The Washington times., 1916-05-06
BERLIN AGREES TO A NEW SUB
MARINE POLICY

As the unofficial text Of the Berlin
note reads, Germany explicitly
agrees to the demands Of President
Wilson--for the time being. This is
done ungraciously, with bitter re-
ordinations and with quite DELHI
crate parade Of turbulence. Never
theless IL is done, and we can make
allowances for the palpable effort to
impress the German people with the
firm and fearless stand of their gov
eminent.
The language is Of no conse-
quence; the fact is everything-and
the fact is surrender.
President Wilson insisted upon an
immediate abandonment of the
present methods" Of submarine
warfare. ... '.i..
Those methods are abandoned
both as to passenger vessels and as
to freight vessels, as to vessels with
in and as to vessels without the So
called naval zone, as to unarmed,
and as to armed merchant ships, II
there is any meaning and sincerity
in the reference to international law
in the order to submarine command
ers; for this is the order: ..'
In accordance with the general
principles of visit and search and the
destruction Of merchant vessels rec
oRnized by international law. such
vessels. both within and without the
aren declared naval war zone.
shall not be sunk without warning
and without saving human lives, UNI
1ess the ship attempt to escape or
offer resistance.
It is true that there is pending a
question between the German gov
eminent and the United States Gov
eminent as to the exact definition Of
merchant vessels recognized by in
ternational law" It is true that Ger
many has been contending that, I'M
der international law as brought up
to date by Berlan, a merchant vessel
carrying a gun capable Of destroy
ing a submarine is a war vessel and
therefore not immune from attack
without notice; while the United
States Government adheres to the
principle that unless a merchant
vessel carries and uses a gun for at
tack it is not war vessel. Never
theless we must assume that in these
orders Germany does mean mer-
chant vessels lin the accepted sense
common to all other nations.
But, as we have said in the open.
ing paragraph. while Germany does
promise and "effect the immediate
abandonment Of present methods Of
submarine warfare" Germany does
not agree that the abandonment shall
be continued indefinitely. On the
contrary, the Berlin foreign Office
states that If certain results shoulc
not be accomplished by the United
States in the way Of inducing tn,
enemies of Germany to cease doin5
things which Berlin contends ar,
! also in violation of international law
then the German government "mus
reserve to itself complete liberty O
decision" in regard to that matter.
And yet, as the case now stands
President Wilson is entirely relieved
: if he so wishes to be, from breakin,
off friendly relations with German,
; or from pressing this issue to a fur
Their determination. In other words
no matter what thing Germany re
: serves her liberty of decision to d
> tomorrow, there is no ground TO
> quarrel so long as she does not do !
D today.
: AS long as Germany lives up t
t her new order to submarine com
5 manders, whether that period sha
cover a week, a month, a year O
\ the whole duration of the war, thi
: Government will have what Pres
dent Wilson has demanded. There
fore this Government, on that pal
ticular question, will have no grie,
ance against the German govern
! ment.
But. if or when the German go,
eminent does change its order
: submarine commanders, or does pc,
nit them to violate the order indi
criminately and wantonly, then thel
will be nothing left for Presidel
= Wilson to do but to end relation
\ with the German government
: snap them off without parley ,
. delay.