Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1917-04-07

other vessels which it's submarines
might seek to destroy when no resist
ance was offered or escape attempted
and care taken that their crews were
precautions taken were meagre and
haphazzard enough as was proved III
distressing instance after instance III
the program of the cruel and unmanly
business but a certain degree of re
straint was observed. ~
The new policy has swept every re-
striction aside. Vessels of every kind
whatever their flag, their character,
their cargo, their destination, their
errand, have been ruthlessly sent to
| the bottom without warning and with
| out thought OF help or mercy to those
| on board the vessels of friendly nett
trals along with those of belligerents.
Even hospital ships and ships carry
ing relief to the sorely bercaved and
stricken people of b lgium, though
conduct through the prescribed areas
and were distinguished by unmistaka
BILE marks of identity have been sunk
with the same reckless lack of com,
passion or principle
IL was for little while unable to
believe that such things would in fact
be done by any government that had
hitherto subscribed to the humane
pactices OF civilized nations. Interna-
tional law had it's origin in the at
temptto set up some law, which would
be respected and observed upon tho
seas, where no nation had a right OF
dominion, and where lay the free high
ways OF the world. BY painful stage
after stage, has that law been built
up with meager enough results IN
deed after all was accomplished that
could be accomplished, but always with
clear view at least of what the heart
and conscience OF mankind demanded.
This minimum of right the German
government has swept aside under the
Dlea OF retaliation and because it had
no weapons which it could use at sea
except those wh'ch it is impossible to
employ as it is employing them with
out throwing to the winds all scru
ples of humanity or OF respect for the
Understandings that were supposed to
underlie the intercourse of the world.
Il am not now thinking of the. loss
If property. involved. immense and
serious as that is, but only OF the
wanton and wholesale destruction OF
she lives o non-combatants, men,
women and children, engaged in pur
suits which have always, even i'll the
darkest periods of modern history
been deemed innocent and legitimate.
Property can be paid for. The lives
If peaceful and innocent people can
not be.
The present German submarine
war against commerce is war against
mankind 1t is war against all ma
lions. American ships have been
sunk. American lives taken in ways
which it has, stirred us very deeply
20 learn of, but the ships and people
| If other neutral and friendly nations
lave been sunk and overwhelmed
| the water in the same way, Iher
| aas been no discrimination. II
| .hallenge is to all mankind. Each
lation must decide for itself how il
will meet it, The choice we make for
ourselves must be made with a mad
ration OF counsel and temperatures
If judgment BETTING our characters
md our motives as nation. we
must put excited feeling away. Our
motive will not be revenge or the VIC
orious assertion fthe physical might
IF the nation, but only the vindication
If right of human right, of which we
IRE only single champion
when | addressed the congress on
he 10Th of Februa. last, | thought !
would suffice to assert our neutral
lights with arms, our right to use the
seas against unlawful interferences,
our right to keep our people safe
against unlawful violence. But armed
neutrality it now appears is imprac-
ticable. Because submarines are in Ell
feet outlaws when used as the German
submarines have been used against
merchant shipping, it is impossible to
defend ships against their attacks, as
the law Of nations has assumed that
merchant men would deefnd them
selves against privateers or cruisers
visible craft giving chase on the open
seas. 1t is common prudence, in such