Evening star., 1916-07-10
The Evening Star Newspaper Company
11th st. and Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Deutschland.

The arrival of a German submarine
at Baltimore raises new question in
international law which is reported to
be puzzling to the State Department.
Yet, after all, the issue in this case is
simple. Is the submarine armed7 Is
she merchant or a naval vessel7 The
determination of that question should
be an easy matter, turning upon a
physical inspection of the craft. Because
heretofore submarine craft have been
exclusively fighting ships, equipped for
destruction with torpedo tubes and
guns, it does not follow that the Deutsch-
land belongs to that category. Because
she was able to make her way unmo-
Tested across the Atlantic, in part be-
low the surface, lodging warships of the
enemy powers, does not deprive her of
the character of merchantmen, if she
has no offensive weapons.
IF the Deutschland is merchantmen
she may lie in an American port as long
~ her commander pleases and depart
when he wills to do SO, carrying what
ever cargo he may take on board, to
whatever port he may select. If she has
. strictly defensive armament, such as
the guns that are borne by certain liners
leaving regularly from New York for
European ports, she still is entitled to
the privilege of merchantmen, and is
not subject to the ordinary twenty-four-
hour limit fixed by international law
upon the stay of warship in a neutral
port in time of hostilities. If she has
torpedo tubes, however, the question be-
comes complex. She may be then rated
as a potential warcraft.
The question of the Deutschland's
treatment by this government is not
rs important as the demonstration that
Germany has evolved method of evad-
ing the allied blockade and is capable
Of sending forth cargoes of much de-
sired commodities and returning to
home ports quantities of materials great
" needed in war. Of course, one sub
marine merchantmen does not constitute
. feet, and the Deutschland alone would
not be capable of alleviating Germany's
present stress due to the blockade, or
supplying the American market with
goods which can be obtained alone from
Germany. Yet the proof that a sub
mersible craft can be made big enough
10 cross the Atlantic in fifteen days and
= carry a practicable cargo of mer-
chandise, is of vital interest to Eng
land and France. If one such craft can
be built others can follow, and unless
Germany is seriously short of ship
making materials-and there is no indi-
cation of this-a large feet Of such YES
sells is possible, putting an entirely new
complexion upon the economic situation
due to the war.
This performance is remarkable and
fs entitled to the highest commendation
as a daring departure, and, SO far as it
has gone, complete success. German
ingenuity has scored once more. Per-
haps the French will recall that it was
Jules Verne, a Frenehman, who invented
the submarine cargo boat in his tale
"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the
Sea" 1t has remained for the Germans
to develop the idea of Verne, already
put to practical use in the making of
fighting craft. Now that the big SUBJ
mersible has been evolved the interest
ing question arises, What effect will it
have on the war, which at the present
moment seems to be turning in favor
Of Germany's enemiesf