The Washington herald., 1917-02-19
What Leading Newspaper
Say on the War Situation
\ German warning.
Nov York nme.l

Ody On inc WM CIluauOu
German warning.
tNew York Time.)
Why should Germany warn us that the
danger OF war with the United States
would become serious II the American
government decided to advise or permit
the armament of mercantile shipsr" The
correspondent of the Times IN Berlin,
as he stated In his cable dispatch yester-
day. was advised that the arming of
American merchantmen would make 1t
impossible for the U-boats to save pas
sengers and crews II otherwise circum-
stances permitted. Thus the danger of
war with America would be greatly in
creased"
The purpose of this second
warning is obvious. 1t is an argument
put into the mouths of pacifst agitators
who are trying to persuade the govern
ment of the American people that peace
with dishonor Is a state Of beatitude. It
is intended for use in the American Con-
gress, where to an extent that Is disturb
ing patrio rism has been chIoroformed
and the sense OF national honor and dig
nifty dulled by the efforts Of German
Ipropagandists and the iRnobie counsels Of
the pacifsts. We have been provoked to
war already, we have had abundant
cause of war. The Teutonic allies have
marine that sank the merchant schooner
Law in the Mediterranean the other day
! fail to show the flag of the nation to
which II belonged? The saving distinc-
| ton between pirate ships and German
U-boats is that the U-boats have the
right to fly the flag OF recognised ma
ton. Did the submarine that destroyed
the Law seek to hide its nationality,
leaving us in doubt whether It was
German or an Austrian boat, In order to
make II impossible for us to place the
responsibility? There was not a vestige
Of any warrant of law for the destruc-
| ton OF that American ship, she was pro-
ceeding upon a peaceful errand, she car
ried no contraband. 1t is an act for
which we should be entitled 10 claim full
monetary reparation at the close of the
war as In the case of the William p.
| Frye where Germany admitted liability.
That consideration may have been one
Of the motives for the cowardly conceal
ment of nationality. But the destruction
of the four-masted schooner Law was in
itself a warlike act.
Suppose We Begin With This Article.
| New York Sun.
| Through Dr. Paul Ritter. the Swiss
Minister at Washington, Germany is still
endeavoring to procure revision or
| "reafflrmation'' (whatever that may bel
1
| the United States and Prussia.
Germany wants certain provisions OF
that treaty made binding now in case OF
war. Germany wants this because in that
! event the provisions in question would
count vastly more for her interests than
| for the interests of the United States.
Only a few days ago the reptile press
of Berlin was accusing the United States
OF deliberately and shamefully violating
these provisions in the old treaty OF
1898; these provisions which Germany re-
CARDS as important for her interests.
| ss' II ever there was a righteous cause
for war it is presented by the open and
defiant and barbarous violation by Ger-
many Of those rights on the high seas
which are not only based on the common
| law Of nations, but in our case expressly
and explicitly and specifically recognized
! by this same treaty.
Ending Back-stairs DipiomscY.
tPhiladeIphi, Public Ledgerl
II is too much perhaps to hope that the
perfectly square fair and poen-air way in
which the President informed the cOun-
! try. and Germany likewise. as to the
exact nat>c OF the German prorfer TO
! discuss the submarine situation. made
| through the Swiss Minister. will end
| back stairs diplomacy. but il is starter
that should not be lost on Berlin or
Vienna. These two chsnceleries have
! been historically pastmasters in the gen
tie art OF dissimulation. so that it was
perfectly natural for the Berlin office.
| following its usual practice and not
| knowing how frank the President was
| going to be. nor that the Swiss Minister
| had been politely asked by Secretary
| Lansing to put the request in writing, to
deny that any communication had been
sent to the United States.
- The President practiced the right
J kind OF shirt-sleeve diplomacy when he
| let in the light on the exact nature OF the
| German communication of a week ago.
and if this were done more frequently
and ha bitually, the complaint that the
central powers have no facts. no COM
| munica tions on which to act. would die
! out.
! New York Evening Post.
Another way of testing the validity OF
the German charge that American muni-
| tions saved the allies from defeat is. to
compare the export figures for munitions
| in 1915 with the figures for 1916. In the
! former year the entente purchases
amounted to s2S2. .OoO.orO In 1916 they
amounted to nearly ssl4.OCoOOO. II the
precarious military situation Of the en-
tente is to be gauged from the quantity
OF munitions it was compelled to import.
the allies must have been many times
worse off in 1916 than in the year before.
The facts are. of course. just the other
way. The year 1915 was the year OF
Germany's greatest achievements and OF
, the allies greatest peril BY the begin
ming Of 1915 there was no more talk OF
| a crushing German victory The con-
| test of endurance was on. Germany
settled down to her great defensive. II
| the allies. therefore. managed TO get
| through their critical year with a mini
mum dependence on American munitions,
something more than the effect OF Ameri-
the fTUStTa-