New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-06
AMERICAN RIGHTS ON THE HIGH SEAS
Mr. Wilson Has Failed Maintain Them and in 30 LONG ''
Violated His Oath to Execute the Laws OF the
United States

il willing TO receive him or his goods
and while upon the high seas IN Tor
eign vessel his rights and liberties are
determined by that international ID"
which is part of the law OF the
United States, which il is the duty OF
the President TO execute faithfully. IL
he is upon the seas in a time OF war,
upon a merchant vessel, whether IL De
that of a neutral or Of belligerent
power, he may not be lawfully killed
or wounded or his life be placed IN
jeopardy by any vessel Of any other
belligerent power, unless upon sum-
mons TO surrender the vessel upon
which he is either seeks TO escape or
by force resists an attempt 70 capture
Nor are his goods upon the vessel sub
icct to destruction by the vessel OF
beligerent power, except under like
conditions.
ANY nation at war which, contrary
to those rules Of law, kills an American
citizen or a non-combatant citizen OF
any other nation, whether neutral or
beligerent. kills without lawful su-
thority, and is guilty OF murder
During the course OF this war, IN
many scores of instances vessels nave
been destroyed and members Of their
crews or passengers have been killed
or wounded. or their lives have been
placed in jeopardy, in fiat violation OF
law. In many of those cases the Pres
ident Of the United States has MADE
diligent inquiry to ascertain, hrst,
whether there were any American citl-
zens upon the vessel, and, second,
whether any of them had been killed.
II is quite immaterial to the existence
of the offence against the law, and so
against the United States, whether IN
any instance there was or was not an
American citizen upon the vesseN ANY
citizen had right to be upon the yes
sci, and whether there was or was not
one, or whether he was or was not
killed, was a mere matter OF chance or
accident. In any case the destruction
of the vessel was in violation OF law
and of the liberty Of American citizens.
A course Of action Of that kind by any
nation is an offence against the liberty
of American citizens to take their per-
sons and their goods wherever they
will, subject only to the rules OF law.
A warning nation has no license to be-
come a pirate.
If it be true that at the time OF the
sinking Of the British steamship
Stephano, a passenger vessel carrying
passengers from Canada to the Port OF
New York. and OF the sinking of the
Dutch merchant vessel carrying wheat
from the United States TO Holland,
American war vessels were present,
their commander missed a great oppor-
tunity. Had he forbidden what was
done, and, if necessary, prevented 1t by
force, he would have done an act
analogous to that of Captain lngraham
in the case Of Martin Koszta, and, like
lngraham, would have received great
honor from his country. In doing that
he would have done but his plain duty,
unless at the time he acted under the
express orders of his superior officers.
Ingraham was not subject to wireless
orders. Probably the American COM
mander off Nantucket was. We may
hope that at some distant day we shall
know just what orders that commander
he'd, how he got them, and from whom.
New York, Oct. rs, 1916. F. l.. N.