El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-19

the dictates alike of right and human
ity
Can't Keep. Attacks within Bounds.
Whatever the disposition and inten-
ton Of the imperial i---uan govern
ment, 10 has manifestly proved impos-
sible Tor IL to keep such methods OF
attack upon the commerce Of Its enc
mics within the bounds set by eth n
the reason OF the heart Of mankind.
Adopts More Rigorous Campaign.
In February Of the present year. the
imperial German government informed
this government and the other neutral
Governments Of the world that IL had
reason TO believe that the government
Of Great Britain had armed all mer-
chant 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 government felt Justi-
fed. in the circumstances, in treating
all merchantmen Of belligerent owner
ship. as auxiliary vessels Of war. which
il would have the right to destroy
without warning.
Would Set Aside Laws.
"rhe law Of nations mas long recog4
mixed the right Of merchantmen to car
~ 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 under
standings aside under circumstances
which IL deemed extraordinary.
No Check 90 Destruction.
Even the terms in which it an
nounced its purpose thus still further
10 relax the restraints II had previously
protested its willingness and desire
10 put upon the operations Of its sub
marines carried the plain implication
that az least vessels which were not
armed would still be exempt from de-
structon without warning. and that
personal safety would be accorded their
passengers and crews; but even that
Limitation, If il was ever practicable
to observe it, has, in fact, constituted
no check at all upon the destruction OF
ships OF every sort.
niaregards own Assurances.
again and again the imperial Ger
man government has given this gov
erument its solemn assurances that az
least passenger ships would not be
thus dealt with, and yet il has again
and again permitted its undersea COM
manders to disregard those assurances
with entire impunity. Great liners like
the Lusitania and the Arabic and mere
ferryboats like the Sussex have been
attacked without a moments warning,
sometimes before they had even be-
come aware that they were in the pres
cnce Of an armed vessel Of the enemy,
and the lives Of noncombatants pas
Wholesale in a manner which the gov
eminent OF the United states cannot
but regard as wanton and without the
slightest color Of justification.
Area Of Destruction Spreads.
mo limit os any kind has. in fact,
been set to the indescriminate pursuit
and destruction Of merchantmen of all
kinds and nationalities, within the
waters constantly extending in area
where these operations have been car
ried ON. and the roll Of Americans
who have lost their lives on ships thus
and destroyed has grown
month by month until the ominous toll
has mounted into the hundreds.
Sussex Il Shocking Example,
zone Of the latest and most shock I
ing instances Of this method Of war I
fare was that Of the destruction of the ]
French cross channel steamer Sussex. /
II must stand forth. as the sinking Of ]
the steamer Lusitania did, as so singu- ]
larry tragical and unjustifiable as TO
constitute a truly terrible example Of
the inhumauitv OF submarine warfare
as the commanders of German vessels !