The citizen., June 18, 1915, Image 2

About The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923

Image provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

                
PRESIDENT WILSON'S NOTE
FIRM BOT NOT WARLIKE
Demands Assurance From Germany That Amer
ican Lives and American Ships Will
Be Safeguarded.
Declaring Germany Misinformed as to Lusitania,
Government Stands Fast on Principles Laid
Down in its First Protest Against
Acts of Submarines.
Washington.—The United States, in I
its latest note to Germany, formally
asks the imperial government for as
surances that measures hereafter will
be adopted to safeguard "American
lives and American ships” on the high ;
seas. The alternative in case of re
fusal is not stated.
It was this note to which William j
Jennings Bryan refused to attach his
signature, resigning instead, his port- j
folio of secretary of state and thereby i
precipitating a dramatic Cabinet crisis.
Robert Lansing, secretary of state ad
interim, signed the communication
which went forth with the approval of
President Wilson and bis entire Cab- j
inet.
Friendly terms characterize the !
document, which renews representa- j
tions made in the American note that j
reached Germany on May 15, after the !
Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk. (
with a loss of more than 100 American j
lives. The German government, it is I
declared, “must have been misinform
ed” when it assumed that the Lusi
tania carried guns, as official informa
tion is at hand to corroborate the ori
ginal contention of the Washington
government that the Lusitania was an
unarmed passenger ship which, since :
It did not resist capture, could not be j
sunk without transferring passengers j
and crew to a place of safety.
WHAT AMERICA EXPECTS.
The communication informs Ger
many that it is "on the principle of
humanity, as well as upon the law
founded upon this principle, that the
United States must stand.” Oppor
tunity is given to Germany to submit
any evidence that American officials
did not execute their tasks thoroughly
in Inspecting the Lusitania before she
sailed, but the cardinal fact—that the
liner was given no warning and made j
no resistance and was primarily a
passenger ship—the American gov
ernment declares throws "into the j
background any special circumstances
of detail” and lifts the case “out of
the class of ordinary subjects of diplo
matic discussion or international con
troversy.”
TEXT OF THE NOTE.
The text of the note follows:
“The Secretary of State, Ad Interim
to the American Ambassador at
Berlin.
"Department of State,
"Washington. June 9, 1915.
“American Ambassador. Berlin: You j
are instructed to deliver textually the j
following note to the Minister of For- j
eign Affairs:
"In compliance with Your Excel- j
lency’s request, I did not fail to trans- j
mit to my government immediately ,
upon their receipt, your note of May
28. In reply to my note of May 15, and j
your supplementary note of June 1. j
setting forth the conclusions so far
as reached by the Imperial German
Government concerning the attacks on j
the American steamers Cushing and
Gulflight. lam now instructed by ray
government to communicate the fol
lowing in reply: '
"The government of the United j
States notes with gratification the full !
recognition by the Imperial German
Government, in discussing the cases of j
the Cushing and the Gulflight of the
principle of the freedom of all parts
of the open sea to neutral ships and 1
the frank willingness of the Imperial ;
German Government to acknowledge
and meet its liabilities where the fact j
of attack upon neutral ships 'which
have not been guilty of any hostile
act’ by German aircraft vessels of war
is satisfactorily established, and the j
Government of the United States will,
in due course, lay before the Imperial
German Government, as it requests, j
full information concerning the attack
on the steamer Cushing.
THE FALABA CASE.
“With regard to the sinking of the !
steamer Falaba, by which an Ameri
can citizen lost his life, the Govern
ment of the United States is surprised
to find the Imperial German Govern
ment contending that an effort on the
part of a merchantman to escape cap
ture and secure assistance alters the
obligation of the officer seeking to
make the capture, in respect of the
WAR NEWS IN SHORT ORDER
The British bark Crown of India,
with a cargo of coal, and the Nor
wegian bark Bellglade, timber laden,
were sunk by a German submarine off
the Welsh coast.
Petrograd reports that in the battle
on the Dniester River from June 8 to
JO the Russians captured 348 officers
and 15,431 soldiers, with 78 machine
guns and 12 cannon.
safety of tb® lives or those on board
the merchantman, although tbe vessel
bad ceased her attempt to escape when
torpedoed. These are not new circum
stances. Tbey have been in the minds
jof statesmen and of international
I jurists throughout the development of
naval warfare, and the Government of
) the I/nited States does not understand
j that they have ever been held to alter
i the principles of humanity upon which
jit has insisted. Nothing but actual
forcible resistance or continued efforts
to escape by flight when ordered to
stop for the purpose of visit on the
part of the. merchantmen has ever
been held to forfeit the lives of her
passengers or crew. The Govern
ment of the United States, however,
! does not understand that the Imperial
| German Government is seeking in this
! case, to relieve itself of liability, but
j only intends to set forth the circum
stances which led the commander of
j the submarine to allow himself to be
hurried into the course which he took.
