New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-27
Broken Treaties Void in Effect,
Lansing's Rebuke to Berlin
American Note Criticises Germany for Presumption If
AsL;no After Repeated Violations of Compact
Greater Liberties for Germans in This Country

the United states, which might uhueF
other conditions be different, is due TO
the repeated violations by Germany OF
the treaty of 1923 and the articles OF
The treaties of 1885 and 1899 revised
ny the treaty of 1928.
"Since the sinking of the American
ship William p. Frye for the carriage
Of contraband there have been per
petrated by the German naval forces
similar unwarranted attacks upon ana
destruction of numerous American YES
sells. &C..
ain addition to the sinking of Ameri-
can vessels, foreign merchant vessels
carrying American citizens and Amerl-
can property have been sunk by Ger
man submarines without warning and
without any adequate security for the
safety of the persons on board or com
pensation for the destruction of the
property by such action, notwithstand-
ing the solemn engagements OF Article
Is of the treaty OF 1893.
"Disregarding these obligations, the
German government has proclaimed
certain zones of the high seas in which
it declared without reservation that all
ships, including thoA of neutrsls, will
be sunk, and in those zones German
submarines have in fact, in accordance
with this declaration, ruthlessly sunk
merchant vessels and jeopardized or
destroyed the lives of American citi-
Zens on board.
Americans Held in Germany
Moreover, since the severance of re-
lations between the United States and
Germany certain American citizens in
Germany have been prevented from re-
moving from the country. While this
is not a violation of the terms Of the
treaties mentioned, il is a disregard OF
the reciprocal liberty of intercourse be-
tween the two countries in time OF
peace and cannot be taken otherwise
than as an indication of the purpose on
the part Of the German government to
disregard, in the event of war, the sim
liar liberty Of action provided for in
the treaty of 1893. which it is now
proposed to interpret and supplement
almost wholly in the interests of the
large number of German subjects re-
siding in the United States.
"This treaty provides, In effect, that
merchants of either country residing in
the other shall be allowed stated time
in which TO remain to settle their af-
fairs and to depart freely, carrying off
ali lItii tHttbN nlbnOuI bhOlOoNoNiDh VI
hindrance,' and women and children,
artisans and certain others may con-
tinue their respective employments and
shall not be molested in their persons
or property"
The note says "the government of the
United States cannot perceive any adj
vantage which would flow from further
engagements, even though they were
merely declaratory of international
law, entered into with the imperial
German government in regard to the
meaning of any articles of these
treaties or as supplementary TO them.
In these circumstances, therefore. the
government of the United States de-
clines TO enter into the special protocol
proposed by the imperial government"
at would be manifestly unjust and
inequitable to require one party to an
agreement TO observe its stipulations
and to permit the other party to disre-
gard them" the note adds. "It would
appear that the mutually of the I'M
dertaking has been destroyed by the
conduct of the German authorities"