Evening journal., 1916-02-09
A DishonorabIe Proposal
(From the Now York Tribuncl

No American should permit the fog of
diplomatic phrase that has been allowed
to gather about the Lusitania ncgotia-
tions to disguise or cover the essentially
shameful character Of the German pro-
posal now in the hands Of our own gov
ernment.
A deliberate effort has been made inl
administration circles to give the inn
preston that the remaining difficulties
are solely OF a verbal character and that
the question of words is not one of vital
import. Certainly no American desires
TO 20 to war or to run the risk OF war
merely because of a difference which is
purely one OF words. But this is not
in the least the situation.
What the German proposal, suppos-
ing it has been correctly reported, actu-
ally means is that Germany shall escape
the fulillment of two of the three de-
mands made by the United States Gov
ernment after the Lustania massacre
and that there shall be no vindication
of international law as a sequel TO Ger
many's crime.
The facts are perfectly simple to un-
derstand once the unessential details are
removed. A year ago the Germans pro-
claimed submarine program which had
NO standing in international law and
was justified solely on the ground that
il was a rcprisal called forth by other
Illegal acts of the British. To this the
United States responded with warn
ing that IL could not recognize this pro-
gram so far as il invaded American
rights, and would hold Germany TO strict
accountability should Americans suffer
injury as result of the illegal cam
paign.
Last May more than a hundred Amcri-
cans were murdered by the Germans,
pursuant 10 their submarine policy. The
crime was without justification and a
deliberate defiance of tho American
warning Of the previous February.
Thcrcupon the United States made upon
Germany three demands. two essential,
ono incidental We asked that Germany
abandon the policy of submarine assas-
sination We asked that she specifically
disavow the Tusitania crime and we
asked that she pay the usual indemni.
ties due because of her injury to Ameri-
can citizens.
For many months Germany ignored
all our demands. Finally. when British
sea power had made submarine warfare
in northern waters Improbable. she
agreed. not as matter Of right, but as
q matter of favor. 10 refrain from illegal
submarine operations. She did not make
this concession until she had murdered
moro Americans in other submarine at
tacks. aud she did not and has not con-
scented 10 recognize international law.
As to the second American demand
she now profIcrs this solution. She will
not disavow the Lusitana crime She
will not acknowledge the violation Of
law incident To sinking a passenger
steamer without warning. But She will
regret the loss of American lives and
declare that there was no intent on
hcr part TO kill citizens of the United
States.
What does this mean? lust this: a
gunman shooting into house Of an
enemy and killing the tenant, not the
owner. whose life he sought, would
naturally regret the accident and Will
inolv acknowledge that he had not i'm
tended to slav the tenant. But wouli
this in any way justify the crime
Under municipal as contrasted with in
! ternaiional law. would the murderer es
cape punishmentg Of course not
whether the owner or the tenant wal
his victim.
Nov. the whole purpose Of American
Diplomacy. so far as IL could have 8
purpose. the purpose asserted by Mr.
Wilson when he told the British Gov
emmcnt in his last note TO it that tn,
United States willingly assumed tho
task Of defending the rights of neutral.
and humanity, was TO establish the right