The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-02-09
To SINK ALL SHIPS
IS GERMAN THREAT
IN SECOND NOTE
SUPPLEMENTARY TEUTON NOTE
SAYS FULL USE OF WEAPON
POSSESSED IN SUBMARINES
Is TO BE USED.
SECOND MEMORANDUM
WAS DELIVERED WITH NOTE
States That New Move Is Necessitated
by BRUTAL Methods of War" Forced
on Germany by AIIies-Ex-
poets Speedy Termination
of the War.

Washington, Feb. 8. - A second
memorandum delivered with the Ger
man note has been made public by the
State department. 1t differs in some
respects from the substance of the
note itself. The understanding is thai
1t was prepared at the German embas
sly on instructions from Berlin prior
to President Wilson's peace address tt
the Senate and withheld then on &C
count of the address. When Count
Won Bernstorff received the note ant
memorandum from Berlin, he decided
to deliver with them the original doc
ument prepared by him.
Text of Memorandum.
The memorandum follows:
After bluntly refusing Germany's
peace offer, the Allies stated in their
note addressed to the American
government that they are determined
to continue the war in order to de-
prive Germany of German provinces
in the west and east, to destroy
Austria-Hungary and to annihilate
Turkey.
In waging war with such aims the
Allies are violating all rules of in
ternational law, as they prevent the
legitimate trade of neutrals with the
Central Powers, and of the neutrals
among themselves.
Forced by Allies.
Germany has, so far, not made I'M
restricted use of the weapon which
she possesses in her submarines.
Since the Allies, however, have made
it impossible to come to an under
standing based on equality of rights
of all nations, as proposed by the
Central Powers, and have instead
declared only such peace to be
possible which shall be dictated by
the Allies and shall result in the de-
struction and the humiliation of the
Central Powers, Germany is unable
further to forego the full use of her
submarines.
The Imperial government, there
fore, does not doubt that the govern
ment Of the United States will un-
derstand the situation thus forced
upon Germany by the Allies brutal
methods Of war and that the govern
ment of the United States will fur
Their realize that the now openly dis
closed intention of the Allies gives
back to Germany the freedom of ac-
ton which she reserved 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 prevent
ing after February 1, 1917, in zone
around Great Britain, France, Italy
and in the eastern Mediterranean
all navigation, that of neutrals in
cluded, from and to England and
from and to France, etc., etc. All
ships met within that zone will be
sunk.
The Imperial government is conf
dent that this measure will result
in a speedy termination of the war
and in the restoration of peace
which the government of the
United States has so much at
heart. Like the government of the
United States, Germany and her al
lies had hoped to reach this goal by
negotiations. Now that the war,
through the fault of Germany's ene-
mics, has to be continued, the Impe-
rial government of the United States
will understand the necessity of
adopting such measures as are des-
tined to bring about speedy end of
the horrible and useless bloodshed.
The Imperial government hopes all
the more for such an understanding
of her position, as the neutrals have
under the pressure of the Allies suf-
fered great losses, being forced by
them either to give up their entire
trade or to limit it according to con-
ditions arbitrarily determined by
Germany's enemies in violation of
international law.