NO GUNS ON LUSITANIA.
"Your Excellency’s note, in discuss
ing the loss of American lives result
ing from the sinking of the steamship
Lusitania, adverts at some length to
certain information which the Imperial
j German government has received with
| regard to the character and outfit of
i that vessel, and your Excellency ex
j presses the fear that this information
may not have been brought to the at
tention of the government of the
United States. It is stated in the note
that the Lusitania was undoubtedly
equipped with masked guns, supplied
with trained gunners and special am
munition. transporting troops from
Canada, carrying a corgo not permitted
under the laws of the United States
i to a vessel also carrying passengers,
j afld serving, in virtual effect, as an
auxiliary to the naval forces of Great
Britain. Fortunately these are mat
i ters concerning which the government
of the United States is in a position to
give the Imperial German Government
official information. Of the facts al
leged in Your Excellency’s note, if
true, the government of the United
States would have been bound to take
official cognizance in performing its
recognized duty as a neutral power
and in enforcing its national laws. It
was its duty to see to it that the Lusi
tania was not armed for offensive
action, that she was not serving as a
j transport, that she did not carry a
| cargo prohibited by the statutes of the
j United States, and that, in fact, she
was a naval vessel of Great Britain,
she should not receive clearance as a
| merchantman: and it performed that
duty and enforced its statutes with
scrupulous vigilance through its regu-
I larly constituted officials. It is able,
therefore, to assure the Imperial Ger
man Government that it has been mis
informed If the Imperial German
Government should deem itself to be
l in possession of convincing evidence
that the officials of the government
.of the United States did not perform
these duties with thoroughness, the
government of the United States sin
j cerely hopes that it will submit that
I evidence for consideration.
IRRELEVANT CONTENTIONS.
"\\ batever may be the contentions
of the Imperial government regarding
: the carriage of contraband of war on
i board the Lusitania or regarding the
i explosion of that material by the tor
j pedo, it need only be said that in the
view of this government these conten
tions are Irrelevant to the question of
the legality of the methods used by
the German naval authorities in sink
ing the vessel.
"But the sinking of passenger ships
involves principles of humanity which
throw into the background any special
circumstances of detail that may be
| thought to affect the cases, principles
! which lift it, as the Imperial German
government will no doubt be quick to
recognize and acknowledge, out of the
class of ordinary subjects of diplomatic
discussion or of international contro
versy. Whatever be the other facts
regarding tbe Lusitania, the principal
fact is that a great steamer, primarily
and -chiefly a conveyance for passen
gers and carrying more than a thou-
Italian artillery bombarded the forti
fications of Santa Maria, San Marco,
San Lucia and the other positions de
fending Gorz, capital of the crown land
of Gorz and Gradisea, 22 miles north
. . weat of Trieste. The Italians occu
; pled Monte Zugna, dominating the
town of Rovereto, within sight of
| Trieste.
I I The Germans are proceeding with
i their attack on the Russian center on
i the River Rawka, west of Warsaw,
s where they also have been successful
i according to their report.
THE CITIZEN, FREDERICK, MD.
and souls who had no part or lot In
the conduct of the war. was torpedoed
and sunk without so much as a chal
lenge or a warning, and that men,
women and children were sent to their
death In circumstances unparalleled in
modern warfare. The fact that more
than 100 American citizens were
among those who perished made it the
duty of the government of the United
States to apeak of these things and
once more, with solemn emphasis, to
call the attention of the Imperial Ger
man government to the grave responsi
bility which the government of tha
United States conceives that it has in
curred in this tragic occurrence and
to the indisputable principle upon
which that responsibility rests.
ON GROUND OF HUMANITY.
The government of the United
States is contending for something
much greater than mere rights of prop
erty or privileges of commerce —it is
contending for nothing less high and
sacred than the rights of humanity,
which every government honors itself
in respecting and which no govern
ment is justified in resigning on behalf
of those under its care and authority.
