The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-03-31
WASHINGTON LETTER
(By John J. Marinan.)

suits from the submarine controversy
the responsibility for that war will
rest upon President Woodrow Wilson
and his vacillating foreign policy. II
war comes, II will be war that might
have been avoided. II war comes,
America will pay for the Wilson ad-
ministartlon with thousands of her
best lives and millions Of her treasure.
International law Is maze of unin-
telllgible phrases to most persons. In
ordinary times the average citizen
concerns himself but little in interna-
tional questions. Unable to compre-
hCnd the rules under which diplomacy
Is conducted, in crisis such as the
present, he is inclined to trust blind
ly in the administration, or embrace
the first explanation, no matter how
impossible.
We have seen the submarine situa-
ton stated nowhere so clearly as II
was recently explained by Senator
Burton in his speech at Trenton. II Is
Eotable that Mr.. Burton, who is an
authority on International law, is the
last Of the Republican leaders to at
tack the administrations foreign pol
icy. He has evidently felt that deli
cate situation caused by the war the
President should be unhampered by
criticism But when the crisis came
aud We began foundering toward the
weller of blood in Europe, Mr.. Bur
ton has spoken plainly on the dan
gers of a shifty diplomacy. In a few
sentences he showed why our present
Gneuviable plight is due to President
Wilson's vacillating foreign policy,
and he explained this so clearly that
amy one can understand it.
The whole difficulty" SAID Mr.. Bur
top, arose from the exercise of those
two conspicuous talents of the pres
ent administration, the passion for in
reference in the affairs of other ma.
lions arc the inability to keep away
rom bCih sides of the question
On the tenth of February, 1915, the
administration warned the German
government of the consequences of
carrying out the policy foreshadowed
in Is admiralty proclamation in case
II should result in destroying any mer-
chant "esScl of the United States or in
,ausng he death of American citi-
Zcns. and threatened to hold the Ger
man government to strict accounta-
utility Cor any such act.
"A note from the Secretary of State
on the 18th of May last, limited the
rule tina, lives of non -combatants of
neutral states should not be put into
jeopardy ON UNARMED merchantmen.
The word 'unarmed' is important.
In the latter part of January, 1916,
the stat department in a note to the
various Powers sought TO induce the
allies l. tisarm their merchantmen
ana placed especial stress on the dis
ADVANTAGES of submarines in conflict
with armed merchantmen, saying in
substance that il would not be fair
that the submarines should be COM
PEELED to oppose themselves to destruc-
tiCn fIum such vessels and that mer-
chantmcnt should not be permitted to
carry armament al all, stating further
that the lnjted States government was
seriously considering the announce
mcnt ow the purpose TO treat a mer-
chant Npss5! carrying guns as an aux
Hilary cruiser because of the changed
in maritime warfare result
ing from the introduction of the sub
marine aud its defenseless character.
After the publication of this note,
Germany and Austro-Hungary on
about the tenth of February very
promptly and adroitly announced that
on and after March / they would re-
gard all merchantmen carrying arma-
mcnt as warships and would exercise
the right to destroy them without
What did the President do then .
He said. No, for such a course would
involve the loss of life of American cit
liens, and American citizens have the
right to travel on merchantships arm
ed for defense
Thus we attempted TO persuade |
England and France to give up a right
which they claimed under information
al law, but would not ask American
citizens to yield right which we al |
legged belonged to them UNDER THE
SAME LAW.
In other words we took the posi-
ion that England and France had no
right to arm their merchantmen, for
.hus they became warships. while, on !
he other hand, only few weeks later
we maintained that although they
were warships, Germany had no RICH
20 sink them without warning.
Thus ii appears that the whole
controversy in which we are now en-
gagged, fraught as II is with so much
hanger to the peace OF the United
States, WAS BROUGHT ABOUT BY
OUR POSITION ANDl