The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-06
That's Austria's Reply to o. 8.
on U-BOat Warfare.
Comedies With Germany in
Note to Washington.
DOES NOT RECALL DIPl OMATS
Blame British Rule of Sea for
Present Crisis.
"Must Beat England to Restore
Freedom of Seas"

London, March 6-The American
ambassador at Vienna has been hand
ed the reply of the Austrian govern
ment to the American note inuuiring
the attitude of the Austrian govern
ment in the unrestricted submarine
warfare, according to a Vienna dis
patch to Reuters by way of Amster-
dam.
The reply declares that neutrals are
responsible for losses they suffer by
entering the territory where the sub
marine operations are taking place
The American note which was dis
patched to Vienna on February IS,
asked specifically whether the Aus
TRAN assurances given following the
sinking of the AncOna and the Persia
had been nullified. The reply says:
| That whatever attitude the Washing
ton cabinet may take as to individual
questions raised here, the Austro- Hun
garian government is essentially in
accord with the American government
in regard to the protection of neutrals
I against endangering their lives
The memorandum then maintains
that neutral subjects have to bear
| themselves all losses they suffer by
/
atoms are taking place"
Calls British Blockade Illegal.
After a lengthy discussion of the
British blockade. declared Illegal, the
memorandum continues:
The principle that neutrals should
enjoy in war times the advantages of
the freedom of the seas refers only to
neutral vessel and not to neutral
persons aboard enemy vessels
The reply further contends that he'll
ligerents are entitled to decide for
themselves what measures should be
I taken against an enemy in sea traffic
and concludes:
In such cases neutrals have no 9TH
er legitimate interests and therefore
no other legal claim than that a bel
( ligerent inform them in time of pro-
hlbition directed at an enemy SO that
they can avoid entrusting their lives
and their goods to enemy vessels
Text of Reply.
The text of the reply is quoted as
follows:
From the memorandum of February
! Is, of the American ambassador. the Aus
trian foreign minister has concluded that
/ the Washington cabinet. in view of the
/ statements made on February 10 of last
/ year and on January II of 1917 by the
Austro- Hungarian government is now in
doubt regarding the attitude which Aus
/ tria Hungary will henceforth observe re-
garding the submarine and to
{
Austro- Hungarian government to the
! Washington cabinet in the course of ne
gotiations. the AnGona and Persia PAPERS
toned statement. The Austro Hungarian
government is ready to make a clear and
| definite statement SO that these doubts
may be solved
Discusses Entente Campaign.
The Austro- Hungarian government may
be allowed first Of all to discuss Gus briefly
powers in waging submarine warfare be-
cause they are the starting point for the
! intensified summarizing begun by Austria
Hungary and her allies and also throw Il
bright light upon the attitude which the
Austro- Hungaria government has taken
hitherto in regard to the questions which
when Great Britain Joined the war
against the central powers only a few
years had elapsed since that memorable
| time when she in union with other states,
began to lay the foundation at The Hague
/ for modern naval war law. Soon afterward
! the British government had assembled in
! Holland representatives of the great sea
/ powers in order to consolidate the further
work of The Hague conference especially
in the, sense Of a Just arrangement be
| tween interested belligerents and neutrals.
These efforts aimed at nothing less than
the mutual establishment of principles of
! right which even in war times should EN-
| BODY the principles of freedom of the seas
and the safeguarding of the interests of
neutrals.
fits for long. Hardly had the United
Kingdom decided to participate in the
I
break down the barriers. which the prin-
ciples Of international law had erected
! While the central powers in the very be-
| ginning of the war had declared that they
! would observe the declaration of London
which also bore signature of the repre-
sentative, Great Britain threw overheard
some of it's important provisions. In an
: effort to cut off the central powers from
| supplies from seas, she enlarged, step
| by step, the list of cOntraband until moth
! ing was missing in the list of things which
/ today men want for their subsistence.
| Tighten up Blockade
Then Germany proclaimed what she
called a blockade of the coasts of the
North sea which form also an important
commerce route for Austro- Hun garians in
order to prevent goods which were still
entering Germany and in order to prevent
all traffic by Deutrals to those coasts
as well as all exports thru neutrals. That
! this blockade was in fragrant eontradic-
! ton 6 the customary principles of the
/ right of blockade established by inter
I national agreements was eplicitly de-
States of America in words which will
continue to live in the history of inter
national law.
eu BY .t the ILL, Illegal prevention of exports
aimed at paralyzing the countless factories
| and works which the industrial and highly
developed peoples of central Europe had
I created and by forcing workmen to be
| idle to incite them to rebellion
| when Austria Hungarys sou b e n
! neighbor Joined the enemies of the central
powers: his first act was to declare as
blockaded all coasts of the enemy follow
ing, of course. the example of his allies
in Ignoring tall the legal rights in the
creation of which Italy had taken an active
gary did not neglect to inform neutral
not legal.
4 Compelled To Break Treaties.
han txNn