Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-16

the surface within sight of an enemy
cruiser. Apparently the Germans would
rather depend upon the power Of
science to protect them than upon their
legal rights in such box.
So they have installed on the Deutsch-
land a submarine telephone device,
through which, it is said, the pulsation
of cruisers engines can be heard at
a distance of FIVE miles. Since the
Deutschland, with but seventeen feet
Of superstructure visible above the
surface. and painted a mottled green.
is not visible to a cruiser for a dis
lance of much more than mile.
whereas she can, while under water,
near the pounding of the cruisers en-
gines for five miles, the Germans be-
lieve there is little or no chance of
the Deutschland coming to the sur
face within sight of one of the allies
cruisers. So the Germans do not be-
lieve that this problem will ever arise
But IL that tangle is escaped. there
are others not much farther off,
merchant ship has the right to defend
herself from capture at sea, according
to the rules OF International law ac-
cepted by the United States. All of the
merchant ships of the entente powers
are now being armed for defense. Most
Of them are now armed. But 1t will be
remembered that a very delicate diplo-
matte question arose some months ago
as to when a merchant ship was using
her guns extensively and when she was
using them defensively.
II she used her guns extensively she
lost her status as a merchant ship and
became liable to destruction herself
without regard to the lives of those
aboard her. The Germans raised the
claim that the British merchant ships
and this. they said, constituted often
sive action. They submitted to the
State Department the secret instruc-
tons issued by the British admir- lty
to captains of armed merchant ships
which they had captured from the Brit
ish steamer Woodf1eld as evidence to
support their contention.
After months and months of diplo-
matte exchanges. the United States
practically settled down into the posi-
ton that a merchant ship had a legal
right TO fire upon any warshfp bent
upon her capture; that when subma-
rine was sighted 1t could reasonably be
assumed she was upon such a mission.
and that, therefore. a merchant ship
could justify, on the ground that 1t
was defensive action. any shot at an
approaching submarine.
But obviously this attitude Of the
United States rested upon the circum-
stance that the only sort of submarine
known was a warship. Now the super
submarine merchant liner Deutschland
comes along and threatens to stir up
this entire question again. II the Ger
mans make good their boast and de-
velop a regular line Of submarine mer-
chantmen, will the allies merchant
ships be justified. henceforth, in as
stunning that any submarine they sight
is bent upon their capture?
Presumably not, for 1t might be a
merchant submarine. unarmed and en-
tirely harmless. For the merchant ship
to fire upon such a submarine would be
a serious breach of law. The appear
ance of a number Of merchant subma-
rines, therefore, might be Used by the
Germans to support a diplomatic argu-
ment with the United States to the ef-
feet that IL is not enough to see a sub
marine near a merchant vessel to pre-
sumo her offensive mission. They will
doubtless contend that now a merchant