Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-04
Newfoundland Immunities.

-Combatant Immunities.
There is the strongest disposition to
back the President in a dispute between
America and Il foreign nation. Men of
his own politics see the unwisdom of a
divided party. Men of all parties see
the unpatriotic folly of divided coun-
try.
Every American instinctively sides
with his own i'll the ease of President
VS.. kaiser or king. and resents the i'm
putation that in such a controversy he
fails TO put America first.
There are some who are disturbed in
reaching Il final conclusion respecting
the wise and patriotic course in the pres
ent crisis by doubts concerning the
character and scope of the American
rights, now specifically under discussion,
which we are to uphold to the extent
OF war.
They think there is distinction
between or rights in our own right
the American flag and our rights not
as neutrals but as non-comb atants on
beliigerent ships: since the latter rights
are enjoyed equally by ron-comb Blatant
belligerents on these ships, and since
non-combatant immunities on hellig-
erent ships are lost TO everybody, neu-
roll bn Ia1l
tionals aboard cease to be non com
Blatant.
When the naval war zone was de-
clared Germany indicated, in effect,
that Americans on American ships and
under the American flag had in that
zone no rights which Germany was
bound to respect, and that she would
recognize no responsibility for damages
suffered by anybody in that zone
Under steady diplomatic pressure Ger
many has withdrawn completely from
that untenabie position. She recog-
nizes the American neutral rights on
the sea, and she apparently recognizes
AL
combatants lin common with bcllig-
eTent non -combatants) on completely
unarmed and unresisting belligerent
merchantmen.
The immediate issue is not between
the United States and Germany. 1t is
three-cornered. Primarily, it is be-
tween Germany and Great Britain The
former contends that merchantmen so
armed that they can destroy submarines
and with orders to destroy submarines,
1t attacked, are no longer unarmed and
unresisting, and the men upon them
are no longer non-eombatants. Great
Britain says that under international
Law, as 1t existed before this war, her
merchantmen defensively armed are
''unarmed," and it has been suggested
that these defensively armed merchant
men may even resist submarines without
losing non-combatant immunities.
Probably neither Congress nor the
President should commit the country on
eAiS loSuc DelHceu pFedt Britain ana
Germany, as, for instance, by forbidding
Americans to go on such ships. Officially
we may wisely stand technically on the
old international law Ignoring the ac-
tual, practical changes in conditions
through the advent of the submarine
and the airship) until by general con
sent these rules, now in some particulars
obviously inapplicable to existing condi-
lions, have been amended.
But meanwhile, without official warn.
ing or prohibition, Americans should
keep off beiEgerent ships SO armed and
so resisting that the other belligerent
declares them to be auxiliary warships
and the men upon them to be com bat
ants. We do not want to lose any
American lives or go to war over an
erents themselves.
At this time We should do our ocean
travel on American or other neutral
ships. If we find ourselves inconven-
fenced by the lack of American ships
an additional reason is supplied for
equippins ourselves quickly with our
own merchant marine by subsidies, by
government ownership of ships, and by
amendment of the navigation laws-by
any or all of these methods as may
be necessary or practicable