Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1917-02-15
OFFICIALS MORE CALNFLOATNG BLIND TIGER
Feel That War With Germany May
Be Averted-President Will Not
Be Stamped Into Conflict.

Once more the feeling prevails
; in Washington that there will be nc
war with Germany; that forces are
successfully at work in Berlin which
will prevent an actual clash and that,
although the two countries are nc
longer associated automatically,
they will find means of avoiding a
resort to arms. This is the con-
clusion of the Washington corre-
spondent of one of the most prom
inent and conservative papers III
the United States.
This is also the conclusion reached
by many officials surrounding the
President and by members of the
House and Senate who are in IN
innate touch with the course Of at
fairs-a conclusion arrived at the
end of the second week of "unre-
stricted" submarine warefare.
During these two weeks the Ger
man U-boats have sunk scores of
belligerent and neutral merchant
men, and have raided the entire
blockade zone, but by chance or by
deliberate design they have COM
mitted no overt act of hostility to-
ward American commerce.
1t has seemed impossible to
officials in Washington that this
should be wholly accidental. it
has seemed to them that if the de-
clared blockade was intended to be
rigidly effective and if the policy OF
warning unarmed merchant vessels
had been abandoned, that some Of
fense would have been committed by
this time which this Government
could not condone.
One view of the situation is that
Germany never actually purposed
the destruction of all merchantmen
encountered by her submarines:
that she gave very definite instruc-
lions to her undersea commanders
what to fire upon and what not, and
that in a genearl way her threats
we're intended to scare neutrals II
not belligerents off the sea.
All the facts so far received con-
cerning the sinking of vessels in
which the United States might be
directly interested indicate that the
agreement reached in the Sussex
case has not been violated. Crews
and passengers have been given
some chance to save themselves and
only neutral ships carrying con-
traband have been attacked.
These circumstances, OF course,
NAV encourage merely false hope
that Germany means to keep within
legal bounds. 1t may be that chance
has favored this country and that
any day may develop a situation
which will force the United States
to enter the war. But the best
opinion in Washington today holds
to the contrary view.
So fixed is this conviction that
Congress, which 10 days ago was in
a state of acute alarm, is now going
about its routine business. 1t is en-
paped in the usual debate over the
appropriation bills. Foreign al
fairs do not enter into its calcula-
tions and many individual members
are making plans for the long re-
cess after March A., which they are
certain will be unbroken by an extra
session.
It is true that the Admnistra-
ton is taking no unnecessary
chances. Work Of fitting OUT the
navv for possible activity in the war
is poinp ahead. The country's
military resources are being IN
voiced and all possibilities are be-
ing prepared for But at that
there is not the high tension which
prevailed in army and navy circles
10 days or even a week ago.
A dispatch from Paris says by Or
ders of the Washington Government