential instructions
by the British government to the COM
manders of British merchantmen. 1t
is denied that armed British mer-
chant ships of any description are
peaceful traders and 1t is declared
that the armament on board all of
them is to be used especially for pur-
poses of attack.
The charge is made that Austrian
submarines also have been attacked
by armed British merchantmen, which
the note declares are not conforming
and have no intention of conforming
to the assurances given to the United
States by the British government in II
memorandum of August %, 1914, by
Sir Cecil Spring Rice, the British
ambassador. The German govern
ment says it cannot see how the Am
erican government in consideration of
these facts, can regard armed British
merchantmen as peaceful trading
ships.
The note makes it clear that the
Berlin government believes its new
instructions to submarine command
ers are in accord with the viewpoint
expressed by the United States in it's
memorandum proposing modus
vivendi to the entente allies, for the
disarmament of merchant ships.
Unarmed Ships Safe
1t declares that German submarine
commanders have been so instructed
that they will not destroy a merchant
ship on a question of armament unless
it is known positively that such arma-
ment exists. The declaration that
previous pledges will not be revoked
also is formally given.
The efforts of the United States to
have the belligerents agree to a modus
viVenidi, which would cause all mer-
chant ships to be disarmed it is de-
clared, are welcomed by Germany
Then follows a declaration that the
German government will no longer
allow its submarines to be made the
object of attacks i'm violation of the
principles of international law and
that, therefore, the new Instructions
will not be postponed or modified.
Sidestcp Defination
Appended to the communication,
which was signed by Count Won Bern
storff, was a list of about twenty Incl
dents where it is charged German
and Austrian submarines have been
attacked by merchantmen armed
ostensibly for defensive purposes. At
no place in the communication is it
suggested that American citizens be
warned to remain off armed mer-
chant ships and the question of what
constitutes defensive armament is not
brought up although it is admitted in
various quarters that such a question
probably will be raised.
Secretary Lansing is understood to
have advised neither of the Teutonic
diplomats what the views of the
United States would be toward the
communication. 1t is understood that
the note would be brought to the at
tention of President Wilson before
night and that nothing definite re-
garding it would be decided until after
it had been submitted to the cabinet