The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-04-21

! protection. to use them to repel at
tack, though TO use them in such
! circumstances, at their own risk but
! the Imperial German Government
claimed the right to set these under
standings aside In circumstances which
it deemed extraordinary.
Even the terms in which II an
nounced its purpose thus still further
to relax the restraints II had pre-
viously professed its Willingness and
desire to put upon the operations OF
its submarines carried the plain i'm
plication that at least vessels which
were not armed would still be exempt
from destruction without warning and
that personal safety would be accord
ed their passengers and crews; but
even that Limitation, If It was ever
practical to observe It, has in fact
constituted no check at all upon the
destruction Of ships OF every sort.
Promises Violated.
Again and again the imperial Ger
man government has given this gov
ernment its solemn assurances that
at least passenger ships would not be
thus dealt with and yet it has again
and again permitted its undeTsea COM
manders to disregard those assur-
ances with entire impunity.
Great liners like the Lusitania and
the Arabic and mere ferryboats like
the Sussex have been attacked with
out n moments warming, sometimes
even before they had become aware
that they were in the presence of an
armed vessel OF the enemy, and the
lives Of -combatants passengers
and crew have been sacrificed whole
sale, in a manner which the govern
ment Of the United States can but
regard as wanton and without the
slightest color OF Justification, No
limit of any kind has in fact been set
to the fndiscrimlnate pursuit and de-
struction of merchantmen OF all kinds
and nationalities within the waters,
constantly extending the area, where
those operations have been carried on,
ana the roll of Americans who have
lost their lives OF. ships thus attacked
and DESTROYED has grown month by
month until the ominous toll has
mounted into the hundreds
"One Of the latest and most shock
ing instances of this method OF war
fare was that of the destruction of
the French cross channel steamer
Sussex. It must stand forth, as the
sinking Of the Lusitania did. as so sin
gularly tracical and unjustifiable as
to constitute a truly terrible example
of the inhumanity of submarine war
vessels have for the past twelve months
been conducting f. II this instance
stood alone, some explanation. some
dtsavoWal, might be made by the Ger
man government some evidence of
criminal mistake or willful disobe-
dienCc on the part Of the commander
of the vessel that fred the torpedo
might he sought entertained: but
unhapplly II not stand alone
Recent events make the conclusion
inevitable that it is only one In
stance, even though it he one of the
most extreme and distressing in
stances, of the spirit and method OF
warfare, which the imperial Ger
man Government has mistakenly
adopted, and which, from the fist
exposed that government to the re-
proach of thrusting ali neutral rights
aside In pursuit of its immediate OBJ
jects
THE government OF the United
States has been very patient At
every stage of this distressing expe-
rience of tragedy after tragedy. in
which its own citizens were involved.
il has sought 10 he restrained from
any extreme course of action or of
protest by n thoughtful consideration
Of the extraordinary circumstance OF
this unprecede war. and actu-
atcd in all that it said or did by
the sentiments Of genuine friendship
which the people Of the United
| States have always entertained and
/ German nation. II has, OF course.
accepted the successive explanations
/ and assurances Of the Imperial Ger
man Government AS given IN entire
/ sincerity and good faith. aud has
/ hoped, even against hope, that t
would be possible for the German
/ Government to SO order and control
the acts of its naval Commanders
as to. square its policy with the prin-
! ciplcs of humanity as embodied in
/ the law OF nations Ii has been will
( ing to wait until the significance Of
he TAGS became absolutely unmis-
taxable and susceptible OF this one
f. Interpretation.
susceptible of But One Interpretation
/ That point has now unhappily
been reached The facts are sus-
Cepuble OF but one Interpretation.
The Imperial German Government
/ has been unable TO put any limits or
| restraints upon It's warfare against
either freight or passenger ships. 1t
has. therefore, become painfully evil
dent that the position which this gov
eminent took at the very outset Is
inevitable, namely, that the use Of
submarines for tho DIES, auction OF an
enemy's commerce is of necessity. be-
cause of the very character of the
vessels employed. and the very me
thods of attack which their employ
ment of course. involves. ompati
BILE with the principles of humanity
i The long established and incontro-
Nertihe rights of neutrals. and tht
sacred immunities OF noncombatants
Il have deemed II my duty there
fore, to say to the Imperial Ger
man Government that If it is still
its purpose to prosecute RELENTLESS:
and indiscriminate warfare against
= vessels OF commerce by the use o
submarines, notwithstanding the nov
demonstrated impossibility OF con
Quoting that warfare in accordance
with what the government of the
United States must consider the sa
cred and indisputable rules of inter
> nRtionel law, ana the universally rec
ognized dictates of humanity. the
government Of the United States Is a.
last forced to the conclusion that
there Is but one course 1t can pursue
and that unless the Imperial Ger
man Government should now imme
diately declare and effect an aban
donment OF its present methods Of
: warfare against passenger and freight
carrying vessels, this government car