Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1916-04-20


ship and had given them secret orders
to attack any submarine of the enemy
they might encounter upon the seas
and that the imperial German gov
ernmeat felt justified in the circum-
stances in treating all merchantmen of
! belligerent ownership as auxiliary YES
sells of war which it would have the
right TO destroy without warning
| Arms for Protection
THE law Of nations has long rec
osnized The right Of merchantmen to
carry arms for protection and to use
them 70 repel attack, though to use
J them in such circumstances at their
own risk; but the imperial German
government claimed the right to set
these understandings aside .under cir
cumstances which it deemed extraor-
binary. Even the terms in which it
announced its purpose thus still fur
Their to relax the restraints il had
previously professed its willingness
AMI desire TO put upon the opera
lions of its subma rines, carried the
| plain implication that at least vessels
which were not armed would still be
exempt from destruction without
warning and that personal safety
would be accorded their passengers
and crews hut even that limitation,
if II was ever practicable to observe
ii, 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 its solemn assurances that
at least passenger ships would not be
thus dealt with, and yet 1t has again
and again permitted its undersea
commanders to disregard those assur-
ances with entire impunity. Great
liners like the Lusitania and the
Arahic and mere ferryboats like the
Sussex have been attacked without
Q moments warning, sometimes be
fore they had even become aware
that they were in the presence of an
larpled 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 cannot hut
regard IS wanton and without the
slightest color Of Justification. No
limit of any kind has in fact, been
set 10 the indescriminate pursuit and
destruction Of merchantmen of all
kinds, and nationalities, within the
waters constantly extending the area
where these operations have been
carried on: and the roll of Americans
who have lost their lives on the ships
thus attacked and destroyed mas
grown month by month until the
ome nous toll has mounted INTO the
hundreds
Destruction of Sussex
"One o: the latest and most shock
ing instances of this method of war
fare was that of the destruction OF
the French cross-ehannel steamer
SUSSEX. II must stand forth as the
sinking of the steamer Lusitania did
as so singularly tr1gical and unjus-
tifiable as to constitute a truly ter
rible example of the inhumanity OF
submarine warfare as the command
ers o. German vessels have for tbs
mast twelve months been conduct
ing IT,
If dis Incident stood alone some
explana ton. some disavowal by thu
Cermln government, some evidenc,
of criminal mistake or wiiful dis
, obedience on tie part of the comnan'
, der of the vessel that fired the tor
pedO might be sought or entertained
!, bur unhappily il does not stsnt
alone. Recent events make the con
clusior inevitable that it is only on
/. instance, even though 1t be one Of tn
most extreme and distressing in
! stances. of the spirit and method o
. warfare which the imperial German
government has mistakenly a1Opte
ana which from the first expose
that government To the rerroach o
lall neutrals in pursuit of its immed
I late objects.
. "Tha government OF the Unite
2 States has been very patient. At ev
! ery stage % this distressing exper
Z .ence of tragedy after tragedy i
which its own citizens were in
volved, ii has sough, to be re
strained from any extreme course 9
Is action or of protest by a thorghtfl
: consideration OF the extraordinar
Z circumstances of this unprecedente
8 war, and actuated in all that ii sal
e or die by the sentiments of genuin
friendship which the people of tn
United States always have enter
Z tained and continue to entertain to
u ward the German nation.
u But One Interpretation
e ut has. of course. accepted The eS
plantations and assurances of the in
"A perial German government as give
70 in entire sincerity and good faith an
y has hoped. even against hope, tn;
Is it would prove to be possible for II
y German government so to order ar
IS control the acts OF it's naval con
a manders as to square its policy wit
the principles OF humanity as en-
y bodied in the law of nations. II h;
:, been willingsto wait until the signi
IS icance Of the facts became absolute
= unniistakable and susceptible of b.
~ one Interpretation.
. That point has now unhappi
D. been reached. The facts are suscel
: tible of but one interpretation; Il
= Imperial German government has n
~ been able to put any limits upon
- warfare against either freight or. pa
~ senCer ships. 1t has. therefore, b
=, come nalnfullu evident that the pos
=. ton which this government took
-, the very outset is inevitable, namel
- that the use of submarines for q
!, destruction Of enemy's commerce is
~ necessity. because OF the very cha