Middletown transcript., 1916-01-01
Demands Renewed BY U. S.

Washington. - President Wilson's
reply to the Austrian note on the sink
ing of the Ancona was made public.
In it the United States serves notice
on Austria that this Government will
not discuss the circumstances of the
sinking of the Ancona or the legality
of the submarine attack; that it will
not furnish Austria with bill of par
ticulars, and that it feels obliged to
renew the demands made upon Aus
tria in it's first note.
To these items in the note the
United States adds another plain init
nation that a refusal to yield on the
part of Austria will mean the break
ing off of diplomatic relations.
The demands which the United
States again makes upon Austria are:
1. Denunciation of the sinking of
the Ancona.
2. Punishment of the submarine
commander responsible.
8. Reparation by the payment of
money indemnity.
Means "YieId Or a Break"
On the note just made public de-
pends whether Austria shall continue
to have diplomatic relations with the
United States. The note has been de-
livered to the Foreign Office in Vienna,
but as yet no definite indication has
reached Washington as to whether or
not Austria will yield.
While the note given out is not an
ultimatum in the true sense OF the
word, because it imposes no time limit,
it clearly conveys an impression of
finality which is expected to prevent
any further attempt at discussion I'M
less Austria should see fit to repudiate
the statement of her Admiralty, upon
which the entire case of the United
States is based.
Regard For Austria's Pride.
Taken as a whole, this Govern
ment's second note to Austria is
milder than the first. It is free from
such expressions as "barbarous,"
"abhorrent," "wanton slaughter" and
Outrage" which characterized the
first communication and which were
largely responsible for the deep feel
ing that was aroused in Austria and
The United States in the second
note, while yielding not an iota as re-
CARDS it's demands and the principles
involved, has obviously made an ef-
fort to soften the tone of its COM
This is regarded by the Presidents
advisers as wise move. The State
has been informed that
the sharp, harsh character of the first
note made it impossible for Austria
to yield without deep humiliation. The
officials of the State Department saw,
too, that reiteration of the offensive
words used in the first note would not
only not add to the strength of the
United States position but would be
certain further to infame the Aus
trian people.
Text OF the Note.
The full text of the note, which was
to Ambassador Pendeld and
sent under date of December 10, fol
lows:
"You are instructed to address
note to the Austro-Hungarian Minister
Of Foreign Affairs, textually as fol
lows:
"'The Government of the United
States has received the note of your
relative to the sinking of
the Ancona, which was delivered at
Vienna on December Is, 1915, and
to Washington, and has
given the note immediate and careful
consideration.
con November Is, 1915, Baron
Zwiedinek, the Charge d'Affaires of
the Imperial and Royal Government at
transmitted to the De-
partment of State a report of the
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 board. This |
admission alone is, in the view of the !
of the United States, |