Only her actual resistance to capture
or refusal to stop when ordered to do
so for the purpose of visit could have
afforded the commander of the sub
marine any justification for so much
as putting the lives of those on board
the ship in jeopardy. This principle
the government of the United States
understands the explicit instructions
issued August 3, 1914, by the Imperial
German Admiralty to its commanders
at sea to have recognized and em
bodied, as do the naval codes of all
other nations, and upon it every
traveler and seaman had a right to de
pend. It is upon this principle of hu
manity as well as upon the law found
ed upon this principle that the United
States must stand.
"The government of the United
States is happy to observe that Your
Excellency’s note closes with the in
timation that the Imperial German
Government is willing, now as before,
to accept the good offices of the
United States in an attempt to come
to an understanding with the govern
ment of Great Britain by which the
character and conditions of the war
upon the 6ea may be changed. The
government of the United States would
consider it a privilege thus to serve
its friends and the world. It stands
ready at any time to convey to either
government any intimation or sugges
tion the other may be willing to have
it convey and cordially invites the Im
perial German Government to make
use of its services in this way at its
convenience. The whole world is con
cerned in anything that may bring
about even a partial accommodation
of interests or in any way mitigate the
terrors of the present distressing con
flict.
"In the meantime, whatever ar
rangements may happily be made be
tween the parties to the war and what
ever may in the opinion of the Im
perial German Government have been
the provocation or the circumstantial
justification for the past acts of its
commanders at sea, the government of
the United States confidently looks to
see the justice and humanity of the
government of Germany vindicated in
all cases where Americans have been
wronged or their rights as neutrals in
vaded.
"The government of the United
States, therefore, very earnestly and
very solemnly renews the original rep
resentation of its note transmitted to
the Imperial German Government on
the 15th of May, and relies in these
representations upon the principles of
humanity, the universally recognized
understandings of international law
and the ancient friendship of the Ger
man nation.
RIGHTS OF NEUTRALS.
"The government of the United
States cannot admit that the proclama
tion of a war zone from which neutral
ships have been warned to keep away
may be made to operate as in any de
gree an abbreviation of the rights
either of American shipmasters or of
American citizens bound on lawful
errands as passengers on merchant
ships of belligerent nationality. It
does not understand the Imperial Ger
man government to question those
rights. It understands it, also, to ao
cept as established beyond question
the principle that the lives of non
combatants cannot lawfully or right
fully be put in jeopardy by the cap
ture or destruction of an unresisting
merchantman, and to recognize the
obligation to take sufficient precaution
to ascertain whether a suspected mer
chantman is in fact of belligerent na
tionality or is in fact carrying contra
band of war under a neutral flag. The
government of the United States
therefore deems it reasonable to ex
pect that the Imperial German govern
ment will adopt the measures neces
sary to put these principles into prac
tice in respect to the safeguarding of
American lives and American ships,
and asks for assurances that this will
be done.
"ROBERT LANSING,
“Secretary of State ad interim.”
TELE6RAPH TICKS
The Georgia Prison Commission de
clined to recommend to Governor Sla
ton a commutation of the death sen
tence of Leo M. Frank, convicted of
the murder of Mary Phagan.
The entire 25 deputies involved in
the court proceedings which followed
the killing of two strikers and wound
ing of others were released in bail at
[ New Brunswick, N. J.
j THE GREAT WHITE LIE |
■.. i-i--. t *
NOTE TO GREAT
BRITAIN SOON
U. S. to Insist on Change in
Operation of Blockade.
GERARD DELIVERS NOTE
Probably Willing To Concede the
American Demand That Unarmed
Passenger Ships Be Immune Pro
viding Great Britain Concedes the
Failure Of Its Attempt To Starve
Out Germany and Abandon It.
A cablegram from Ambassador Ger
ard to the State Department an
nounced the delivery of President Wil
son’s note to the German Foreign Of
fice. No answer is expected imme
diately. Indeed, It may well be a fort
night before the German reply is hand
ed to Mr. Gerard. Herr Meyer-Ger
hard. Count von Bernstorff’s emissary,
cannot arrive in Berlin for several
days, and it is certain that the German
government will not until his arrival
take up seriously the question of giv
ing President Wilson the assurances
he demands for the future safeguard
ing of American lives and American
ships.
Optimistic Feeling.
