The Washington times., 1916-02-12
oRRAT ISSUE UP TO AMERICA

Inc OTuetb oI inc Och eN
rally that armed merchant ships
shall be sunk without warning after
March 1, puts squarely up to Amer
lea, as the most important neutral
power, the necessity to decide, once
for all, on which side II will array
itself. Not on which side as be-
tween the belligerent factions, but on
which side Of the great question OF
real freedom Of the seas.
Never before in modern time,
never since the doctrine was estab-
lished that the high seas, three miles
from land belong to the world Ia
common, has the question Of free
dom Of the seas been 50 sharply
drawn in question as right now. Ger
many proposes that the high seas
shall be regarded. as the domain OF
the belligerents; Of whatever belhg-
erent can take possession Of them
and, by the employment Of the sub
marine. make them useless for any
purpose Of peace.
It has immemorially been the
privilege of merchant ships to carry
such arms as they needed to protect
themselves against attack. That
goes back to the days Of the older
and more respectable piracy Of what
we once were wont to call the dark
ages" Warfare then, especially at
sea, was largely an affair Of simple
marauding, Of indiscriminata de-
struction and murder; in fact, 1t was
the same sort Of thing that 1t has
once more been made under the
leadership of Won Tirpitz, except
that nowadays it possesses vastly
more efficient weapons with which to
spread its tefrors on and under the
seas. -.
That Germany should now issue
orders that merchantmen carrying
arms are to be destroyed instanter is
not especially surprising. That
was quite to be expected, considering
tho attitude of Germany toward the
rights Of the seas. But that Ger
many should distort the attitude Of
the United States into justification
for such a decree, is humiliating be-
yond measure.
II the Washington Government
has been misled into taking posi-
tion that justifes this one Of Berlin,
then Washington has indulged an
egregious mistake. If Washington Is
/ being played with, II it is being
made q spectacle and n derision be-
fore the world, then it is time for
Washington to protest with more
vigor than mere diplomatic notes
can convey.
It is a crisis Of such proportions
as may not yet be fully realized
even by responsible public men.
The whole future Of world-rights on
the great world-highways 10 in
volved. Shall the oceans be closed
against peaceful commerce, sha'l
nations pursuing the ways Of peace
be barred from the use Of the great
waters, shall the whole world ot
business, Of exchange, Of trade ant
traffic, be blockaded--for that ID
what the German order amounts Il
lin order that belhgerents may
develop barbarism to its last ex
tremef
This 10 the question that tho
United States has to answer, in be-
half of the, whole sane and sobel
and peaceful population Of thu
world. II must be answered, not fol
today and tomorrow and the periot
of this war, but for all time. Grea
Britain and her allies announce
that they will not assent to tn,
Berlin rule; and if Berlin is able +,
quote the American Government n
sustaining such a view, II amount
to lining up this country on tn
side of complete surrender Of tn
worlds seas to the warning force
, that at any time may assume b
! run amuck on them. 1t is a rever
sion to a worse piracy than eve
existed before, because It's effect
are so much more serious. Tn
, seas are more important to tn
, economic life of the world than eve
; before. They ought to be held NOR
, and more exempt from interference
by warning powers Instead, tn
Berlin decree, pretending to hav
. the support of the Washington Gov
! ernment, and presuming-God saw
the mark!-to be issued in the iT
!. terest of freedom Of the seas,
would attempt an asphyxiation Q
the international trade Of the whol
world. II is not believablc that th
: United States will ultimately asseT
10 such a doctrine.
o. We are told that II We will onl