The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-04-19
PRESIDENT WILSON
INDICTS GERMANY
(Continued from page T.

Continued from page L.
chantmen of belligerent ownership as
auxiliary vessels of war which 1t
would have the right 10 destroy with
out warning.
The law of nations has long recog-
nfzed the right of merchantmen TO
i carry arms for protection, to use them
to repel attack, though to use them In
such circumstances, at their own
risk; but the imperial German gov
eminent claimed the right to set these
understandings aside in circumstances
which it deemed extraordinary. Even
the terms in which it announced its
purpose, thus still further to relax the
restraints it had previously professed
it's willingness and desire to put upon
the operations of it's submarines car
ried the plain implication that at least
vessels which were not armed would
still be exempt from destruction with
out warning and that personal safety
would be accorded their passengers
and crews; but even that limitation
If it was over practicable to observe
it, has in fact constituted no check at
all upon the destruction of ships of
every sort.
Again and again the imperial Ger
man government has given this gov
eminent it's solemn assurances that at
least passenger ships would not be
thus dealth with, and yet it has again
and again permitted its undersea COM
manders to disregard those assur-
ances with entire impunity. Great lin
ers like the Lusitania, and the Arabic
and mere ferry boats like the Sussex
have been attacked without mo-
ment's warning, sometimes before
they had even become aware that they
we're In the presence Of an armed yes
sci Of the enemy and the lives of non
combatants, passen gers and crew,
have been sacrificed wholesale, in a
manner which the government OF the
! United States cannot but regard as
wanton and without the slightest color
of Justification No limit Of any kind
has in fact been set to the indiscrim-
| mate pursuit and destruction OF mer-
chantmen of all kinds and 1ationalt-
ties within the waters, constantly ex-
| tending in area where these opera
tics have been carried on; and the
roll of Americans who have lost their
lives on ships thus attacked and de-
stroyed has grown month by month
until the ominous toll has mounted
into the hundreds.
l
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 steamer Lusitania did, as so singu-
larly tragical and unjustifiable as to
constitute truly terrible example of
the inhumanity of submarine warfare
as the commanders Of German YES
sells have for the past twelve months
been conducting it. II this instance
stood alone, some explanation, some
disavowal by the German government.
some evidence of criminal mistake or
wilful disobedience on the part of the
commander of the vessel that fired the
torpedo, might be sought or enter
! tanned; but unhappily 1t does not
stand alone. Recent events make the
conclusion inevitable that 1t is only
one instance, even though 1t be one OF
the most extreme and distressing in
stances, OF the spirit and method OF
warfare which the imperial German
government has mistakenly adopted.
and which from the first exposed that
government to the reproach OF thrust
ing all neutral rights aside in pursuit
of its immediate objects.
The government of the United
| States has been very patient. At
| every stage OF this distressing expert
ence OF tragedy after tragedy in which
| its own citizens were involved 1t has
sought to be restrained from any ex-
treme course OF action or of protest
| by q thoughtful consideration OF the
extraordinary circumstances of this
unprecedented war, and actuated In
all that it said or did by the sentt-
ments OF genuine friendship which
the people Of the United States have
always entertained and continue to en-
| terrain toward the German nation. 1t
has, Of course, accepted the successive
explanations and assurances OF the
| imperial German government as CIV
en- in entire sincerity and good faith
and has hoped even against hope that
| it would prove to be possible for the
German government so to order and
control the acts OF its naval COM
manders as to square its policy with
| the principles of humanity as en-
bodied in the laws of nations. 1t has
been willing to wait until the signifi-
canoe of the acts became absolutely
unmis takeable and susceptible Of but
one Interpretation.
| That point has now unhappily been
reached. The facts are susceptible of
| but one Interpretation. The i'm
perial 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 evident
that the position which this govern
ment took at the very outset is newt
able. namely that the use of the subma
rines for the destruction of an
enemy's commerce is of necessity, be-
cause of the very character Of the
vessels employed and the very
methods of attack which their en-
ployment of course involves, incom-
patible with the principles of human