Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1916-01-07
US, SThNDSFAST
III Au,!C()a!A Case
Sinking Of Ship Il LGG:y''ess" 2E:I..
Not Subject For Csbate.
SAYS VIENNA ADMITS Gull
Second Note to Austria Insists Iha
Demand for Rsparation and OfficIa
Disavowal be Complied With.

The reioinder OF the United Sta.e
to Austria, on the sinking o. the lt"i
Ian line steamship Ancona, WhlcA W."
forwarded to Ambassador Penl.ell al
Vienna, Sunday night, was made pub
lie at the state department.
Although friendly in tone, the noe
calls upon Austria-Hungary lmme IL
a1ely to comply with demands made III
the previous communication and ho,ds
the Vienna government responsible
for the death OF Americans, Cn the
admitted statements OF the Austrl Il
admiralty.
In reviewing it's demands for a dis
avowal OF the sinking OF the vessel,
punishment. OF the submarine COM
mander and indemnity for American
lives, the United States declines to
discuss other testimony than that ar
forded by the admiralty statement.
1t likewise refuses to debate rules
of international law or principles OF
humanity.
The full text of the note follows:
"The government of the United
States has received the note of your
excellency relative to the sinking OF
the Ancona, which was delivered al
Vienna, December Is, 1915, and trans.
mitted to Washington, and has given
the note immediate and careful con
sderatiOn,
"On November Is, 1915, BaEon
Ewiedinek, the charge Paffaires OF
the imperial and royal government al
Washington, transmitted to the de-
fartment of state report OF the
Austro-Hungarian admiralty with re-
gard to the sinking of the steamship
Ancona, in which it was admitted that
the vessel was torpedoed after her
engines had been stopped and when
passengers were still on beard.
"This admission alone is, in the
view of the government Of the United
States, sufficient to fix upon the com
mander Of the submarine which fired
the torpedo the responsibility Tor
having wilfully violated the reccg-.i4-
cd law of nations and entirely d.sre-
garded those humane principles which
every belligerent should observe in
the conduct Of war at sea.
'In view of these admitted circum-
stances, the government of the Unit
cd States feels justified in holding
that the details of the sinking OF the
Ancona, the weight and character OF
the additional testimony corroborat-
ing the admiralty's report, and the
ed are in no way essential matters OF
discussion. The culpabi.ity of the
commander is in any case established,
and the undisputed fact is that citi-
Zens of the United States were killed,
injured or put in jeopardy by his law
less act.
"The rules of international law and
the principles of humanity which were
thus wilfully violated by the com
mander OF the submarine have been
so long and so universally recognized
and are so manifest from the s,all-
point of right and justice that the
government of he United States de:
not feel called upon to Ge1a,e them
and does not understand that the in
perial and royal government Question
or disputes them.
The government Of the In tC
States therefore finds no otter c0urs
open to it but to hold the impa"-;a, a1,
royal government response lie t. T ts.e
act OF its naval commander. and I:
renew the definite but resp -c.fGl dt~
mands made in its c In-nGi attn
the 9Th of December, 1915. /! siacsrc
ly hopes that the toregoirS : .tatcn@i,
OF its position will enable the impari7.
and royal government to rcrc, ere tie
justice OF these demands, AMI TO cGm
ply with them in the same split
frankness and with the same 4onc2.n
for the good relations now eXistin
between the United States and Aus.
tria-Hungary which DromDtel the g2v
errment OF the United States to make