OCR Text |
Show CABINET HOLDS CONFERENCE Of GERMAN REPLY Opinion Generally Held That Berlin Government Has No Intention Blowing Blow-ing Up American Ships. CRISIS POSSIBLE, BUT NOT PROBABLE United States Dealing Separately Sepa-rately With Belligerents and Has No Concern With Outcome. By International News Service. WASHINGTON, Feb. 19. The new diplomatic dip-lomatic development today in the relations rela-tions between the United States and Germany Ger-many growing out of the German reply which was considered fully at the cabinet Aa Germany admits that it is impossible impos-sible for submarines. without courting their own destruction, fully to Identify Uie nationality of a merchantman, and as international law requires absolutely such identification before attack, Germany must use some other means to secure the i knowledge required by the law of nations na-tions and The Hague conventions. All cabinet officers today spoke of the German note as It appeared in the press dispatches as authentic and indicated that upon it the answer to Germany might be foreshadowed. The opinion Is pretty generally held here that the United States knows, directly di-rectly or with satisfactory Indirection, that Germany had no intention of destroying destroy-ing United States vessels in her war zones by torpedoes or any other means of destruction. de-struction. The conviction is uppermost in the mind of most officials that the purpose pur-pose of Germany was to force Great JHHtam to cciie-o t:.e: nn.iuse o; neutral flags as a means of escape from the German Ger-man navy. Question for Diplomats. Because of this conviction, It is thought that the questions between Great Britain and the United States and between Germany Ger-many and the United States will remain; In the domain of diplomacy for an indefinite indef-inite period. Officials say very frankly, however, that a crisis might be precipitated by the blowing up of an American merchantman merchant-man and the loss of American lives by a mine. But even should such a momentous catastrophe occur, It was said tonight by a high official generally reputed to have the clearest mind fn the administration administra-tion that it would be proper, as two nations na-tions appear to be sowing mines, for this government to determine which nation was the offender before taking any action. There was no alteration today in the general opinion expressed yesterday that there would be no justification for' ceasing ceas-ing American commerce with Europe simply because of the establishment by Germany of war zones. No Fright Over Here. It was hinted today at the White House, for instance, that American vessels might take further steps to Identify themselves In foreign waters. Such action bv ships, it is said, might be demanded of them bv the maritime insurance companies of New York, for instance. It is not known here whether such plans are afoot In New York. AH the indications, however, were that American commerce has not been unduly un-duly frightened. The state department announced today1 that Great Britain had suspended "travel" j hetween English ports and the continent. ' Secretary Bryan understands that this means passenger traffic. The British order evidently will not Interfere with British ships and American ships traveling travel-ing to or from the United States. It has been suggested by one official here that the new British order will be followed almost Immediately by a declaration declara-tion of a blockade of German ports. C.itiia Sam CiimmnJ TT A succinct exposition of the relations at this moment between the United States and Germany and the United States and England was given tonight to the Inter- i national News Service from a very high I American source. He sums them up this wn y ; There Is no Anglo-German-American question. The United States is dealing separately with each nation. We maintain that Germany has no right to stop neutral ships to and from neutral ports unless she announces and maintains main-tains a blockade. Germany has no right to istop or interfere inter-fere with American shipping except for tiie right of search and visitation unless she shall have established an adequate blockade of English ports. The specific cause of trouble with Germany Ger-many might disappear if American ships should voluntarily avoid the war zone but we have no right to embargo shipping and will not do so. We have a contention with Great Britain as to her use of the American flag and her undue detention of American vessels seized by the British cruisers That is not the concern of Germany We have a contention with German y as to her right to destiov an American vessel in her war zone. That Is our concern con-cern with Germany and England has nothing to do with it. Germany nnd England have a contfln tion as to war zones and retaliation and starvation and other mutually interest -ing policies. With the German-English questions we are not concerning ourselves as mediators or otherwise. FRENCH COMMENT ON GERMAN REPLY TO U. 5. PROTEST PARIS. Feb. 19. f.:o5 p. m. All the evening papers devote contidfrable spar to the German reply to the A rjiei iran note concerning neutral shipping in the sea war zone crea ted by Vr.e Germa ii proclamation. The SMiiu'-ofTicIal Temps, in (Continued on Pago Two.) 1 CUE! CONFERS ON GERMAN REPLY (Continued from Page One.) a leading article, sys t?at Germany :y making a supreme effort to avoid the con-serp con-serp ier.ee of ;tn inevitable fooil sbr'a0. and that whatever be the extenuating circumstances and judicial appearances bv which Germany suirounds it.- pretentions, preten-tions, the. United States ran only refuse to w before methods, of war menu cine to the neutral countries The United States, continues tile Temps. certainly will not lend irsieif to the plan? of th Germans who want to use them aeainst England and her allies in order to prolong pro-long the contest fur universal domination. domina-tion. The conservative Republican Journal: Pes Debatis ron'-ludes tue German reply : is simply a refusal to compiv with the protests of the Va.h!neton cabinet. "This i reporter! to have caused In the L'nitr-d tStmeg disappointment and indignation." in-dignation." savs the p,-per. "The flrM surpris-'H us because nothing eise muld be expected from Germany and the tec-, ond is natural and jtiUfVd." WAR ZONE ORDER UPHELD BY THE GERMAN PRESS AMSTERDAM. Feb. K, a Ixndon. 11:33 a. m. A dipa'ri received hf-ve fro;n Berlin quotas the Vosfdahe Zm tunic on the latent German eornmu nica tion to the L'nited States an follows: The new German measures at sea are directed" ijgain.sr. two of Ihe alhs of Great Britain. One is !,. American Ameri-can ir.iff.e in arms and the other Is starva tion. We need no A in'Tira n arms. Wo chall make the s-trutrKle with starvation in the firm conM'iuus-neH conM'iuus-neH that we will pull through even If not one- FlnKle raiti of wheat reaches us. Grey t. Britain, as a re-pult re-pult of our hlo' hdde, must experience severe damage. The Lokal Anzgejer nays: February IS was the hghininer of a defensive, fight of a people, threatened threat-ened with starvation, h people which must fight for its existencj and which, in this flirht for its life, must and will push a-ide a'l considerations for third parties, Coiisideia t ion of others toward us already has b-tti eliminated. Tim fight we entered upon February IS must be fought with all recklessness or not at all. and w Germans iiave resolved to ftght without with-out resrard for the conserjuen'-e?. |