Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-06-07

of the U-boats themselves. Had they been charged
chiefly with destroying transports filled with troops
they would hardly have betrayed their presence, and
indeed loudly advertised it, by making great gu
ado amongst mere schOOners and smacks. 1t may
be answered that the invader came looking for big
ger quarry but failed to find it, and, having but d
short time left for operations on this side, took
what came his way. OF course, if a favorable OPP
portunity for attacking a transport had risen, the
U-boats would have made the most of it, But they
almost invariably fight shy of well-convoyed vessels
That is the distinctly Prussan trait of these under
sea pirates. Their main business from the outset
has been attack unarmed or ill-defended ships,
and their most boosted performance has been the
slaughter of noncombatants, women and children
as we'll as men,. German submarine officers and
crews are eager enough to fire upon frai lifeboats
filled with escaping passengers; but for the most
part, they give wide berth to men of war, in
which practice they quite consistent with the
cruelty and thickness that characterize their nation
True the swift and steady flow of our troops TO
France may have urged, and still may urge, the
Huns to extraordinary hazards for the chance of
blow at the transports. But thus far the outstand-
ing fact that they attacked coastwise vessels Of
comparatively slight Importance and of no military
consequence whatsoever.
In thus disclosing their presence they became
just much the less dangerous to all branches OF
our shipping. If they were seriously bent upon
breaking our line OF transatlantic communication
by persistent attacks this end they made rather
strange in leaving the trail of the great car
riers grain and guns and other war supplies to
harry our domestic coastwise traffic. That is
good way intensity this countrys spirit, but
rather a poor way to break down our overseas
shipping.
This is true whether the U-boats came straight
hoz@
somewhere on this side. There is good deal of
speculation on this point. From time to time have
come rumors of a German submarine base kenneled
somewhere in the West Indies the Spanish
Main This is extremely doubtful, it strikes u.s. and
is altogether unnecessary account for the pres
ence of U-boats of coasts writer In the
New York Times interestingly recalls that the ralu
of the U-53 on Allied shipping OFF Nantucket In
October 1916 demonstrated that it pracd-
cable for the Germans to make dash TO TINS size
of the Atlantic, run amuck among merchant SHIPS
off the American coast and return to their bases at
Zeebrugge or Ostend.' We are reminded, more
over that since then Germany has equipped U-DoaIs
of fifteen hundred tons and three hundred and
forty feet length with hull space for forty torpe-
does and many shells and mines. Such, at least
was the report which came from Copenhagen last
autumn; and from Spain. which has been visited
fraouently bv U-boats comes statement that tine
latest large German undersea craft are capable III
going around the world without having to replen-
ish the fuel supply for their motors These dc-
counts are perhaps magnihed and over-coloreo' out
they contain enough substantial fact to show that
U-boats do not require a base in this hemisphere
to operate against our shores
All things considered, the recent raid seems TO
have been a dash across the Atlantic, not so much
for the purpose of sinking transports or seriously
damaging our main lines of shipping as for the pur-
nose of terrifying the public if not the Government
to such an extent that large contingent ol our
naval forces on the other side would be diverted 10
American waters. In this the Germans sho"e0
their Enthusiastically dull insight into human ma
tura narticularly human nature as it is found IN
English sprung and English speaking peoples.
Tr-boat raid on schooners and small merchantmen
off the coast of New Jersey affects the American
tanner somewhat as a Zeppelin raid on unfortlheu
ng1ieb towns affect the British temper. we no
more would think of Withdrawing naval UNITS from
the good work of pounding ana suanshhs Inc
Roche near his own harbors than the British Woulu
think of summoning home air squadrons neeueu d.
tho battle front Especially would we AVOID thdC
folly at this crucial juncture when any day may
witness desperate dash of the German fleet from
yviIbeImshayen There may be future U-boat ralds'
moro bitious and more damaging than the one or
,b;s ,veek But no matter how frequently or no"
.borp1v they come we will go on sending ships and
troons to the war zone, more than ever determined
TO fight without respite until Prussiansm IS cruSneu
land and sea-