The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-10-18

stituted an act Of war against the
United States, and we were forced to
decide between a craven and coward
iy submission to this oppression, or
recognition by Congress of a war
being waged against US by the Ger
many government.
Hoping against hope that SAM;
would return to those directing the
affairs of the German government
the president TO the United States
reported to congress that he had sew
cred diplomatic relations with the
German government, and advised
that Congress adopt certain legisla-
ton carrying into effect the policy
of armed neutrality" In the
House of Representatives we passed
such legislation, hoping that by this
course OF arming our merchant yes
sells the German government might
realize our determination to protect
our rights and discontinue it's at
tacks upon the lives and property OF
neutrals. Though this Resolution
was filibustered to death in the Sen
ate, the policy was carried into effect,
but it proved of no avail-as the Ger
man government continued it's at
tacks upon our ships and upon our
citizens.
Would You Fight?
This, in brief, is the history of
the submarine controversy. 1t
amounted to this: Suppose I should
say to a farmer residing on one of
public roads in South Carolina that
I knew he had a right to travel on
the public road, but because of con-
troversy with an enemy 1 found it
necessary to inform him that if he,
his wife or his children, hereafter
attempted to travel the public road
for any purpose whatever, from am
bush and without warning, would
shoot him and his family. And sup
pose further that pursuant to that
notice I should assassinate several
members of his family who at
tempted to exercise their right to
travel the highway. What would
that farmer do? What would you
do. Would you submit like coward
or would you fight? If I know you,
you would fight, and fight until you
had made it impossible for any man
to terrorrize a community and assas-
sinate innocent men, women and
children.
That is exactly the proposition the
Kaiser forced upon this nation, and
the Congress decided that the honor,
liberty and safety of the American
people were at stake and demanded
that we. fight, and fight until we
made certain that the Kaiser and his
agents will no longer slaughter our
citizens who have right to look to
the government for protection and
are acting within their legal rights.
l should say that in the submarine
announcement the Kaiser added in
suit to injury by telling us that if we
would paint our ships in red and
white stripes like BARRIERS pole,
that once a week we could go to
one port in England. In reply we
told the Kaiser that seven days in the
week he could go to hell.
German sympathizers declare
that while submarine warfare is in
violation of international law, that
the principles of international law
were formulated prior to the inven-
ton of the submarine, and therefore,
the law does not apply to them. But
in this they overlook the fact that
the principles of international law in
question were framed, not to control
weapons, but to protect the rights of
neutrals, and cannot be changed no
matter what weapons of destruction
are invented. 1t would be clearly RI
diculous to say that the law making
murder a crime should be changed
because of the introduction of some
new automatic gun. The unlawful
killing of a man, whether it be done
by club, knife or gun, is by law made
punishable. The law was framed
not for the control of weapons, but
for the protection of human beings,
and the man who offers this excuse
in defense of Germany would be in
an unfortunate plight if he offered it
in defense of himself when charged
with murder.
Not England's War.
When man tells you that this is
II L: