The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-03-12
AUSTRIA'S REPLY.
Does Not Give Amy Hopeful Feeling in
United States.

United States.
A close reading OF the Austrian not
! fails 10 disclose anything very hopeful
Out of its interminable logic choppinI
the two facts which emerge, apart iron
an apparent indispositon to force rup
: ture with the United States. are that tn
. pledges previously given stand, and tina
they are not and never have been woru
anything
Austria Hungary agrees with the Unit
ed States as TO the claims of humanity
let neutrals stay on shore and they vii
never be drowned. 1t agrees that ship:
should be warned; it will do very wei
TO warn all ships that they win be sunk
without warning. II agrees as TO the
freedom OF the seas. and holds that the
way to get that is through an Austrian
victory won by means more outrageous
TO neutrals than any used by sea power
in modern times
While the dual monarchy has become
but an automatum the strings OF which
are pulled in Berlin, it keeps its own
lawyers and they have not yet learned
the Importance OF team work. Certainly
| Vienna had not heard Of the discovery of
the Zimmerman note. though of course
| 1t knows bout the existence OF it, wnen
the wholly gratuitous remark was penned
that "the central powers have no de-
sire in this war to beg for allies" The
betrayal OF the Mexican plot gives deli
cious point to this. Surely, too, If the
Wilhelmstrasse had passed on the text
il would have blue. penciled the state
ment that "for more than two years the
central powers hesitated"-to declare I'M
restricted submarine war. Berlin would
have known that while the United
States can swallow much it has not for
gotten the decree of February, 1915, only
six months after the outbreak of war.
Berlin also might have objected to so
candid an account of the British block
ade: "By the illegal prevention of ex
ports from the central powers Great
Britain aimed at .paralyzing countless
factories and works which, the indus
triallv, highly developed peoples Of cen
trail Europe had created and by forcing
workmen to be idle to incite them to
revolution" This is not the ruthless
hunger war" OF German legend and by
the standards of our Civil war ii is both
a legitimate and humane expedient
for shortening war in so far as it is
carried out in humane and legitimate
manner.
Austria Hungary. in fact, appears to !
defend the ruthless use of submarines /
not as an act OF reprisal but on the |
ground of dire need: by reason of the |
obstinacy and malignity of her enemies, |
who intend her destruction, Austria Hun
gary has been placed in state of self
defense for which history knows no par
allel" The allies, it is needless to say,
have not threatened and do not desire
The destruction of Austria Hungary; can
Austria Hungary say as much for Ser
Diaf
Following its own logic, Austria Hun.
rary damages the complaint of Germany,
foiced afresh only the other day by DR..
Won Bethmann- Hollweg, that neutrals
rave not asserted their rights against
treat Britain. From the Austrian point
II view neutrals have no rights to as
ert. "Belligerents are entitled to decide
or themselves what measures should be
AIKEN against the enemy in sea traffic.
n such cases neutrals have no other le-
Ultimate interests and therefore no other
egal claim than that the belligerents in
orm them In time of prohibition d.
ected to an enemy so that they can
void intrusting their lives and their
GODS TO enemy vessels" {
This view IL admissible would at least ,
e clear enough if it stood alone. 1t is
made fatty absurd by the line taken
lsewhere that neutral ships may be
unk, like enemy ships, without warning | a.,
xcepting the general proclamation to ,
eep off the seas. Into what morasses
he authors of the note have strayed in
he effort to vitiate past pledges without .
,calling them is illustrated in the lsbo- e
ous demonstration that If a ship does a
OF resist or run away, and ia not armed,
is entitled TO humane procedure in
to the international law b
hieh is very well described in the note a
unless a general warning has been is
led that the submarines will violate
rat lawl !,
That position the United States can
1t accept Whether the note will COM
j rupture of relations with Austria
ungary is yet to be seen. There may
|, reasons, into which IL is a. well not j
inquire, why the United States gov Il
nment prefers at present not to take
lis step. and Austria Hungary on its p
lie by referring to the unlikelihood, in
e Mediterranean, of an overt act whiIh N
ould compel President Wilson to recall m,
AMBASSADOR Penfeld. may be suggesting
at the present precarious position ~
ight be allowed TO stand. o.
perhaps. would be gained by =
vering relations IL that can be avoided: 'e
e break with Berlin sufficiently ex
esses Americas feeling in the matter. 4
1t il the case is left to stand there "
ist be no room left for mistake as to u
e energy with which the United States
iects the monstrous doctrine advanced
Austria Hungary. When set forth ID
tn detailed argument it becomes even 81
re preposterous than when put dog =
Itically in the brusque Berlin style j.,