The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-04-25

| Sussex was manifest1y indefensible
/ and caused a loss of life so tragical as
( ID make it stand forth as one Of the
most terrible examples Of the inhu
mainly of submarine warfare as the
commanders of German vessels are
| stand alone
"On the contrary, the government OF
| the United States is forced by recent
| events to conclude that it is only one
| instance, even though one of the most
| extreme and most distressing in
stances, of the deliberate method and
spirit Of indiscriminate destruction of
merchant vessels, of all sorts, nation
| alities and destinations, which have
| become more and more unmistakable
as the activity of German undersea
vessels Of war has in recent months
been quickened and extended.
The imperial government will re-
call that when, in February. 1915. it
announced it's intention of treating the
waters surrounding Great Britain and
ireland as embraced within the seat
OF war and of destroying all merchant
ships owned by it's enemies that
might be found within that zone of
danger, and warned all vessels, neu-
trail as well as belligerent, to keep
out Of the waters thus prescribed or
TO enter them at their peril, the gov
eminent of the United States earnest
ly protested
Peril Was Shown.
The government of the United
States took the position that such
policy could not be pursued without
constant gross and palpable violation
OF the accepted law OF nations, partic-
uiarly II submarine craft were to be
employed as it's instruments, inasmuch
as the rules prescribed by that law,
rules founded on the principles of hui
mainly 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 it's 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 right 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
ters, 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. 1t 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-
lions which it issued to the command
ers of it's 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
noncom batants.
I'm pursuance of this policy of sub
marine warfare against the commerce
of it's 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
uron them as it had hoped and prom
Used to put.
Again and again the imperial gov,
eminent has given it's 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
surances with entire impunity
"As recently as February last it gave
notice that it would regard all armed
owned by its enemies as
part of the armed forces of it's adver-
saries and deal with them as men of |
war, thus, 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 limita-
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- |
attacked have been warned |
and summoned to surrender before be- |
ing fired 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 |