The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-02-21

ty OF an OCCASION, as In the days or rne
Sussex trouble, for any negotiations to
prevent the: crisis or an, attempt to
stave off the coming break between
the two countries. There was nc
chance this time for discussion with
the emperor, such as served to save
the day at the time Of the, Sussex
note.
Nothing could be done except to re-
port to Washington the developments
which appeared in! the press of the
world before the embassy dispatches
had started from Berlin and avail the
anti Dated explosion
This came in the shape OF a rupture
OF relations earlier than even Ameri.
cans had expected, and cer.:ainly with
promptness which asta1: shed, and
perhaps even disnayed, TIE German
official world, prepared though it was
for energetic american action.
Aims at the Germans.
Just what results the German ex.
Gerts expect from the U-boat cam.
Daign is uncertain, but in converse.
tons in Ger:nan naval circles the be-
lief was expressed that if it succeeded
in raising the amount Of tonnage sunk
per month to 100000 tons, besides
having a deterrent effect on 3,OOO,00O
tons Of neutral shipping plying to Brit
ish ports, the campaign would effect its
object and force England to consider
peace.
This, it was sta led, would have to
be effected by net more than two.
thirds Of the available submarines,
since, owing to the nature
of the work and Of the submarine,
the boats must spend at least third
| of their time in port refitting and re-
pairing or on their way to and from
the cruising grounds.
MisIed by OI4oatches.
The German governments attitude
in endeayoring to induce Ambassador
Gerard to sign a protocol reaffir1ning
the old-time treaties with the United
States regarding mutual protection of
nationals in case of hostilities, and the
hints Of possible detention of American
newspaper men as hostages, were I'M
doubtedly influenced by. alar,n;st dis
patches from the Unired States regard
ing treatment Of German cit!Hn rs anG
property there.
AS soon as reassursng advices wcrv
| received from the United States, an
ment saw that the attempt to nego
tate protocol re-ratifying the treaty
of 1899 with additions and expansions,
had failed, it gracefully receded frors
its position, and nothing further Waf
heard of newspaper men as hog
tages.
The protocol, which Couut Moltt
| Selas, head of the American lepar:
ment of the German foreign offic,:, sut,~
| mitted to Ambassador Gerard Oh <fle
part of Forein Secretary ZilnMerr1Anl!
contained besides formal rat'1ica-
ton of the treaty provisions Of 1893
and 1928 regarding MutuaE treatment
OF nationals caught In bell gerent
country in the case Of war, humber
of important additions and expansions
1t provided that merchants should
| be allowed to continue their businesses
and retain their residences until the
end Of the war unmolested; that nc
| law affecting the validity of contracts
| should be applied to Germans in Amer.
| lea or to Americans in Germany, and
that all patents should be inviolate--a
| question of Importance in view of the
| high value if not the Indispensable,
of certain German patents in the man:
ufacture of munitions and explosive.
Would Bar Ship Seizure.
Quite as trenchant in it's bearing ur
the pending problems was the pro
vision Of an instrument which Ambas
sadOr Gerard was asked to sign speci
flying explicitly that not only eneri,
! property as such should be exemp
from seizure or restrictions in it's ust
! beyont. those applying to all propert,
but that enemy ships in ports of TIN
opponent should not be seized durin,
the war or forced to leave port unles
! W sail UuuCI Sd1c-COlluuCL anu Su1I
anty of exemption from seizure by thu
allied belligerents for a home port.
Provision also was made for safe
conduct when it was necessary t.
move ships from one port to anothe
in the same country.
The protocol forbade explicitly an1
internment or restrictions upon tb,
| liberty Or movement of enemy natiOn
ais within the limits Of the opponen
country.
1t also provided for confirmation O
certain articles Of the Hague conven
tons, particularly as to treatment O
the personnel Of enemy merchan
ships captured or caught within al
opponent country.
Ambassador Gerard's refusal to sigl
the treaty after he had ceased to per
form his ambassadorial functions O.
to telegraph for instructions unless h
was permitted to use code led Coun
MOntgelas to hint that a refusal t.
sign the protocol might materially at
feet the status of Americans in Ger
many and the privilege of departure
mentioned specifically, of the Ameri