Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-03-07

short time before. Austria Hungary
did not neglect to inform neutral pow
ers at once that the blockade was not
legal.
Wait Long Before Retaliating.
For more than two years the CEN
trail powTs hesitated. Only then and
after long and careful consideration
OF pros and cons did they begin to
return like for like and attacked the
enemy on the sea. As the only ones
of the belligerents who had done
everything to secure the existing
treaties which were to guarantee to
neutrals the freedom of the seas, they
felt with panied hearts the law OF the
hour which commanded them to vio-
late this freedom. But they took this
step to fulfill the paramount duty
toward their peoples and from the
conviction that it would help the prin-
ciple of the freedom of the seas to be
victorious.
The proclamations which they is
sued last January are apparently d.
rected against the rights of neutrals
only. In reality they serve towards
the restoration of these rights which
their enemies have necessarily viola
ted and which, if they were victors,
they would destroy forever Thus
the submarines which are cruising
around the English coast announce to
peoples who need the sea-and what
people does not want coasts that
the day is not far off when the flags
OF all states in the glory of their
newly won freedom can freely fly
over the seas.
Fighting Battle of Neutrals.
"We cherish the hope that this an
nouncement will find an echo every
where where neutral peoples live and
that it will especially be understood
by the great people of the United
States, whose most illustrious repre-
sentative has during the war defended
with flaming words the freedom of the
seas as the highway of all nations.
IF the people and government of
the United States keep il mind that
the blockade proclaimed by Great
Britain is not only meant to wear
down the central powers by starva-
ton, but aims at subjecting the seas
to its rule, in order to establish in
this manner its tyranny over all ma
tons, while, on the other hand, the
blockade of England and its allies
only serves to make these powers in
cline toward peace with honor and
a guarantee to all nations of the free
dom of sea traffic and sea commerce
and thereby secured existence, then
the question which of the two par
ties has the right on its side is al
ready decided. Though the central
powers have no desire in this war to
beg for allies, they yet believe that
they will be entitled to look to neu-
trails to appreciate their efforts to re-
wise in the interest OF all the princi-
pies of international law and equal
rights of nations.
Ancona and Persia Cases.
In reply now to the question put
in the American note of February 49,
the Austro-Hungarian government
firstly remarks that i'll the exchange
of notes referring to the cases of the
Ancona and the Persia it restricted
itself to defining its attitude to con-
crete questions which individually
arose, without laying down its funda-
mental legal conception. But in its
note of October l9, 1915, referring to
the Ancona case, it reserved to itself
the right to bring up for discussion
at later date difficult international
questions which arise in connection
with submarine warfare. If it now
refers to this reservation and now
briefly discusses the question of sink
ing enemy vessels to which that note
refers, it is guided by the desire to
show the American government that
it now, as heretofore, strictly adheres
to the assurance already given and
by clearing up that impor-
tant question arising from submarine
warfare, because it touched the laws
of humanity to avoid misunderstand-
lngs between the monarchy and the
American union.
Warning Kernel of Subject.
above all, the Austro- Hungarian
government desires to emphasize that
it is also its opinion that the thesis
set up by the American government,
which also is represented in various
learned records, that enemy mer-
chantmen, apart from cases of at
tempted fight and resistance, must
not be destroyed without precautions
for the safety of the persons aboard,
Torn1s so to say, the kernel of the
whole subject. Regarded from
higher standpoint, this thesis can. of !
be ranked in a further sug-
sestive connection, and from that
view its domain of application can i
De marked out more exactly.
From the laws of humanity the |
general principle can be derived that
===-==-=====--== =-====-=========-=====