The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1916-10-12
lluts' NOTE On sUsNlRIAt
AlRulRt ANSWERED TUESDAY
GOVERNMENT aAsrs rtAIs
IT. sTAHD o. RfclfTs uF
THFsH BoATs

ne AHNfifHH HeWufansluM fapiyinH
- that ~ me allied governments r.
Kafdlns treatment " heiliRsrenl sob
marines IN neutral ports i as follewss
The government ~ The ualted
States has received the identie hen
oranda of The governments
France, Great Britain. Russia
fapan IN which neutral govern l4
~ exhorted TO take effieae
measures tending 70 prevent ; la
efent submarines. regardleN ~ their
use. to avail themselves of neutral
waters. roadsteads and harbors. I"
These governments point out the IA
cility possessed by such craft to avoid
supervision or surveillance or deter
mination Of their national character
and their power to "do injury that
is inherent in their very nature" as
well as the additional facilities" af-
forded by having at their disposal
places where they can rest and re-
plenish their supplies.
Apparently on these grounds the
allied governments hold that Sub
marine vessels must be excluded from
the benefit of the rules heretofore
accepted under international law re-
garding the admission and sojourn
of war and merchant vessels in neu-
trail waters, roadsteads or harbors
any submarine of a belligerent that
once enters a neutral harbor must be
held there" and therefore, the allied
governments "warn neutral powers
of the great danger to neutral sub
marines attending the navigation of
waters visited by the submarines of
belligerents."
In reply the government of the
United States must express its sur
prise that there appears to be an en-
deavor of the allied powers to deter
mine the rule of action governing
what they regard as "a novel situa-
ton" in respect to the use of subma-
lrines in time of war and to enforce
acceptance of that rule, at least in
part, by warning neutral powers of
the great danger to their submarines
in waters that may be visited by bel
ligerent submarines.
| In the opinion of the government
Of the United States the allied pow
ers have not set forth any circum-
stances, nor is the government of the
United States at present aware OF
Amy circumstances, concerning the
use of war or merchant submarines
which would render the existing rules
of international law inapplicable to
them.
In view of this fact and of the no.
tice this warning of the allied pow
ers announced in their memoranda
under acknowledgment it is incum.
bent upon the government of the
United States to notify the govern
ments of France, Great Britain, Rus
sa and Japan that, so far as the
treatment of either war or merchant
submarines in American waters il
concerned the government of thu
United States reserves its liberty Of
action in all respects and will trea
! such vessels as, in its opinion, be
, comes the action of a power which
may be said to have taken the frs
step toward establishing the princi
Piles of neutrality and which for owe
a century has maintained those prin
ciples in the traditional spirit an,
, with the high sense of impartialit.
in which they were conceived.
s In order, however, that ther
should be no misunderstanding as t
3 the attitude of the United States, tn
: Igovernment of the United States an
e Inounces to the allied powers that
s holds it to be the duty of belligeren
d powers to distinguish between sub
: marines Of neutral and belligeren
d nationality and that responsibility fo
e any conflict that may arise betwee
e belligerent warships and neutral sui
r marines on account of the neglect 0
la belligerent to so distinguish be
tween these classes of submarine
must rest entirely upon the negliger