There is a feeling of pronounced
optimism in Washington. It is be
lieved that the German government
will respond to President Wilson’s ap
peal for humanity and that it will
make every effort to comply with the
demands of the note. President Wil
son does not demand the abandonment
of the fearful havoc which the German
submarines are playing on British
shipping, but he does demand that
unarmed and unresisting merchantmen
carrying passengers, whether belliger
ent or neutral, shall be immune from
further attack.
There is authority for the belief
that the German government will make
this concession, provided Great
Britain In turn concedes the failure
of Its “hunger crusade” policy and
abandons It.
Wilson Will Co-Operate.
President Wilson will heartily co
operate with the Germans in any sug
gestions that will induce Great Britain
to rescind its orders which forbid the
transportation of foodstuffs tor non
competence in Germany. Secretary
Lansing said that this government
could not initiate negotiations with
Great Britain to that end, especially as
previous overtures to Great Britain
had been disregarded by that govern
ment. President Wilson in his note
Invites the German government to
make suggestions which this govern
ment will gladly convey to Great
Britain, but until these suggestions
have been received nothing will be
done.
GERMANS NEED PAPER.
Syndicate Makes Appeal For Suppres
sion Of High Duty.
London. —A syndicate of German
newspaper publishers has addressed to
Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg, ac
cording to a Berlin dispatch to the Ex
change Telegraph Company, a request
for the immediate suppression of the
duty on foreign paper. The publish
ers declare that unless this is done it
is doubtful if they will be able to con
tinue the publication of their papers
it the war continues for an extended
period, as present prices are virtually
prohibitive and their losses of revenue
as the result of the conflict average 50
per cent.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC HIT AGAIN.
Patents To $15,000,000 011 Lands
Fraudulent, Court Says.
Los Angeles.—Ten sections of Cali
fornia oil lands near the town of Mc-
Kittrick, Kern county, valued at $15,-
000.000, wPre declared to have been
fraudulently patented by the Southern
Pacific Railroad Company in a de
cision by Judge Robert S. Bean, of the
United States District Court for
Oregon, filed here.
BUN'S REASONS
FORJESIGIING
Explains Wherein He Differed
With President.
WEDDED TO PEACE TREATIES
Former Premier Also Declare* That
Americans Should Be Warned Not
To Travel On Vessels Carry
ing Munitions Of War.
Washington. William Jennings
Bryan retired Wednesday at Secretary
of State. His first act as a private
citizen was to issue a statement ex
plaining his reasons for leaving the
Cabinet and announcing that he in
tended to lay his view of what the
American policy toward Germany
should be before the public for judg
ment.
The statement came as a sensation
al climax to a day of farewell speeches
and good wishes from President \\ 11-
son and executive colleagues of the
retiring secretary.
In his explanation Mr. Bryan reveal
ed that the President had not felt justi
fied in adopting two suggestions made
by his Secretary of State —that an of
fer should be made to Germany to sub
mit the questions in dispute with the
United States to an international com
mission for investigation during a
year’s time and that meanwhile Ameri
cans should, by proclamation, be
warned not to take passage on any
belligerent ships or on American ves
sels carrying ammunition. These
propositions Mr. Bryan expects to
urge on the people "in the hope of
securing such an expression of public
sentiment as will support the Presi
dent in employing these remedies if
in the future he finds it consistent with
his sense of duty to favor them.”
Officials Amazed.
Mr. Bryan’s statement was received
with undisguised amazement in official
quarters. No comment was made at
the White House, but some high offi
cials indicated that they believed it
most unfortunate that so pronounced
an expression of opinion should be
made public while the discussion with
Germany was in progress.
The principle advocated by Mr.
Bryan is embodied in treaties of peace
negotiated by the United Stateß with
30 nations, and was accepted by Ger
many although no convention ever was
drafted. The statement is a condensa
tion of the argument which Secretary
Bryan has been making repeatedly to
President Wilson in the last few
weeks, and upon which he hopes to
build up a public sentiment in the
United States that will make war with
Germany impossible.
The issuance of the explanation had
been timed to coincide exactly with
the despatch of the American note to
Germany.
MORE GOLD FROM CANADA.
To Stabilize Exchange Between New
York and London.
New York.—Another installment of
gold, amounting to $5,000,000, was re
ceived at the subtreasury from Ottawa
for account of J. P. Morgan & Co. This
I makes a total of $30,000,000 received
i from Canada by special arrangement
between Morgan A Co. and London
bankers during the past three weeks.
The arrangement is designed to sta
bilize exchange rates between this cen
tre and London, which recently fell to
I the lowest quotation in many years.
|
I CHAMP CLARK’S SON TO WED.
