Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-04-28


GENTLEMEN OF THE CONGRESS:
A situation has arisen in the foreign
relations of the country. of which 1t Is
my plain duty to inform you very
It will be recalled that in February,
1915, the imperial German government
waters surrounding Great Britain and
Ireland as embraced within the seat
Of war. and to destroy all merchant
be found within any part of that por.
tion of the high seas. and that II
as Of beIligerent ownership. to keep
out Of the waters It had thus pro. pro.
peril
Says Gross Abuses Are Certain.
The government of the United States
tion that such q policy could not be
pursued without the practical certain
the law of nations, particularly If SUBJ
It's Instruments, inasmuch as the rules
upon principles of humanity and es-
tablished for the protection of the lives
of non-combatants at sea. could not in
the nature of the case be observed by
such vessels.
It based its protest on the ground
that persons Of neutral nationality and
exposed to extreme and intolerable
risks, and that no right to close any
part Of the high seas against their use u.s.;
lawfully be asserted by any belliger-
ent government.
upon which the government Of the
United States based its protest; Is not
convention. It is based. on the con-
trary, upon manifest and imperative
principles of humanity and has long
been established with the approval and
by the express assent of all civilized
nations.
Germany DisreEnrds All Protests.
Notwithstanding the earnest protest
OF our government, the imperial Ger
carry out the policy 1t had announced.
1t expressed the hope that the dangers
involved, at any rate the dangers to
minimum by the Instructions which It
had issued to its submarine command
ers,and assured the goyernment OF the
cry possible precaution both to respect
the rights of neutrals. and to SAFE
guard the lives Of IN the
year which has since elapsed; has
shown that those hopes were not 5usti.
fled. those assurances insusceptible Of
In pursuance of the policy of sub
marine warfare against the commerce
government in spite of the solemn pro-
test of this government. the command
ers of German undersea vessels have
attacked merchant ships with greater
and greater activity, not only upon
ths high seas E, Great @ tbsy
could encounter them. in a way that
has grown more and more ruthless.
more and more indiscriminate as. as IN, the
servant of restraints of any kind; and
have delivered their attacks without
nationality and bound upon every sort
of errand-
Neatrai-Owned Vessels Destroyed.
Vessels of neutral ownership, even
vessels of neutral ownership pound
from neutral port to neahi vita Pess.is per aos os
beiligerent ownership in constantly-in-
creasing numbers.
has been warned and summoned to
surrender before being fired on or tor
pedoed: sometimes passengers or crews
ity of being allowed to take to the
ships boats before she was sent TO
the bottom.
been given; no escape even to the
ships boats allowed to those on board.
What this government gnns fTresaw TressGv must nst
followed tragedy on the seas in such
fashion, with such attendant circum-
stances. as to make it grossly evident
that warfare of such n sort, II war
fare Il be. cannot be carried on with
out the most palpable violation Of the
dictates alike of right and humanity.
Whatever the disposition and inten-
tion of the imperial German govern
ment, It has manifestly proved impos.
sible for It to keep such methods Of
attack upon the commerce of its enc
mics within tho bounds set by either
tho reason or the heart of mankind,
In February of the present year. tho
imperial German government informed
this government and the other neu.
trai governments % 81 the t w9rid fbs shat rov. !.
ernment of Great Britain had armed
all merchant vessels of British owner
ship. and had given them secret Or or.
enemy they might encounter upon the
seas, and that the imperial German
cumstances in treating all merchant
men of belligerent ownership as aux.
i,iary vessels of war, which 1t would
have the right to destroy without
warning.
Germany Sets Aside Inv of Nations.
The law of nations has long recog-
nized the right of merchantmen to
them to repel attacks. to use them in
such circumstances Mt their own risk:
but the imperial German government
standings aside under circumstances
which II deemed extraordinary.
Even the terms in which l,;f, ,nn. il an.
to relax the restraints 1t had previ
oLsiy professed IT'S willingness and de
sire to put upon the operations of its
Submarines carried the plain implica-
tion that at least vessels which were
not armed would be exempt from de-
nersonal safety would be accorded
their passengers and crews; but even
that limitation, IL 1t was ever practl-
cable TO observe It, has in fact consti-
tuted no check at all upon the de-
struction OF ships of every sort.
Again and again the imperial Ger
man government has given this gov
oies Will Case Again at Issue.