The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1916-04-27

and have delivered their attacks with
out compunction against vessels OF
every nationality and bound upon
every sort OF errand.
Sank Neutral ships.
Even vessels of neutral ownership
bound from neutral port to neutral
port, have ben destroyed along with
vessels Of belligerent ownership in
constantly increasing numbers. Some
times the merchantmen attacked has
been warned and summoned to surren-
der before being fred on or torpedoed, &,
sometimes passengers or crews have
been couchsafed the poor security Of be
ing allowed to take to the ships boats
before she 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. Wha.
this government foresaw must happen
has happened
Tragedy followed tragedy on the
seas in such fashion, with such attend
ant circumstances as to make It gross.
ly evident that warfare OF such a sort,
If warfare II be, cannot be carried on
without the most palpable violation
Of the dictates alike Of right and Of
humanity. Whatever the disposition
and intention OF the imperial govern
ment, It has manlfestly proved impos.
sible for It to keep such methods Of
attack upon the commerce Of its
enemies within the bounds set by
either the reason or the heart Of man
kind.
I'm February Of the present year the
Imperial German Government inform
ed this government and the other neu.
tral governments Of the world that it
had reason to believe that the govern
ment Of Great Britain had armed all
merchant vessels OF British ownership
and had given them secret orders to
attack any submarine OF the enemy
they might encounter upon the seas,
and that the Imperial German Govern
ment felt justified In the circumstances
in treating all armed merchantmen Of
belligerent ownership as auxiliary yes
sells OF war. which II would have the
right Ia destroy without warning.
Stand On Armed Ships.
"The law Of nations has long rec.
ognized the right OF merchantmen TO
carry arms for protection and to use
them to repel attack, though to use
them in such circumstances at their
own risk: but the Imperial German
Government claimed the right to set
these understandings aside IN circum.
stances which II deemed extraordinary.
Even the terms In which It announced
lts purpose thus still further to relax
the restraints II had previously pro
fessed its willingness and desire to put
upon the operations of its submarines
carried the plain Implication that al
'east vessels which were not armed
would still be exempt from destruction
without warning and that personal safe
by would be accorded their passengers
and crews; but even that limitation.
II it was ever practicable to observe
Il, has in fact constituted no check at
an upon the destruction Of ships Of
every sort
Again and again the Imperial Ger
man Government has given this gov.
ernmeut i,s solemn assurances that at
least passenger ships would not be
thus dealt with, and yet II has again
and again permitted rs undersea com.
manders TO disregard those assurances
with entire impunity. Great liners
like the Lusitania and the Arabic and
mere ferrybOats Ike tho Sussex have
been attacked without q moments
warning. sometimes before they had
even become aware that they were In
the presence OF an armed vessel Of the
emmy. and the lives Of non-combatants,
passengers and crew, have been sacri-
iced wholesale IN a manner which the
government of The United States can
not but regard as wanton and without
the slightest color Of Justification. No
limit Of any kind has, In fact been set
to the indiscriminate pursuit and de-
struCuon Of merchantmen Of all kinds
and natlonalltle5 within the waters,
constantly extending in area, where
these operations have been carried on
and the roll Of Americans who have
lost their lives on ships thus attacked
and destroyed has grown month by
month until the ominous toll has
mounted into the hundreds.
Sussex Destruction.
zone Of the latest and most shock
ing instances Of this method Of war.
fare was that Of the destruction Of the
French cross Channel steamer Sussex.
II must stand forth, as the sinking OF
.he steamer Lusitania did, as so sin.
gularly tragical and unjustidable as to
constitute a truly terrible example Of
The inhumanity Of submarine warfare
as the commanders Of German vessels
have for the past 12 months been con.
lucung iL X this instance stood
alone, some explanation, some dis
avowal by the German government
iome evidence Of criminal mistake OF
vilful disobed,ence on the part of the
commander Of the vessel that fred the
orpedo might be sought or entertain
ed but, unhappily, it does not stand
alone
MUNITIONS PLANT DESTROYED.