Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-02-06
Germany Refuses to Admit
That Sinking of Lusi-
tauia Was "Illcgal."
UNITED STATES NOT
TO CONCEDE POINT
Berlin Editorial Comment
Says Break in Relations
viii Not Hurt.

w N9'lIN'IoN' IeD' Inc one
w word Illegal, as differently
interpreted in the United States and
Germany, protrudos from the tenta-
tive draft of the Lusitania agreement,
perfected by Ambassador Won Bern
Storff and Secretary Lansing as the
stumbling block which has caused
Berlin to refer 10 the negotiations
as having reached a crisis and Wash
ingtou to characterize the situation as
grave.
"Germany's answer, presented to
Secretary Lansing today by Count Won
B~erustOrff, proposes instead Of an
o~ut-aEd-Out admission of i|llegality Of
the method of submarine warfare used
by the German naval authorities in
sinking the liner, an acceptance Of
liability for the loss of neutral lives,
which Berlin hopes will satisfy the
United States and still not bind Ger
many from continuing the submarine
campaign,
German officials believe that their
previous promise to discontinue sink
Ing uurcsisting merchantmen without
warning brings the submarine cam
paign within the pale of international
law and that any inclusion of that
phrase in the Lusitania agreement is
unnecessary and humiliating to the
imperial government.
"Dcmands We Can't Accept"
The word illegal" in the draft the
German ambassador transmitted to
government as meeting all the Conten-
tious of the United States is taken to
have been regarded in Berlin as be-
ing susceptible of application not to
the Lusitania case alone, but to the
entire submarine campaign.
This is the only explanation which
officers here can find Of the state
mcut of Doctor Zimmerman. under
secretary of foreign affairs that the
United States suddenly made new de-
mands which it is impossible for us
to accept"
Secretary Lansing declared today
that the position of the United States
was unchanged and the German am
hassador knew Of no demands which
were not embodied in the proposal
nc sent to Berlin.
1t is known that the only change
the Berlin foreign office has made in
the agreement drawn by the secretary
and the ambassador is to substitute
for the word illegal a phrase which,
while assuming liability for the lives
Of uCutTaIs lost on the Lusitania, does
not admit of construction into prohi-
hilton of submarine warfare. The dis
patch the ambassador received today
n presented to the secretary was
very brief and covered only that ono
point. Otherwise the document is
unchanged. as it was drawn to meet
81, inc contentious ol the OH''eu
Sl'IeS'
SITUATION 'h1llnh%tu;
tItoi 'h' aIlpaSSauoI ) NISII 20 lno
Hl'lo "CPaIl,lc"t lou"S cVoLS
Lansing declared Ihe 'uaIloh Is uH-
mango
lhal may ne "utnotilatNeIy slaltu
10 represent the SITUATION accurately,
~ uau De'"'"t no more SI"Ne %Hu
NY 'h'i iall H. mas become no IISs
-i"Ne. l's status mas mo- IlaloIialy
'I"uE'u 1Iu II may IJIL'IH So iuut
=, i've "oSS G' ie'.9. "Iilc ll9'''t'
wilson ana NeClela!S HGiSI"B Coh-
S'u'r NeIiidiy 5 "l3"' tuL'y, III "
.ht ',a'mSt ! my D' $500 "u'',Tr'
'3,iNcIS '"il ~ uoea "oI Io..oW 'Hou
el'"er " SATISFACTORY %ujus.i'eHI y.
an oPe" pteah n'"SI d"troM az Iirc
tIu ol till 'il"e' Inc H'so'''''Ol'
hSE tonllI",' ~
w hetieI GERMANY ; pIVuseS ElIIn
uI'rI 'uc ~"l'NIAS Vi ne H'%D.O
CouPleG WIN an assumption ~ IA.
p'I'IH IoI lIle HNeS Oh Heu,ialS US
on the LuN'.ahla VIII saI1sIy lIe
'u'lcu NI'tGS' IylLalIs l"I tnc ~
VI".'II,H w. Nv ~ ~" ""S',
uCul NIl'"h pIopaply Is the ohIy ma"
WHO Knows.
Iu' american goNetnilemI IN Il re-
CCul COMMUNICATION 10 an ne pGl-
HEvLenls openly ~IeCQgniHIu lnc SUP
MARINE as Il laCluI winch mas ptou5n'
%uuui d grSl II Chanse IN naval WaI.
t"It an" Whl'Ii ueH'""us icCoS"'ioH
III l~l'eIHnIlohi IIW,
n,'"GH ""nt o,.ib,o
Ie7!uGHl Ni.son - ne insr,aS'D,S
cisoub hero mist no considered and
that diplomatic negotiations have re-
gard for that important factor. At
the same time officials dislike the
intimatiOns from Berlin that the
points for which the American gov
eminent is Contending are purely
technical and hair-splitting and UNI
necessary Of prosecution in view Of
Gcrmany's concession of pecuniary
liability for The loss of American lives
and her promise of future abstention
from inhuman methods of submarine
warfare.
That is The reason given for the in
s]istence of the state department upon
its original confident expectation