New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-30

More than two weeks ago the
British steamer Stephano was proceed
ing from Halifax to New York. She
carried ninety-four passengers, inciud-
ing women and children, and crew OF
sixty-seven members. She contained
no contraband and was not destined
TO any port of belligerent country.
Many of her passengers, including
women and young children, were Amer
lean citizens. They were dining in the
saloon at s o'clock on Sunday evening
October s, when the captain suddenly
appeared and instructed them to EN-.
bark Immediately on the lifeboats OF
the vessel, which was about to be sunk.
One hundred and sixty-one persons, all
of them non-combatants, were WITHIN
fifteen minutes hurried into six life
boats, leaving behind them nearly all
their personal effects. As one OF the
survivors said: Women with infants
in their arms were lowered into the
boats with ropes, while others were
Obliged 20 climb down the rope lad
ders." The boats, in the darkness OF
the night, thereupon put out upon the
omen sea. which was still running mod
erately high from the effects OF a re-
cent storm, and soon thereafter the
Stephano was torpedoed and disap-
peared in the depths of the ocean.
The boats thus cast adrift upon the
high seas were at least sixty miles
from the nearest mainland, but just
before the captain gave his notice to
the passengers a number OF torpedo
boat destroyers of the American navy
appeared upon the scene. and two OF
them-namely, the Ericsson and the
Balch-picked up the crew and passen-
gers after they had been about twenty
minutes on the surface of the water.
A Pickwickian Assurance
Many of these passengers were Amer
lean citizens, and they had taken pas
sage in the merchant vessel upon the
assurance of their President that the
lives of on-combatants cannot law
fully or rightfully be put in jeopardy
and that this government would en-
force the unquestioned rule OF inter-
national law that to subject non-com-
batants on a merchant vessel ITO the
mercy of the sea in small boats" IS
thus putting them into jeopardy and
would not be tolerated by this govern
ment.
IL is true. that the Decentralization OF
these passengers took place within
hailing distance of American war
ships. and the doubtful question
whether the StephanO would have
been sunk if these warships had not
been near can only be answered at
present by the fact that simultaneously
the same submarine sank four other
vessels namely, the West Point, the
Bloomersdyjk, the Knudsen and the
Strathdene and it is not suggested
that warships were within sight of all
five vessels. In any event the proxlm-
ity of the warships palliated but little
this fresh violation of neutral rights,
for the obvious reason that If the sink
ing of the Stephano would have been
uniustifiable but for the proximity Of
the warships, then it inevitably fol-
lows that the warships made 1t posi-
BILE for the submarine 10 sink these
merchant vessels. To prostitute the
American navy By making il mere
auxiliary of German submarines in
commerce raiding ought to be un-
thinkable.
Our Warships Misemployed
II is not the business Of American
warships to facilitate any nation in the
destruction of the merchant marine Of
a country with which America is at
peace. To do so Is to make it virtually
an accessory after the fact. What the
American commanders should have
done and doubtless would have done,
had they not been serving under an
: Administration only consistent in its
weakness, was 10 serve notice upon the
captain of the submarine that as this
government had taken, as will here
after Individually appear, a clear and
unequivocal stand that submarines
could not lawfully be used as com
merce destroyers, if it attempted 10
drive the passengers of the Stephano
TO the open sea on small boats the
guns of American warships would at
once open fire in defence Of the I'M
doubted right of American citizens to
travel without undue jeopardy upon the
high seas.
The captain of the Ericsson, how
ever, could not act as his sense of
honor and humanity undoubtedly
prompted him, for he had reason to
/ know, as so many of his countrymen,
and indeed the whole world, that no
safe dependence can be placed upon the
official utterances of President Wilson,
which have now for more than a year
proved mere scraps of paper" There
fore, he did not feel free to vindicate
the undoubted position Of this govern
ment that the
use of the submarine for the destruction
of an enemy's commerce is Of necessity
uttsrlY incomp dtibb Wih the principles
Of humanity, the long established and in
controvertiblc rights of neutras, and
the so-called immunities of non-com-
batants.
More than two weeks have passed
since this outrage was committed in
the very teeth of the repeated warn
ings of this government that this mode
Of warfare would not be tolerated.
Hollands Protest
4 Holland, small nation, existing in
the very shadow of Germany and
. threatened with destruction if Germany
should prevail in this conflict, was,
nevertheless, not slow to express its
condemnation Of this latest activity Of
the submarine. As one of the five ships
which was sunk was Dutch vessel, NJ.