Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-02-09

States feels it necessary to state thai
it takes it for granted that the impe.1
rial German government does not in. /
tend to imply that the maintenance Of
its newly announced policy is in any
way contingent upon the course or re
suit Of diplomatic negotiations between
the government of the United States
and any other beligerent government
notwithstanding the fact that certain
pas sages in the imperial note of the
z4-f IlioC. might appear to be suscep-
tible of that construction. In order,
however, to avoid any misunderstood.
ing, the government of the United
States notified the imperial government
that it cannot for moment entertain,
much less discuss, a suggestion that res
pect by German naval authorities for
the rights of citizens of the United
States upon the high seas should in any
way or in the slightest degree be made
contingent upon the conduct of any
other government affecting the rights
of neutrals and noncombatants. Res
possibility in such matters is single, NOT
joint, absolute, not relative
Germany Made No Reply.
"To this note of the Sth of May
the imperial government made no reply,
"On the 31st of January, the We'd
nesday of the present week, the Ger.
man ambassador handed to the secre7
tary of state, along with formal note
memorandum which contained the fol
lowing statement:
The imperial government therefore
does not doubt that the government Of
the United States will understand the
situation thus forced upon Germany by
the entente allies brutal methods of
war and by their determination to de-
stroy the central powers, and that the
government of the United States will
further realize that the now openly dis
closed intention of the entente allies
gives back to Germany the freedom Of
action which she reserves in her note
addressed to the government of the
United States on May 4, 1916.
| 'Under these circumstances Ger
many will meet the illegal measures
of her enemies by forcibly preventing
after February 1, 1917, in zone around
Great Britain, France, Italy and in the
eastern Mediterranean all navigation
that of neutrals included, from and to
England and from and to France, ETC.,
etc. All ships met with in the zone will
! be sunk
Has No Alternative.
"I think that you will agree with me
that, in view of this declaration which
suddenly and without prior intimation
of any kind deliberately withdraws the
solemn assurance given in the impe-
rial government's IS note of the 4th Of
May, 1916, this government has no
alternative consistent with the dignity
and honor of the United States but to
take the course which, in it's note Of
the 18th of April, 1916, it announced
that it would take in event that the
German government did not declare and
effect abandonment of the methods of
the submarine warfare which it was
then employing and to which it now
purposes again to resort.
! Announces the Break.
"I have, therefore, directed the Sec
retary of state to announce to his ex-
cellency the German ambassador, that
| all diplomatic relations between the
United States and the German empire
are severed and that the American am
, bassador at Berlin will Immediately be
withdrawn, and, in accordance with this
l decision to hand to his excellency his
passports.
Notwithstanding this unexpected
} action of the German government this
sudden and deeply deplorable renuncia
ton of its assurances, given this gov.
: ernment at one of the most critical
moments Of tension in the relations Of
t the two governments, I refuse to be-
9 heve that it is the intention of the
: German authorities to do in fact, what
they warned US they will feel at liberty
TO do.
Refuses to Believe II.
"I cannot bring myself to believe
that they will indeed pay no regard tt
the anciere friendship hetween theil
Continued on page Eight