New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-13

You can purchase merchandise adverti'
Old Laws and New Weapons.

rights on the sea were threatened by
Great Britain's methods Of suppressing
the slave trade we thought it proper, in
The words Of The then President, 10 make
it clear in "a language neither Of equivo-
cal import nor susceptible Of misconstruc-
ton" that the United States would not
tolerate "interpolations in the maritime
code at the mere will and pleasure of other
governments" and must deny the right
Of any such interpolation to any one or all
the nations Of the earth without our con-
sent"
In dealing with tho question Of armed
merchant ships the German apologists
appear to think 1t singular that we should
withhold our consent to such occasional re-
visions of sea law and custom as happen
TO be of service TO the Central Powers,
and have persuaded some putative neu-
trails to accept necessity as an all-sufficient
reason for consenting 10 any changes in
the law Of nations that seem for the
moment cxpedient Thus "The Chicago
Tribune" very frankly approves Of the dis
armament Of traders on the ground that it
will simplify the task of destroying them.
"Such destruction" it argues with exem-
plary candor, els Of great Importance to
the Central Powers in their conduct of the
war" for seeing that Britain, by retaining
command Of the sea. Is able TO lay IN all
sorts Of necessary supplies, "the Interrupt
ton of this service is Of great, if not vital,
II does not seem TO occur to "The Chi
cago Tribune" that the continuance Of this
service is Of equally vital Importance TO
the foes Of the Central Powers and that
they cannot clearly understand why, in this
war. they should be obliged 10 surrender
an immemorial right. With singular
sagacity and insight 1.-THE Chicago Trib-
une" apprehends that "the object of arm
ing the Allies merchant craft is TO protect
them from capture or destruction by Ger
man or Austrian submarines" This is IN
oucstionably true, nor has It ever seriously
been pretended that the guns were mount
cd only as decorations. To-day, as in
the past. they are designed for no less
sinister a purpose than 10 protect traders
from capture or destruction, and the only
real quarrel the Germans have with them
is that they have sometimes served this
purpose very well.
The argument Of "The Chicago Trib-
une" Is that as the modern armed mer-
chant ship carries guns "to use against
enemy warships," the armed merchant snip
"is therefore an armed ship" The conclu-
sion Is so inevitable that the most ingeni-
GUS opponent will find 1t difficult to contro-
vert. The most he can do is to point out
that in this respect the armed merchant
man of the present day differs In no way
from the armed merchantmen Of the past.
The submarine, indeed differs in many re-
spects from the commerce destroyers Of
other days, but II Is little difficult TO
understand why the trader should be asked
20 make allowances or this account and
weaken himself for the benefit Of the
enemy.
The submarine has manifest advan-
tages or it would not be used. Germany
is at perfect liberty to employ other ves-
sells in attacking the commerce Of the
enemy, and if she chooses to use sub
marines it must be because they possess
peculiar merits which other vessels lack.
If certain disadvantages are associated
with these merits it is nevertheless hard
on the enemy to ask him to make up for
them by surrendering his long-established
right of self-defence.
Nowadays a trader has better reason
for defending himself than ever before.
There was time when, in the ordinary
course, a captured merchant ship was
taken into port but now she faces certain
destruction when captured by German.
The case of the Appam Is exceptional, and
IL must be remembered that the Appam
was taken not by submarine but by a
more powerful type Of vessel, the very
existence Of which alone disposes Of the
German argument against arIning mer-
chantmen. II may be added that the
notion that traders IN the old days were
armed only against privateers and pirates
Is absurd, for there were many cases IN
which furious resistance was offered to
ships Of war, TO say nothing Of such ex-
traordinary incidents as the capture OF
Begun frigate by the Indiaman Exeter In
1900.
The Germans have made much OF the
submarine. They have celebrated it as
new weapon possessing extraordinary
advantages, and at one time they predicted
that 1t would prove irresistible. Now that
they have found that resistance is some
times possible they ask nothing less than
that VIC should consent TO such revision
of international law as will enable them
TO make good their prediction. Revision
Of some sort is, indeed. as "The Chicago
Tribune insists, "of great, if not vital,
importance 20 the Central Powers"