The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-02-29
State Department Says Citizens
Journey Upon Such Craft At
Their Own Risk; UphoIds Right
Of Ships To Act On Defensive
WILHEL LMSTRASSE NOTE -
REPEATS BERLIN WARNING
Sees No Reason Why Instruct
ions To Divers To Destroy Arm
ed Merchantmen Should Be
Altered To Meet Demands
tA..oels.sd Pres. By rsasral wlrsls..l

NAn1OctAto0 Hro11 Dy Eo0eral Wiroloo1l .
WIASHINGToN, February 20. -
nv In a semi Official statement Is
: w sued at the State department
last night the position Of the admins
tration regarding the attack by sub
marines upon armed merchantmen was
made clearer. T. sar.. - r~ tl.tts I"
America, says the statement, while
abating no part Of her insistahee tpon
the right Of merchant craft to arm
for deferse, does not therefore con-
tend THAT Americans have. the right 10
travel with immunity upon merchant
vessels which are armed for offensive
.opeFations, and ordered TO act upon
the. Offensive = !, A,.s;.f, = = sssFea
German Note Presented ~
The German note which was pre-
sented to the state department BY
Ambassador Won Bernstorff yesterday,
declared that the German government
has no intention or Tevoking any of
the pledges made to the United states
following the sinking of the Lusitania
and the Arabic. The note add5 how.
ever, that the Kaiser's government
does not consider that there Is any
reason why the recent instructions is
sued to the commanders of German
submarines should be changed. =.
These instructions, Il is asserted, arc
to treat as war ships any Of the enemy
merchant men, which shall be found
to have been armed. Special precau.
tions however have been taken to pre-
vent attacks without warning upon any
merchant vessels which carries no
weapons for offensive or defensive COM
bat. ..#..
Makes Position Clear
In connection with the note official
German cablegrams give the German
statement in fuller detail, '-+ \. =
1.-THE Norddeutsche Ailgemeine Zei-
tung reprints President Wilson 5 letter
to Senator Stone as published by Reu-
ter's office. The Norddeutsche then
adds the following official statement:
The principles stated in the Ger
man memorandum are by no means con-
trary to international law. For secret
orders of the English navy published in
memorandum expressly instruct armed
English merchantmen NOT only to de-
fend themselves but also to attack. Nu-
merous incidents quoted in the memo
randum give further proof that ships
follow this instruction. Such ships,
however, according to international law
cease to be peaceful trading ships. t
Breach Of Laws 49,. .9rf'H1 Ha.'
'On the other hand, the attitude
adOpted by our enemies appears as a
gross breach of the law of nations. They
commit acts of warfare with merchant
men for which only real men-of war are
qualified. :, ~. ,~t @.n .,".t II 2
"'Tf President Wilson'S letter TO
Senator Stone, says that announced
measures against armed hostile mer-
chantmen are contrary to the express
assurances given by the German and
Austro- Hungarian government TO the
United States, this is apparently caused
by misunderstanding. For these con-
cessions are only in regard to peaceful
passenger ships and not such ships
whose armament is connected with ag-
gressive purposes. l.... -..E
This misunderstanding is appar-
emily caused by the fact that the MON.
orandum, together with its annexed
notes, is not yet in the hands Of the
American government, and that Presi-
dent Wilson therefore could not vet
have examined both. -
Britain May Answer
Indications here are that Great Brit
ain will soon send formal answer to
the German charge that comm anders
Of British merchant craft have been
instructed to attack German subma-
rines, and that these ships have been
armed for offensive war upon the Ger
man underwater craft. 1t is said that
British captains have been ordered TO
avoid submarines where possible, and
to open fire with their guns only when
submarines are seen approaching with.
out warning.
The state department officials last
night repeated their belief that the
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