The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-22
BOWIE DISSENTS
 FROM EDITORIAL

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 I must emphatically dissent from your editorial of yesterday in which you com ment on President Wilson's address to Congress. It is seldom I have reason to disagree with the editorial opinions of The Age Herald but I think, in this in- stance, you are wrong. both in your prem ises and in your conclusion.
 Among civilized nations, an effort has always been made to confine a war to the armed forces of the opposing coun- tries. Although, in fact, all suffer, war, as such, is not waged upon noncom- batants, whether men, women, or chil- dren. This is universal dictate of hu- nanity, is a part of the accepted law of nations, and, in theory is subscribed to by every civilized nation in the world
 Out of this universal principle has grown the rules of internal tionaI law upon the high seas in war. Nothing is better established or has been more consistent ly recognized by all nations, Germany included Cup to the present war), than that warship cannot sink a merchant ship unless the latter resists, and op-
 
 ference whether the merchant ship con- tains contraband of war or not. The right to sink a merchant vessel which is not resisting nor attempting to escape. does not exist, even though it's entire cargo is composed of munitions of war. There is one other exception to this rule, and only one, and that is in case of ne- nIa,, cl; k .1- by warship, only when and after the passengers have been moved and put in place of absolute safety. The purpose of this rule is to confine war to armed forces and to prohibit armed forces from making war upon the civil forces. It is a rule established and enforced in the name of and in the interest of hu- manity. For an armed soldier to fight an unarmed citizen, whether male or fe- male, or for an armed battleship to fight an unarmed merchant ship, is con- trary to the rules of the game, is con trary to every instinct of humanity, is contrary to all rules of international law and to the customs of all civilized na- tions. Germany has not once but a thousand times since this war began) violated every one of these principles It is the only nation pretending to be civ ilized. that has openly and avowedly justified such course.
 The interest of the United States, in this proposition, grows out of the simple fact that the high seas are a part of the common property of all nations. Aft CT you get away from the three mile limit. every square inch of water sur- n fn o11 ho American citizens have the right to travel upon the high seas, in pursuit of their business; and it is untf1inkable that, in a nation of 100,000,000 people, there would ever be time when many of them were not called upon in the regular course of their business, to take trips upon the sea. When they go upon the sea in the pursuit of their lawful busi- ness, they have a right to ride upon any merchant vessel on the sea. There are not enough American ships sailing the ocean to provide for the travel of Amer ican citizens. If there were this gov ernment has no right to say to an Ameri- can citizen having business that he can not travel upon any passenger ship or other merchant vessel that may be going his way. So long as the Germans un- lawfully destroyed or endangered the lives of French or English civilians, this government would have no right to com plain, even though it might be mortified by the act. But when they in violation of every rule of international law and of humanity, in violation of the solemn engagements of all civilized nations, which they have heretofore admitted, de- stroy or endanger the lives of Ameri- can citizens in the lawful pursuit of their own affairs, then this government is un- der the duty, either of protecting those American citizens, or of resigning it's pretense as government, and confess itself unwilling or unable to discharge its primary functions
 President Wilson has asked no more than that Germany shall conduct the use of submarines in accordance with the accepted principles of law and the dc- ! tates of humanity, and if it does refuse this, and, in it's refusal destroys or en- dangers the lives of American citizens, 1 it does so under the penalty of our em- phatic protest and disapproval. Whether ] this means war or not will. of course, l depend not upon the President. but upon Congress. Let us hope there will be no | war But certainly up to this time. no ! just criticism can be laid at MT. Will | sons door. unless it be that he has de- 1 layed his notice to Germany longer than l he was justified m doing. Yours truly, 1 SYDNEY J. BOWIE, l Birmingham, April 21, 1916