The Idaho Springs siftings-news. (Idaho Springs, Colo.) 1905-19??, 1916-04-21

eminent its solemn assurances that at
leaSt passenger ships would not be thus
deait with, and yet it has again and
agar permitted its undersea command
ers To disregard those assurances with
entire impunity.
Refers to the Lu.itanIa Outrage.
Great liners like the Lusitania and
the Arabic, and mere ferry boats like
the Sussex, have been attacked with
out moments warning, sometimes
pelore they had even become aware
thai they We're in the presence of
armed vessel of the enemy. and the
hVes of -combatants, passengers
and crew have been sacrificed whole.
sale in manner which the govern
ment 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 indiscriminate pursuit
and destruction of merchantmen of all
KINDS and nationalities within the wa
tiers. constantly extending in area.
where these operations have been car
RED on; and the roll OF Americans
who have lost their lives on ships thus
attacked and destroyed has grown.
month by month, until the ominous
TOLL has mounted into the hundreds.
SUSSEX Case Rivals Lu.Itnnin.
one of the latest and most shocking
instances of this method of warfare
was that of the destruction of the
French cross-channel steamer Sussex
II must stand forth as the sinking of
ularly tragical and unjustifiable as to
constitute a truly terrible example OF
the inhumanity of submarine warfare
az the commanders of German vessels
have for the last twelve months been
| conducting 1t.
| If this incident stood alone some ex-
PLANTATION, some disavowal by the Ger
| man government some evidence OF
criminal mistake or wilful disobedience
on the part of the commander of the
vessel that fired the torpedo might be
! or q ri a q nj
IL does not stand alone.
Recent events make the conclusion
| inevitable that it is only one instance,
even though it be one of the most
IRENE and distressing instances, of the
| spirit and method of warfare which
the imperial German government has
the first exposed that government to
the reproach of thrusting all neutral
rights aside in pursuit of Its immedi-
| ate object.
| United States Has Hoped in Vain.
The government of the United States
| has been very patient. At every stage
| of this distressing experience of trag
| edy after tragedy in which its own
citizens were involved. it has sought
| tc be restrained from any extreme
course of action or of protest by
| thoughtful consideration of the extra
| ordinary circumstances of this unpre-
| l. said or did by the sentiments of
genuine friendship which the people of
the United States always have enter
tanned and continue to entertain
toward the German nation.
! 1t has of course, accepted the sue
/ cessive explanations and assurances of
the imperial German government as
faith, and has hoped, even against
hope. that it would prove to be pos
sible for the German government so
to order and control the acts of its
naval commanders as to square its
policy with the principles of humanity
as embodied in the law of nations.
| 1t has been willing to wait until
| the Significance of the facts became
absolutely unmistakable and suscept
ible of but one Interpretation. That
| point has now unhappily been reached.
| The facts are susceptible of but one
| Interpretation
The imperial German government
OF restraints upon its warfare against
either freight or passenger ships.
Demands U-Boat Raids End.
1t has, therefore, become painfully
evident that the position which this
| Inevitable; namely, that the of
submarines for the destruction of any
ehemys commerce is of necessity,
because of the very character of the
vessels employed. and the very meth
DDS of attack which their employment,
of course, involves, incompatible with
the principles of humanity, the long
established and incontrovertible rights
of neutrals, and the sacred immunities
OF non -combatants
l have deemed it my duty, there
man government that If it is still
its purpose to prosecute relentless
and indiscriminate warfare against
vessels of commerce by the use
of submarines. Notwithstanding the
in.possibility of conducting that war
fare In accordance with what the gov
consider the sacred and indisputable
rules of International law and the uni
vsrsally recognized dictates of human
states il at last forced to the conclu-
sion that there is but one course that
II can pursue. and that unless the i'm
Immediately declare and effect an
aba ndonment of its present methods Of
warfare against passenger and freight
carrying vessels. this government can
have no choice but to sever diplomat
ic relations with the government of the
German empire altogether.
This decision l have arrived at with
the action contemplated, l am sure,
all thoughtful Americans will look
forward to with unaffected reluctance:
but we cannot forget that we are in
some sort and by the force of circum
stances the responsible spokesman of
the rights of humanity. and that we
cannot remain silent while those
rights seem in process of being swept
utterly away in the m@lstrom of this
terrible war.
we o~c ~ " u OuO AS5aiu Iva cu'
own rights as a nation, to our sense
Of duty as a representative of the
rights of neutrals the world over, and
to a just conception of the rights of
mankind, to take this stand now, with
the utmost solemnity and firmness.
/ have taken it, and taken it In the
confidence that it will meet with your
approval and support. All obedient
men must unite in hoping that the i'm
perial German government, which has
in their circumstances stood as the
tending for in the interest of human
ity. may recognize the justice of our