The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-27
ATTITUDE OF US. ON ARMED LINERS
 FULLY PRESENTED
is Made Public Showing How This Country Stands on Question of Armaments Aboard Merchant Shps-Guns May Be Used Only Defensively if Ships Are To Be Received in Ports of United States

tention of making any concessions to Germany in the critical differences that have arisen between the two gov ernments over German methods or submarine warfare was emphasized yesterday. through the action of Sec- retary Lansing in making public the text of a confidential memorandum pertaining to the rights of armed mer- chant vessels.
 This government holds in effect, that before an armed merchantman may be attacked by a warship the lat ter must determine absolutely that the of vessel of war The purpose or the government in publishing the mem orandum at this time is to serve, no tice on sGernany of it's views as to armed vessels of commerce, and thus obyia4e any effort on Gerrnanyts part to- delay the settlement of the subma- rfne issue on the ground that the American position ass to the condi- lions under which German submarines may or may not attack armed ner-t chant ships is not understood in Ber- lin.
 This government will not discuss that matter with Germany. It will be able to point to the memorandum, given out yesterday, as clear exposf ton of. its attitude. It is wiling to give Germany reasonable time to answer the American, demand that present German met ods of warfare on merchant ships shall be- abandoned, but 1t is not in a temper to permit the of the merits of the case or a plea that the Imperial governrnS mt does not un- derstand what the United States de- sires it to do.
 In some quarters the impression ap- pears to prevail that Che object of the State Department in making public the memorandum, which is dated March 25. is to placate Germany and offer an Enducement to that govern nent to make concessions to the Unit ed States in the submarine confroversy which would obvfate d break in the re- 1af1ons of the two governments. This impression is drawn from an interpre- tatfon placed upon the memorandum that it modides the previous position taken by the United States with refer ence to the status of our merchant ships Those whose view is so inclined base their argument mainly on a state- ment in the memorandum that a ves- sol engaged internationally in com ders of it's government imposing a penalty, possesses, in pursuing and att tacIzing enemy naval craft, a status l tainted with a hostile purpose which 1t cannot throw aside or assume at will. Tt should therefore 2 to quote an armed public vessel and receive the treatment of, arship by an enemy and by neutr
 The staten Jllows:
 By direction of the President a memorandum was prepared during March, 1918, in regard to the status of \ armed merchant vessels in neutral ports and on the high seas This memorandum is now made public as a statement of this government atti- tude on that subject.
 The status of an armed merchant <af a F,oT1f l4s-t cred from two points of view: First from that of a neutral, when the vese sel enters it's ports; and. second, from that of an enemy. when the vessel is on the high seas.
 viewpoint Of Neutrals.
 First, an armed merchant vessel in neutral port.
 It is necessary for neutral gov- ernment to determine the status of an armed merchant vessel of beT1iger- ent nationality which enters it's Juris- diction in order that the government may protect itself from responsibility for the destruction of life and prop erty by permitting its ports to be used as bases of hostile operations by bel Ngerent wars11ips.
 -2. If the vessel carries a commits sion or order issued by a sbe1ligerent government and directing it under penalty to conduct aggressive opera tions, or if it is conclusively shown to have conducted such operations, it should be regarded and treated as a wars11ip.
 "s. If sufdcient evidence is wanting, a neutral government, in order to safe guard itself from liability for failure to preserve it's neutrality, may reason ably presume from the fact the status Of an. armed merchant vessel which frequents It's waters There Is no set tied rule of international law as to the gufficiency of evidence to establish such. "a presumption. As a result a neutral government must decide for itself the sufHciency- of the evidence which it requires to determine the character of the vessel For the guid- ance of it's port officers and other off, ciaIs, it may therefore declare a stand ard of evidence but such standard may be changed on account of the general conditions of naval warfare or modified on accout of the cfrcum- stances of particular case. These changes and modifications may be made at any time during the progress of the war. since the determination of thes tatus of an armed merchant yes gel in neutral waters may affect the liability of a neutral government.
 'sSecond-yAn armed merchant ves- sel on the high seas,
 q. It is necessary for a bel1iger- ent Warslnip to determine the status of an armed merchant vessel of an enemy encountered on the high seas, mince the rights of life and property of beIligerents and. neutrals on board the vessel may be impaired in it's sta tus is that of an enemy warshfp.
 "z. The determination of waflfke character must rest in no case upon presumption, but upon conclusive evil dence, because the fesponsib biHty for the destruction Of life and property depends on the actual facts of the 1 case and cannot be avoided or less ened by a standard of evidence which a bellikeFent may announce as creat- ing e presumpfion Of hostile eharac- Ser. ca the otzssv fand. to safeguard