Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-04-26

ularly II submarine craft were to be
employed as its instruments, inasmuch
as the rules prescribed by that law.
rules 1ounded on the principles of hui
manity and established for the protec-
ton Of the lives of noncombatants at
sea, could not in the nature of the
case be observed by such vessels.
1t based its protest on the ground
that persons of neutral nationality and
vessels of neutral ownership would be
exposed to extreme and intolerable
risks; and that no rights to close any
part of the high seas could lawfully
be asserted by the imperial govern
ment in the circumstances then exist
ing.
THE law of nations in these mat
tiers, upon which the government of
the United States based that protest.
is not of recent origin or founded upon
merely arbitrary principles set up by
convention. It is based, on the con-
trary, upon manifest principles of hui
mainly, and has long been established
with the approval and by the express
assent Of all civilized nations.
Persists in Policy.
THE imperial government. notwIth-
standing, persisted in carrying out
the policy announced, expressing the
hope that the dangers involved, at any
rate to neutral vessels, would be re
duced to a minimum by the instruc-
tiOnS which IL fccuad 60 3bo oo.,,v,.,d
ers Of its submarines, and assuring
the government of the United States
that it would take every possible pre-
caution both to respect the rights of
neutrals and to safeguard the lives of
nOncombatants.
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 governments undersea
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 i'm
perial government has found it i'm
practicable to put any such restraint
upon them as it had hoped and prom
ised to put.
Again and again the imperial gov
eminent has given its solemn assur-
ances to the government of the United
States that at least passenger ships
would not be thus dealt with, and yet
it has repeatedly permitted it's under
sea commanders to disregard those as
with entire impunity.
"As recently as February last it gave
notice that it would regard all armed
merchantmen owned by its enemies as
part of the armed forces of it's adver-
saries and deal with them as men-of-
war, this, at least by implication.
pledging itself to give warning to YES
sells which were not armed and to af-
ford security OF life to their passen-
gers and crews; but even this hmita-
ton their submarine commanders have
recklessly ignored.
Neutral Vessels SUNK.
Vessels of neutral 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 number. Sometimes the mer-
chantmen attacked have been warned
and summoned to surrender before be-
ing fred on or torpedoed; sometimes
their passengers and crews have been
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 ships boats allowed to those on
board.
Great liners like the Lusitania and
Arabic and mere passenger boats like
the Sussex have been attacked with
out a moments warning, often before
they have even become aware that
they were in the presence of an armed
ship of the enemy, and the lives of
passengers and crew
have been destroyed wholesale, and in
a manner which the government of
tuc bHileu DtdLSS CIuHOL out regard
as wanton and without the slightest
color of justification.
mo limit of any kind has in fact
been set to their indiscriminate pur-
suit and destruction of merchantmen
of all kinds and nationalities within
the waters which the imperial govern
ment has chosen to designate as ly-
ing within the seat of war
American TolfsGrows.
"The roll of Americans who have
lost their lives upon ships thus at
tackled and destroyed has grown
month by month until the ominous toll
has mounted into the hundreds.
The government of the United
States has been very patient. At
every stage of this distressing expert
ence of tragedy after tragedy it has
sought to be governed by the most
thoughtful consideration of the ex-
circumstances of an un-
war and to be guided bv
sentiments of very genuine friendship
for the people and government of Ger
many.
ssTf hos ,cnarsad tba Sr,oa.s3,-, ~