The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-09-24
my four YEARS
IN GERMANY"
fcontinued Prom First Pase.)

tul had occurred. "A walked rap'"'Y
toward the door OF the palace IN "F"c'
lo take tn, carriage which was I" drive
me TO the train one of them walheu
alonE beside ne. saying: Is u AL
right Is it all right:
The unrortunate diplomats who were
To have been received aud who had osen
standing all this time outside the u"''
waiting for an audience MISSED ''icAN
train and their lunch.
At this interview the Emperor looked
very carcworn and seemed nervous
when I next saw him. however. which
vas nor until tho end Of April. l9lo nc
wac In much better condition.
was- so fearful IN reporting the dan
Serous part OF this Interview on account
of the many spies. NOT only in my own
embassy hHt in the State departments
that | sent but very few words In
roundabout way by courier direct 70 tho
President.
The year 1915 opened with this great
question still unsettled. and. IN "te'..
germany gavs notice that after March
1916 the German submarines would
sink all armed merchantmen or the
enemies Of Germany without warning.
II IA not my place here to 20 into the
agitation OF this question in America
nor into tho history Of the votes In
CONGRESS-. which. In fact. upheld the
nollcy OF the President. A proposal as
to armed merchantmen was issued ny
our State Department. and the position
taisen in this was apparently abandoned
ut the time Of the settlement OF the
Sussex case. to which now refer.
SERIES Of U-Boat Attacks on Arner1can
Lives.
IN tho latter half OF March. 1915
number Of boats having Americans on
board were torpedoed without warning
These boats were tho Eagle Point the
Enxllahnan. the Manchester Engineer
and the SUSSEX. Ona American was
killed or drowned on the Enghshnan.
but the issue finally came to head
over tho torpedoinE Of the channel pas
senRer boat Sussex, which carried pas
.enrers between Folkestoue and Dheppe.
France.
The Sussex was torpedoed on March
"a near the coast Of France. Four hun
dred and tldrty-stx persons, OF whom
eeventy-nve were Americans. were on
board The captain and a number OF the
passengers saw the torpedo and an en-
deayor was made to avoid Il. After the
boat was struck the many passengers
took to the boats. Three Americans
were injured and more than forty per-
sons lost their lives. although the boat
was not sunk. but WAS towed to Bou-
loSne.
I was INSTRUCTED to inquire from the
German Government as to whether
German submarine had sunk the Sussex
At nv repeated request. the Foreign or
flee called on the Admiralty for re-
port Of the torptdoing OF the Sussex.
he fanf
German note was delivered to mo. In
the meantime and before the delivery
Of this note. had been assured again
and again that tn. Sussex had not
been torpedoed by 4 German submarine.
In this note Il rough sketch was in
closed. said to have been made by the
officer commanding the submarine. Of
vessel which he admitted he had tor
pedoed. In tho same locality where the
Sussex had been attacked and at about
the same time Of day.
II was said that this boat which was
torpedoed was mine layer Of the re-
Gently built Arabic class and that
great explosion which was observed to
occur IN the torpedoed ship warranted
she certain conclusion that great
amounts Of munitions were oni board.
snd the note concluded: The German
slfltury/ to the Sussex was attributable
70 another cause than attack by Ger
man submarine"
The note contained an offer to sub
nit any difference of opinion rs should
develop 20 be investigated by a mixed
commission in accordance with The
Hague convention or 1907. The English
man and the Eagle Point. it was said.
were attacked by German submarines
only after they had attempted TO escape.
= and an explanation WAS given as to the
= Manchester Engineer. With reference
to the Sussex. III" note continued:
SHOULD the American Government
have at It's disposal other material at
the conclusion Of the case OF the Sus-
sex the German Government would ask
that 1t be communicated in order to
subject this material also to invcstiSa-
.- ton
In the meantime. American naval Of
ficers. etc. had been engaged in collect
ing facts as to the sinking OF the Sus-
sex. This evidence. which seemed over
whelninE. and. in connection with the
= admissions in ths German note. abso-
lutely conclusive. was Incorporated III
. the note sent to Germany In which Ger
= many was notified:
Unless tho Imperial Government
should now Immediately declare and
effect abandonment OF this present
method OF submarine warfare against
passenger and freight carrying vessels
the Government of the United States can
have no choice but TO sever diplomatic
relations with the German empire alto
~ Bether.'
The Issue was now clearly defined.
have already spoken Of the fact that
(N- tLar 10. -
up two parties in Germany-one party
headed by Won Ttrpltz. in favor Of what
the Germans called "rutksichtloser." or
:. ruthless submarine warfare. In which
. al enemy merchant ships were to be
. sunk without warning. and the party
then headed by the Chancellor. which
desired to avoid n conflict with America
on this issue.
Won T1Tpttz, Spartan Creator Of Now
Navy.
AS have explained in another chap
tor, Che military have always claimed to
take hand In shaping the desttnics
. and foreign policies of Germany When
the Germans began to turn their atten-
ton to the creation OF fleet Won
T1rpttx was the man who In n sense be-
came tho leader Of the movement ard.
:. therefore. the creator Of the modern
= navy Of Germany. a sktllful politician
he for years dominated the ReichstaE.
and on the question Of submarine war
fare was most efficiently seconded by
the efforts Of the Navy League an or
EoniZation having perhaps 1000 900
members throughout Germany. Al
though only one Of the three heads Of