Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1918-02-08

"spurlos versenkt'-to sink without
leaving a trace.
The words Of a mailman. we in Amer
lea said, when intercepted dispatches
revealed 70 us that the German minis
Ter TO the Argentine felt that spurlos
versenkt would be a NJ fate for Argen-
tines ships.
We condemn this diplomat for his
horrible suggestion. We thought the
idea personal with him. II never oc-
CURED TO any OF us that spurlos YER
senkt might be the policy OF the Ger
man nation.
BUT IT IS EXACTLY THAT-PROB-
ABLY WAS AT THE TINE THE MINIS
TER TO THE ARGENTINE USED THE
PHRASE.
Whenever you read. as you frequently
can nowadays, OF lifeboats being shelled
by a submarine as they leave a torpe-
doed vessel-that Is spurlos versenh.
Sometimes the U-boat commanders
save ammunition. In the North sea al
Ter a torpedoing, U-boat captain OF
fared 10 tow the llfeboats 20 shore. lie
suggested that the boats be made iast
20 one another with ropes When all
were tied together he attached the rope
~ the foremost boat 10 the suhmar-
inc and submerged. pulling the lIe-
heats with him All capsized. mat was
spurlos versenkt. -.
csrnosn newspapers explained that
srurIos versenkt was a justihable pol
lev when the matter frst came Up In
the empire. .,.
,hose on board 10 reach land in safety
was not productive Of the terror the
Germans hoped 10 inspire by all their
submarine waTfsre.
II was still easy n get crews for
rnunItion and food ships both in neu-
trail and belligerent ports. Spurlos
,-arsenkt would change all this.
The adoption OF the spurlos versenkt
noiicv was not attended by public
nromulgstions and notices 10 foreign
nations Little Is known about this
noiicv In America Yet much has heen
printed on the subject N Germany.
II seems that the policy did not have
us origin In the navy NJ among 'he
professional militarists. but amons
the class that always has been re-
rarded as IN the lead in humanitarian
isno In every nation-the university
professor group.
Tndeed most "credit" seems 20 90 10
Professor Oswald Flamm, a man " the
highest standing In German educs-
ficnal circles In explaining the pol
icv ~ spurlos versenkt, Professor
pramm wrote in Berlin "Woche" THIS
"If neutrsls were destroyed so thai
INN, disappeared without leaving anS
race terror vould soon keen seam"
and travellers away from the doiisel
ones"
NOT vet IN full sNNins OWNS % ~
act that not Ill L bouts arc epuipntJ
FOR retail murtsr Torpedoos arc 20
.ypensive and too precious TO b'
used on lifeboats. Special guns ar
needed FOR this work.
The newer types Of submarines
however. are properly equipped. j
il their operations that you see re-
corded in the newspapers. Doubtless
The near future will see large IN
crease in the U-boat bsrbarity directed
aeainst the victims OF torpedoed ships
r"But the German people-they M
human beings like the rest OF us-d'
ihev acoiiesce In these policies o
borror?" This question Is frequently
asked.
The German people have not beer
deceived about spurlos versenkt The
understand the policy and they ap
prove IT,
The fooilng OF the German people 1
a fundamental thing. and II has con
tinued through many. many years. Tn
German state Of mind is such now ina
an the militarlsts have to do IS TO tel
The people that a thing is right AM
THAT ENDS IT.
The kaiser said the sinking OF IN
I.usltania was right and Immediately
became right.
Hence. we md a clergyman,
Baumgartner, on page seven, j
Deutsche Reden in schwerer Zeit,
saying:
ANYONE who cannot bring himsel
10 approve from the bottom Of hi
heart the sinking Of the Lusltanii
Who cannot conquer his sense OF On
monstrous cruelty to countless pei
fectly Innocent victims an
give himself UP to honest Joy az hi
victorious exploit Of German defensiv
80