Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-13

Continued from Page One
TO the Channel liner Sussex will be dis
oussed.
CIRCUMsTANTGAL EVIDENCE.
The United states will not accept the
German claim that the Sussex was not
torpedoed. The report Of the submarine
r commander insisting that he attacked
mine layer at the time and place where
the Sussex was attacked Is held by the
President and his advisers to complete
cireumstantlal case against Germany.
The Sussex note reached the State
Department today and deciphering was
at once started.
President Wilson and Secretary Lansing
, are now at work completing the evidence
in the hands Of this Government, tending
to prove Germany guilty of repeated VIOLA
tions OF her assurances The issue is
clear cut in the minds of officials and in
the words of one close TO the President.
This Government will act now in such
a manner as to entirely satisfy the people
of this country"
Germany says that as far as her reports
show. she is not liable to critism for
breach of faith in the recent Channel at
tacls
SO far as the reports now in the hands
of the State Department show, she is
liable.
BERLIN POSITION THOUGHT WEAK.
The fact that Germany admits attack
Ing a vessel "in the vicinity" of the point
where the Sussex was wrecked is held to
materially strengthen this Governments
position, even though Germany says the
1vesel she attacked does not appear from
the descriptions given to have been the
Sussex.
Against this may be placed the official
British declaration, told In today's dis.
patches, that no other vessel was tor.
pedoed in the vicinity of the Sussex the
day the later was struck.
A Paris dispatch asserting the posses.
sion by the French Government of the
names of the captain and members Of the
crew of the submarine that wrecked the
Sussex-the names being obtained from
another captured Observation-Disclosures the
German explanation will have much evil
dence to meet.
The question of Germany's right to
sink freighters looms large as n factor
Yin determining this country's position.
In German circles IL is held Germany
never promised that freighters should
come under the head as liners" and it is
understood that Secretary of State Lans-
ing never had such an understanding with
Ambassador Won Bernstorff. Secretary
Lansing. however, is of the opinion that
Germany could not legally decline to in
olude freighters along with her assurances
on liners.
r PRESIDENTS POLICY.
Proof of many violations by submarine
commanders of assurances given this Gov
ernment. from the time the Lusitanla went
to the bottom up to the present, is eN-
pected to he included in the communiCa-
ton to be sent by this Government in
answer to Germany's note of today.
The Forthcoming communication of the
President is chara cterized as "informa
tion" for the German Government-in-
formation as to what this country has in
the way of proof of violated assurances
and information as to what may be eX
pected II danger of recurring violations is
not removed
Tomorrow the afIidavts on the Sussex
case are expected. These are important
only as Exhibits" in the case of the
UNITED States versus Germany. The sub
stance of these papers is already at hand
and is being used in the draft of the
Presidents brief.