New Britain herald., 1916-02-05

@ cabled report regarding those pro- S8 posals of MT. Lansing. The Kocl- lHH N aische Voll1s Zeitung, an organ of the N Catholic party, says that the propo- D saIs are absolutely unacceptable, as @ their acceptance would signify the bandonment of the entire German 8 submarine campaign against the con- N merce of the allies. With regard to S the Lusitania question, the Nolks Z ZcStung says that, if MT. Wilson is 8 correctly reported as demanding that @ Germany recognize that the sinking SSof the Lusitania was illegal and un- s.Justified by the theory of reprisals, "a then there can be only one answer aaAR fiat refusal.
 s8 Tension Evidently LeSsening. 8 The tension created by the latest @ developments in the Lusitania case 0evidently is lessening. Most of the 3afternoon papers do not discuss the 8situation today. The Kreuz Zeitung s&however, says it is necessary to en- @phasizc the reasons which should #fnf1uence Chancellor Von Bethmann- 8 Hollweg in deciding not to meet the N demands of the United States, and . adds:
 N "The chancellor will have to ask 8 what America means by again sud- # denly raising the question of the gen. eral principle involved in the Lusi- a tania affair and demanding that we S adopt a position completely at vari- ance with the one we took, clearly and without ambiguity, six months ago. He will have to decide whether s this action by America does not re- fleet intentions which could not be removed by concessions, however great on our part. but could be met only by firm resolution.
 Impression of Weakness. @ "The chancellor will have to con- 8sider whether it will not make on our allies. our enemies and neutraIs an impression of weakness by no means Justified by our successes and S military position to abandon our former standpoint and make a con- fession of having acted contrary to in ternational lava confession which lWeuld be used for all time to prove
 the truth of the islanders which have
 been heaped upon us. The chance1-
 Tor in particular will have to examine
 the question whether. if we should ]
 comply with the new American de- l
 mands, we would not thereby allow | ouY hands to be bound in the strug- | gle for existence by abandoning a | ! means of warfare which, resting on | I technical superiority, might contrib ute substantially to forcing our ene- mics to yield.''
 In conclusion the Kreuz Zeitung says: There cannot be the slightest 1 doubt that the government and peo- pie clearly recognize the limits to our
 concessions to America which are i1n-
 posed by military necessities and the |
 dignity of the German empire. Our l
 resolution that under no circum- 1
 stances shall these limits be over l
 stepped would not weakened even if |
 the course of events in the last 1
 eighteen months had not brought one
 political or military success after an- 1
 other and bettered Germany's position 1
 In the struggle against overwhelming l
 odds" l
 War Zone Anniversary. l
 The Germania recalls the fact that |
 February 4 is the anniversary of the l
 issuance of the German proclamation l
 establishing a war zone about the l
 British Isles. It says the most inn
 portant consequence was destruction
 of the LuSitania.
 4"This case. so. far from being set-
 tied, has reached an especially criti-
 cal point,'' the article continues. we
 cannot understand what moved Amer
 lea to take her present step. It is most
 certain that the sinking of the Lusi-
 tania was absolutely within the pro-
 visions of the German proclamation,
 aad therefore there can be no talk of
 llIegality unless our commercial war
 roundabout Great Britain is to be de-
 prived of it's basis"
 The Germania refrains from fur
 ther comment, saying: Perhaps a
 better opportunity will soon be of
 fered."