The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-07-31


latest German acts against Norway
are being criticized in the press and
condemned by tine legislature as
showing the alleged failure of the
Norwegian government to uphold
the self-respect of the nation.
Royal mail boats between Denmark
and Norway, outside of the German
barred zone" with cargo of killed
cattle exclusively for use in Norway
are captured by German U-boats,
brought to German ports and no sat
isfactory explanation or satisfaction
given.
A Norwegian steamer, the
"Thorum," in coast traffic, chartered
by the Norwegian government itself
with cargo of hay to relieve the fod-
der famine in the northern part Of
the country was stopped by a German
C-boat inside of the Smile limit. that
means in Norwegian waters; the Nor
wegian flag was lowered and the
German flag was run up. as the Ger
man U-boat chief declared the steam.
er German prize because of lack of
special clearing papers. A Norweg-
ian torpedo boat arrived, the Nor
wegian captain declared that as the
steamer was in Norwegian waters she
was not liable to be seized by German
U-boatS, ordered the Norwegian flag
flown again and the German lowered.
After some argument, however. he
yielded to the German view and al
lowed the steamer to be taken as
prize to a German port and the Nor
wegian flag for the second time dis
placed by the German.
This happened May and, upon
an Interpolation in the legislature
regarding this affair which has
turned the whole press and prJiic
opinion more anti-German than ever,
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ihlen
answered that the government pro-
test in Berlin and the assurance of
the steamer being a government char
tered boat had only met unwillingness
to straighten out the affair and give
a satisfactory excuse. On the con-
trary there was no prospect of the
ship being released in the near flu
ture as the case would be tried before
prize court. More humiliating was
the announcement that the Norwegian
crew now would be brought before
German court martial because they,
according to orders from a Norwegian
naval officer in Norwegian waters,
had hoisted the Norwegian flag.
For the first time since the war
broke out a friction with one of the
belligerent nations has been discussed
openly in the legislature. In other
cases the minister of foreign affairs
has kept everything secret and been
unwilling to let the public know what
steps the Norwegian government has
taken to protect the rights OF their
citizens against the now numberless
Entertainments from German side.
All the leading politicians, N very
strong terms, condemned this last
humiliation from the German govern
ment.
The press requested that the Nor
wegian crew at once be given their
Thirty and sent home if the Thorum
was not released. asserting that the
crew acted according to Norwegian
law and should not be punished in
Germany
The only paper that tried to be-
little the affair was the Socialdimok
raten, which expressed the hope that
Germany will show justice to
small nation not able and not willing
to sustain its rights by power"
Only a few DAYS before this. Ger
man U-boats in the Arctic ocean, off
the Norwegian coast and outside Of
the danger zone" attacked small
motor fishing boats, fishing for the
Germans and therefore provided with
German outfit, sank some of them
in the open sea with small chance
for the crews to be saved, and in
others DESTROYED the motors and ev-
erything On board. seized what they