The Washington herald., 1916-01-31
GERMANY READY
TO Give WAY IN
LUSITANIA CASE
Embassy Official Says Any
Break in Negotiations Must
Come from u. S.
LANSING STILL HOPEFUL
Teutons Do Not Want to Ad-
NIT Sinking Of Ship Was
Illegal.
RESENT MUNITIONS TRAFFIC
Kaisers Government Believes 1t Has
Given Enough Ground in Conces-
sions Already Made.
LANSING STILL HOPEFUL
RESENT MUNITIONS TRAFFIC

An official close to the German EN-
bassy last night expressed the belief that
Germany will make further concessions
to the United States in an effort to set
tie the Lusitania case
If there Is a break In relations. this Of
ficia. said. IT will be forced on Germany
by the unbending attitude of the United
States
The German Embassy is not pessimis-
tic.' this official added. The diplomatic
negotiations have gone too far to fail at
this late date"
Another development Of the day was
the statement of a high State Department
official, closely connected with the Lusi-
tania negotiations, that this government
continues to be hopeful Of a settlement
of the controversy.
Say Reasonable Demands Conceded.
Whether this was inspired by any word
that Col. Edward NJ. House may have
communicated to Washington with refer
ence to his conferences with Germ an
government officials could not be
learned. Although cable dispatches said
that Col House had reported to Wash
ington. no official would admit that such
a report had been received.
The German Embassy's position, ac-
cording to the official already quoted,
is that Germany has conceded every
reasonable demand in the Lusitania case
in admitting the illegality Of causing the
loss of American lives in a war reprisal
against an enemy and offering to pay full
indemnity, and by going to the extreme
States to prevent the recurrence of such
acts by practically giving up submarine
warfare.
What Germany has not DONE and what
embassy officials believe she should not
be expected to do, is to make admission
that the act expressly ordered as a war
reprisal was an illegal act, and to ac-
company the payment of indemnity by
an admission of legal liability to pay
such indemnity.
Enemies Might Demand Indemn tiles
Not only is 1t the common practice OF
nations. including the United States, to
withhold admission Of legal liability In
paying indemnity claims, but there are
these two added reasons pointed to by
this official as Justification for Germany
objections to going to this length:
First, that the German people, deeply
resentful of the traffic in arms and am
munition between the United States and
their enemies, believe Germany has given
ground In the concessions already made
to the United States, and feel resent
ment at the circumstances that COM
PEELED them to take up the submarine
campaign, the only effective naval war
fare at their command
Second. that there is the possibility
that admission of legal liability may
bind the German government to pay in
demnity not only for American lives and
property lost. but for the lives and prop
erty of all neutrals.
Furthermore, an admission of liability
may bring demands for indemnities from
Germanys enemies when peace terms are
made. These indemnity demands might
reach staggering sums when It is consid.
cred that more than 600 vessels have
been sunk by submarines