The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1917-02-08
SECOND BERLIN NOTE
ALL SHIPS IN THE WAR ZONE
WILL BE SUNK, SAYS MES
SAGE TO U. S.
PLEDGE TO U. S. WITHDRAWN
supplementary Memoranda Explains
That Change Was Forced by Allies
"IIIeaaI Force"-Submarines Will AT
tempt to Force Victory for Teutons.

tempt to Force Victory for Teutons.
Washington, Feb. "a second mem
orandum delivered Wednesday with
the German note was made pubic iate
Thursday by the state department. IL
differs in some respects from the SUD-
stance of the note itself. The under-
standing is that it was prepared at
| the German embassy on instructions
from Berlin prior to President VIII
sons peace address to the senate anu
| withheld then on account of the ao-
dress. When Count Won Bernstort re-
ceived the note and memorandum
Wednesday from Berlin he decided 10
deliver with them the original docu-
ment prepared by him. The memorah-
dun follows:
after bIuntly refusing Germahys
peace offer the entente powers stated
in their note addressed to the Amerl-
can government that they are DETER
mined to continue the war in order 10
deprive Germany of German provinces
in the West and East, t. destroy Aus
tria-Hungary and to annihilate turkey.
"In waging war with such aims the
entente allies are violating all rules Oh
international law, as they prevent the
legitimate trade of neutrals with the
central powers, and Of the neutrais
among themselves.
Germany has, SO far, not made I'M
restricted use Of the weapon which she
possesses in her submarines.
"Since the entente powers, however,
have made it impossible to come 10
an understanding based upon equallty
of rights of all nations as proposed by
the central powers, and have instead
declared only such peace to be pos
sible which shall be dictated by the en-
tente allies and shall result in the de-
struction and the humiliation OF the
central powers, Germany is unable fur-
ther TO forego the full use of her sub
marines.
"The imperial government, therefore,
does not doubt that the government or
the United States will understand the
situation thus forced upon Germany
by the entente allies brutal methods
of war and by their determination to
destroy the central powers, and that
the government Of the United States
will further realize that the now open
ly disclosed intention of the entente
allies gives back to Germany the free
dom of action which she reserved in
her note addressed to the government
of the United States on May a, 1916.
"Under these circumstances Ger
many will meet the Illegal measures or
her enemies by forcibly preventing
after February 1, 1917, in a zone
around Great Britain, France and Italy
and in the eastern Mediterranean aii
navigation, that of neutrals included,
from and to England and from and to
France, etc, etc. All ships met within
that zone will be sunk.
"The imperial government is conf
dent that this measure will result in
speedy termination of the war and
in the restoration of peace which the
government of the United States has
so much at heart.
Like the government of the Uninted
States, Germany and her allies had
hoped to reach this goal by negotia-
tions. Now that the war, through the
fault of Germany's enemies, has to be
continued the imperial government
feels sure that the government of the
United States will understand the en-
cessity of adopting such measures rs
are destined to bring about a speedy
end of the horrible and useless blood
shed.
"The imperial government hopes all
the more for such an understanding OF
her position. as the neutrals have I'M
der the pressure of the entente pow
ers suffered great losses, being forced
by them either to give up their entire
trade or to limit it according to con-
ditions arbitrarily determined by Ger
many's enemies in violation of interna-
tiOnal law"