Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-06
2m DECLARATION Of INDEPENDENCE;
WARS ON HIGH SEAS MUST CEASE
Simon Lake. Invented the Type Submarine Which the German
Are Using Warns Financial America That Declaration of War
Between This Country and Germany Will Be Play Into
Germany's Hands and Explains Why

Believing that the seas are and should be free to
all nations, great small, a great International
Highway where passengers and commerce may be
safely transported at all times without molestaton
from pirates, DULLES temporarily people, we
hereby pledge our hves-our forunes-and our
sacred honor" to do everything within power to
MAINTAIN free seas and to prevent augmentation Of
the present worlds horrible by trying to keep our
and apply logic. and due considera-
ton before taking warlke action that sure to bring
untold additional suferings the innocent
The above might be declaration that all men in
their sober senses would agree to. but evidence IS
rapidly accumulating that we Americans descendants
mostly from the other of the beigerent nations
now engaged in the most titanic struggle Of history,
beginning to take sides and lose that neutrality
which great President. in his desire to MAINTAIN
peace. has cautioned to preserve.
For years | have commended that the destiny of
the submarine was to bring about cessation Of mari
time warfare; these views have been expressed from
time to time before the most important scientific soce
ties in both Europe and America and they have been
published in of the leading scientific journals and
magazines both in this country and abroad
Unfortunately for my theories and for the world.
people did not then comprehend and DO NOT NOW
COMPREHEND, except to small degree, what tie
advent of the submarine means to the world When
considers the makeup of the submarine 1t is not
to be wondered att it is complex mechanism which
must De designed 10 resist great external ple3Sufe
designers and operators of submarines must have
knowledge of hydraulics, pneumatcs electrical devices
Of various kinds. navigation, gunnery and many other
things that have been developed especially to meet tie
needs of submarine navigation. such as perscopes.
gyroscopic compasses under water wireless telephones
ETC.. etc.
have been making predictions as to the work
the submarine will do ever since the present war
began most of these predictions have come true and
the others are on the way. A study, of the files of
daily newspapers magazines and discussions before
engineering and scientific societies and publications
such as Century Magazine, Scientific American Inter
national Marine Engineering Popular Science Monthly,
etc. and in the discussion before societies of naval
architects electrical mechanical and marine engineers
will prove this do not think endowed with the
spirit of prophecy in being able to predict what is
likely to happen | have been able to predict these
happenings almost in the order of their occurrence due
purely to knowledge of the possibilities OF tie SUD
marine and the knowledge that the Germans have
that knowledge and are applying it as last as
their engineering ability will permit.
During the period | constructing submarines
for Russia and Austria my technical Offices IN
Berlin and we employed many German draughtsrnen
and engineers was in those years called into con-
sutation by Krupps who then built the first German
U-boats | was also consulted by the German Ministry
of Marine, and they are familiar with my plans a:
developed at that time. There is nothing fundamental
" new that they have applied IN the art OF submarine
construction since that time. as tar as | aware;
they have simply improved details regarding machinery
increased the size and radius of action of thc
boats, etc.
The Germans arc however. ahead Of most othe
nations in their submarines. because they took thei