Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-04-20

with, and yet it has again and again per-
mitted it's undersea commanders to dis
regard those assurances with entire i'm
punity. Great liners like the Lusitania
and the Arabic and boats like the Sussex
have been attacked without moments
warming, sometimes before they had even
become aware that they were, in the
presence of an armed vessel of an enemy
and the lives of non-combatants, pas
sengers and crew, have been sacrificed
wholesale in manner which the govern
ment of the United States cannot but re-
gard as wanton and without the slightest
color of justification. No limit of any
kind has in fact been set to the indis-
criminate pursuit and destruction Of mer-
chantmen of all kinds and nauonalities
within the waters, constantly extending
in area, where these operations have
been carried on; and the roll of Ameri-
cans who have lost their lives on ships
thus attacked and destroyed has grown
month by month until the ominous toll
has mounted into the hundreds.
The Sussex Incident
One of the latest and most shocking
instances of this method Of warfare
was that of the destruction of the
French cross -channe. steamer Sussex.
1t must stand forth. as the sinking of
the steamer Lusitania did, as so sim
sularly tragical and unjustifiable as
to constitute a truly terrible example
of the inhumanity of submarine war
fare as the commanders of German
vessels have for the past l. months
been conducting it. II this Instance
stood alone, some explanation, some
disavowal by the German government,
some evidence of criminal mistake or
Nilfu! disobedience on the part of the
commander o. the vessel that fired the
torpedo, might be sought or entertain
ed; but unhappily it does not stand
alone. Recent events make the con-
clusion inevitable that it is only one
instance, even though it be one OF the
most extreme and distressing Instances,
of the spirit and method of warfare
which the Imperial German govern :
ment has mistakenly adopted, and
which from the first exposed that gov
ernment to the reproach of thrusting
all neutral rights aside in pursuit OF
it's immediate objects.
Hopes Dispeiled
The government of the United
States has been very patient. At every
stage of this distressing experience OF
tragedy after ira agedy in which its own
citizens We're involved, it has sought
to be restrained from any extreme
course of action or of protest by a
thoughtful consideration of the extra
ordinary circumstances of this unpre-
cedented war. and actuated in all that
ii said or did by the sentiments of
genuine friendship which the people of
the United States have always enter
tanned and continue to entertain to-
wards the German nation. 1t has. of
course, accepted the successive ex-
plantations and assurances OF the I'm
perial German govern ment as given In
entire sincerity and good faith, and
has hoped, even against hope, that 1t
would prove to be possible for the gov
ernment so TO order and control the
acts of its naval commanders as to
square its policy with the principles of
humanity as embodied in the law OF
nations. 1t has been willing to wait un-
I til the significance of the facts became
e>oSofutelN anu SuSCcptl-
bic of but one interpre tation.
That point has now unhappily been
reached. The facts are susceptible of
tut one Interpretation. The Imperial
German government has been unable
to put any limits or restraints upon its
warfare against either freight or pas
senger ships. 1t has, therefore, become
painfully evident that the position
which this government took at the very
outset is inevitable. namely. that the
use of submarines for the destruction
OF an enemy's commerce is Of necessity
because Of the very character Of the
vessel employed and the very methods
of attack which their employment of
course involves. incompatible with the
principles of humanity. the long estab-
llshed and incontrovertible rights of
neutrais. and the sacred immunities of
non comba tants
But One Course Left
! have deemed it my duty, therefore
TO say to the imperial German govern.
ment that if ii is still it's purpose te
prosecute relentless and indscriminate
warfare against vessels of commerce
by the use of submarines. notwith.
standing the now demonstrated impos.
| sibllity of conducting that warfare in
accordance with what the government,
Of the United States must consider the
sacred and indisputable rules of inter.
national law and the universally recog.
n1Zed dictates of humanity the govern.
ment of the United States is at las,
| forced to the conclusion that there is
but one course it can pursue and tina,
unless the imperial German government,
should now Immediately declare and eff.
feet an abandonment of it's presen,
methods of warfare against passenge,
and freight carrying vessels, this gov.
ernment can have no choice but to sew.
er diplomatic relations with the gov.
ernment of the German empire alto
gether.
This decision | have arrived at wifi
the keenest regret: the possibility OF
the action contemplated I am sure al
thoughtful Americans will look forward
to with unaffected reluctance. But We
cannot forget that we are in some sor,
and by the force of circumstances, the
responsible spokesman of the rights OF
humanity. and that we cannot remair
silent while those rights seem in pro.
cess of being swept utterly away in the
maelsstrom Of this terrible war We