The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-04-20

trail ownership would be exposed to ex
IRENE and intolerable risks, and that nc
right to close any part OF the high seas
against their use or 10 expose them tC
such risks could lawfully be asserted by
any belligerent government
THE law of nations in these matters
upon which the government OF the United
States based its protest, is not of recent
origin or founded upon merely arbitrary
| principles set up by convention II is
based, on the contrary. upon manifest
and imperative principles of humanity
and has long been established with the
approval and by the express assent of all
! civilized nations.
Notwithstanding the earnest protest
OF our government, the imperial German
government at once proceeded to carry
out the policy it had announced 1t ex-
pressed the hope that the dangers in.
volved, at any rate the dangers to neu-
trail vessels, would be reduced to a mini
mum by the instructions which it had
issued to its submarine commanders, and
assured the government of the United
States that it would take every possible
precaution both to respect the rights of
neutrals and to safeguard the lives of
non-combatants.
What has actually happened in the
year which has since elapsed has shown
that those hopes were not justified those
assurances insusceptibe of being full
filed.
In pursuance of the policy of sub.
marine warfare against the commerce of
its adyersaries thus announced and en-
tered upon by the imperial government
IN spite Of the solemn protest of this
government, the commanders of German
undersea vessels have attacked merchant
ships with greater and greater activity, |
not only upon the high seas surrounding |
Great Britain and Ireland, but wherever
they could encounter them, in a way that |
has grown more and more ruthless, more /
and more indiseriminate as the months I
have gone by; less and less observant Of /
restraint of any kind and have delivered 4
their attacks without conjunction /
against vessels OF every nationality and
bound upon every sort of errand.
Vessels of neutral ownership, even
vessels OF neutral ownership bound from
neutral port to neutral port, have been
destroyed along with vessels OF bellger-
emit ownership in constantly increasing
Sometimes the merchantmen at
lacked has been warned and summoned
10 surrender before being fred on or tor
)edoed; sometimes passengers or crews 4
nave been vouchsafed the poor security /,
If being allowed to take to the ships
boats before she was sent to the bottom.
But again and again no warning has
'een given, no escape even to the ships /
loats allowed to those on board, What !
his government foresaw must have hap /
lened.
Tragedy has followed tragedy on the
cas- in such fashion, with such attend /
mt circumstances, as to make ii grossly I
vident that warfare of such a sort If /
warfare it be. cannot be carried on with (
ut the most palpable violation of the I
ictates alike of right and humanity, O
Whatever the disposition of the i'm n
erial German government, it has mani.
estly proved impossible for it to keep e
nch methods of attack upon the com 4
lerce of its enemies within the bounds d
IT by either the reason or the heart of n
lanllind G
In February of the present year the A
nperial German government informed n
MS government and the other neutral o
Dvernments of the world that it had u
JASON to believe that the government of
reat Britain had armed all merchant HI
,ssels of British ownership and had Civ ii
] them secret orders to attack any sub Al
arine of the enemy they might encoun- w
r upon the seas, and that the imperial ST
erman government felt justified in the Ii
rcumstances in treating all armed Il
erehantmen of belligereut ownership as a
HILLARY vessels Of war. which IL would n,
I'VE the right to destroy without warn y
G. tn
The law of the nations has long rec w
,nized the right OF merchantmen to IA
Try arms for protection and to use
EN- to repel attack, though to use CO
en-, in such circumstances, at their own tn
*. on
But the imperial German government an
'imed the right to set these under II
lndings aside in circumstances which mi
deemed extraordinary. Even the m
rms in which il announced its purpose so
Us stiI further TO relax the restraints I'm
had previously professed its willing ri,
s. and desire To put upon the opera tn
ms of its submarines carried the plain sol
plication that at least vessels which bu
re not armed would still be exempt
lm destruction without warning and ro,
nc personal safety would be accorded br
cir passengers and crews. But even 90
II limitation, il il was ever practicable m,
observe it. has IN fact constituted no 10
eek at all upon the destruction Of ships ~,
every sort. I'M
Again and again the imperial German oo,
,ernment has given this government ino
solemn assurances that at least pas mo
ger ships would not be thus dealt an,
ID. and yet II has again and again M
.mitted its undersea commanders TO no
regard those assurances with entire WI
1uuity. vol
Great liners like the Lusitania and of
Arabic. and mere fcrryboats like the con
.Sex. have been attacked without a sac
mcnt's warning. sometimes before O.
y had even become aware that they 20
10 iu the presence Of an armed vessel me-
The enemy and the lives of non-com- pro
ants. passengers and crew have been wal
-ihced wholesale in a manner which
government Of the United States
not but regard as wanton and with 0lI
thc slightest color Of Justification. mn