I '■ . .
Bennett To Marry Miss Helen M. Rob
nett, Of Columbia, Mo.
Columbia, Mo. —The engagement of
Miss Helen Morton Robnett, of Colum
bia, and Bennett Clßrk. son of Champ
Clark, Speaker of the National House
jof Representatives, was announced.
| The wedding date ha* not been set.
: Mr. Clark is a clerk at the Speaker’s
table in the House of Representatives.
He i* 25 years old and bis bride-to-be
la two years his junior.
HE LIMIT WILL
BE SET FOB ME®
President Wilson Will Giv
Leaders 30 to 60 Days, *
TO BRING ABOUT pe ACe
Neither Villa Nor Carranza Di spoiM
To Flaunt United States-Fi*
Chief Wants Rec
ognition.
Washington.— President Wilson
take up with his Cabinet this"!?
consideration of the replies which r
ranza and Villa have made to his
ment of June 3, warning the rival l“,!
ers to get together and restore
and order in Mexico.
At the same time Du Yal West a
Ban Antonio, Texas, who was ',!!
President’s last special investigator h
Mexico and whose report on
there was responsible for the chant!
in policy, will return to Washing,
to confer with the President.
It is confidentially expected in oil
cial circles that the next step taken h
the President will be the
another statement, giving the rival
factions from 30 to 60 days in
to compose their differences and briny
about peace.
One Of Three Causes Likely.
Should they fall to do this, officials
here believe that the President tin
take one of the following three
courses:
First—Accord recognition to that
faction which appears best able in
handle the situation and, by establish
ing an embargo on the shipment
arms and ammunition from this coun
try* to any other faction, discriminate
actively in favor of the faction rec
ognized : or,
Second—Seek out a leader of ut-
Identified activity with either Carranta
or Villa or their respective factions,
and by similar favors assist this 'dart
horse” to restore peace and set up a
government; or.
Third—Send the United States Army
into Mexico to clean up the countiy,
and by force compel the discordant
elements to get together.
This, it was recalled, was the method
which the United States was compelled
to employ in Cuba after the Spanish-
American War. when rival factions
were threatening to disrupt the gov
ernment of that republic.
Not Promising For Harmony.
While Administration officials *ee
an element of hope in the fact that
neither Carranza nor Villa seems dis
posed to flaunt the United States, their
replies, when taken together, are lit
from promising a harmonious adjust
ment. Villa, on the one hand, not
only proposes, in line with President
Wilson’s suggestion, a conference of
leaders to draw up a plan for the it
establishment of order, but inform
President Wilson that he has already
Bent invitations to that end to Car
ranza, Zapata and Provisional Preti
dent Chizaro.
Carranza, however, while graciously
offering to eliminate himself in the to
te-rest of peace, postpones the day ol
his elimination to the time when bo
shall have crushed Villa and Zapata
Meanwhile the wily old chieftain ei
presses the wish and the hope IM,
President Wilson will assist him to*
consummation of his plans by accß||
lng him recognition and the pit
rogatives thereof.
STRANGE MALADY APPEARI
Stock and People Victims Of West Vk.
ginia Epidemic.
Grafton, W. Va.—Taylor and Bar
bour counties have been visited TO
strange malady, which is not onljlf
fecting horses and cattle, but
as well. The families of D. G. he*
J. J. Gainor and Bruce Philips,
miles south of Grafton, have W
quarantined by orders of Dr. he ’
of the State Board of Health,
been working on the cases tor
than a week. Several persons
horses, cattle and mules have deve ,
ed the disease. It is somewhat
lar to the foot-and-mouth disease
is said to be quite as serious.
FOUR CHILDREN POISONED.
Mother Then Alleged To HaveCutH*
Throat.
Wakefield, Mass.—Despondent
the recent death of a child. Mrs
Ennis, wife of a carpet maker,
leged to have given her our , r
lng children poison and then m
cut her throat with a razor - „
forts of several doctors probably* 1 m
the lives of the children, 1
mother died.
TO REST TWO WEEKS.
•cyan Points Out That No-Seer
Ever Worked Harder.
Washington. —Mr. Bryan
that he will devote the next
to resting. In a *
lng his movements. Mr. ■
phasized that none of his pr*
bad served more hours at 1
greater number of days In
and added that Mrs. Bryan, .
Bhared the strains with him, j
In need of a rest