Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-06

FIRE. and if merchant ships permitted to carry guns
the only chance the submarine commander had to
prevent the contraband the vessel reaching the
enemy stop her by the only means available. the
torpedo, and while justfyng the action OF sinking
passenger ships. if they carrying contraband
il put up to my readers patriotic citizens OF Amer
lea and ask them what they would do if they were
sailors to give their lives In the defense OF their
country and they submarine and saw through
their periscope vessel which they knew carrying
large quantity Of potential destructive energy, its
way to destroy the lives of their brother and sister
citizens of their country and would at the same
time give aid and sustenance to their country enemy?
IIf you were one of those sailors and had only few
moments in your lifetime to act to stop that cargo
what would you do?
In recent discussion on submarines before the
Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers,
said:-
81 do not believe there will ever be another mari
time war after this one. think the submarine will
prove that country can longer claim to be ms
tress of the sea, that the highway that every
nation shall have the privilege to send their ships over
and to transport commerce equal with every
"The submarine is peculiar in the fact that it is
able prevent the carrying OF commerce, II neces-
sary, but it is useless for invading purposes as inc
moment any portion exposed the surface II pc
comes vulnerable 1t is peacemaking weapon for
that reason You can build guns to meet guns aero
and property with various other instruments, and TINS
has always been done from the time when human
beings made their weapons of stones and pounded
each other death but up to the present time the
submarine is the first weapon that has ever been IN
vented that has the peculiar capacity in the
ton of maritime defend coast lines or to at
tack vessels the high seas, but at the same time
cannot be used invade country because the mo-
ment submarine shows Eer coming tower above
the surface she vulnerable. but long the SUBJ
marine remains below the surface she is INVISIBLE and
when we get noiseess machinery, which is the next
cteD neifhe Re
have the ability to discharge torpedo or to plant
mine which will destroy any fabTie which can n be
made to float upon the surface OF the water think
our own experiments in our Navy Department,
if they made public. would prove that assertion
ent decks and of cellular construction many engi-
have tried to do and yet the explosion OF a
similar explosive would blow the fabric up into the
air 1t is absolutely impossible, in my judgment, to
build any fabric that will float on the surface thar
cannot be destroyed by means available to the sub
what does this mean 1t means that all maritime
peoples have got get together and make cqn!ta-
have to et agree and KEEP on AGREEING
Assume that some one nations refuse to
get together Will she send submarine ont and de
stroy the commerce of the others: No; because 1t
will be possible for all the other nations to ostracize
her. It will not pay for her do it N addition to
that she would not be able to send out any OF her
surface ships as the submarines OF the other her
carving on any commerce. That is what is likely to
happen within the next year or 50 IN the case OF our
ring nations make peace I have any inside in
formation or anything Of that kind but that IS the
logical thing to do; therefore hrllHvN It WI come TO
pass believe the fact OF the U-53 coming to New
port simply an object lesson and in 7rt;eef weh
NOT TO become so angry injuries by waraddened
people put rs in position were we .onld ha not
send out any commerce OF our own because nan
dozen vessels of the type could stop our sending
foodstuffs and the necessities of life to tfoe innocent
people on the other side who are suffering for the
aoorandizement of dynasty, in the interest OF
Commercial supremacy, and think II is our duty to
the world to hold ourselves neutral absolutely neutral
50 that when they get the point of starvation over
there believe they are IN many places 81 now We
of all of these nations of the world, including those
now involved in war, until some agreement may be
made whereby they can themselves prevent the star
walton of their women and children
Our President, in one of his notes to Germany.
Ia. said we will hold them to strict accountability.
He ha. not defined what he meant by that term far
as l. am aware The question interesting our peop'e
today is, does it mean we declare war upon them-ki