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Show Steady Accumulation of Violations of American Rights by Germany Makes It Possible President Presi-dent Wilson Will Soon Appear Before Congress. Con-gress. DEFENSE PLANS BEING PUSHED Freight Is Piling Up at the Eastern Seaboard Cities and the Situation Situa-tion Is Becoming Unbearable; Un-bearable; Release of Yarrowdale Prisoners to Be Demanded. WASHINGTON, Feb. H. The steady accumulation of violations of American rights by Germany insula it appear possible possi-ble 1 today that President Wilson would so before 001151 e.s to ask authority lor further protecting lives and property without with-out waiting for a serious disaster which might shock the country. There are iow no indications, however, that he believed the time for such a step had come, and it again was stated authoritatively that he would move deliberately and with fuil appreciation of all the eonsci nonces involved. in-volved. Official reports of the sinking of the American schooner Lyman M. Uw in the Mediterranean by an Austrian submarine added only slightly to the tension, for while the act is believed to have been illegal, il-legal, no lives were lost find the vessel apparently was warned. The incident was not looked upon as one in itself sufficient to hurry the development of the situation. situa-tion. Congestion of Freight. Preliminary reports began coming lo government departments snowing the piling pil-ing up about the Atlantic seaboard of goods destined for export to European ports. No serious effect from this condition condi-tion will be felt, however, until lapse of sufficient time for ships remaining In American ports to have gone to Kurope and returned. While only approximately 10 per cent of American commerce with Kurope is carried on American ships the sailings of vessels of other nationalities in many Instances have either been cancelled can-celled or postponed, and therefore the result re-sult of t he ruthless submarine campaign in time will result In far-reaching disturbance dis-turbance of the industrial life of th United States. , Preparations Go Forward. Preparations by the government for any eventualities still are going forward without with-out interruption. Much Importance is attached at-tached to the work of the council of national na-tional defense, which is holding daily sessions ses-sions for the purpose of learning at firsthand first-hand from Americans of experience what provision must be made to co-ordinate American resources. K. S. Stettinius of J. B. Morgan & Co.. New York, was again before the council today furnishing information gained from experience as bead of his firm's huge transactions in war orders for the entente allies. It was stated dining the day that It whs entirely possible the government would take no steps toward actually furnishing arms to American ships unless and until the president decides he should go before congress. Complex Questions Arise. While the Etale riepa rtment takee th position that the govern men t ha s 1 he right to furnish the guns, other questions which make the c; nest ion more complex have arisen. Thr greatest of these is the determination of the president to do noth-ing-whh'h might glv Germany th excuse ex-cuse in am- trouble which may follow to place the resrousibility upon the I'mtel States. Consul Treadwsy at pome forward el dispatches todav phowine that the schooner schoon-er 1 aw w.i s sunk by "an Austrian submarine sub-marine without flag,"' apparently by placing a lxnb aboard aftt-r tne vrss-1 had bf-en stopped. The i cj-oi ts indict to that the v-psel was illegally sunk, as her caro of lumber is nnt considered contraband contra-band hv this government, hik) that thp 1 e-ogmzed rnlf of t he set that n war craft :i!iit show its Hhk before taking hostile action was violate I. May Break With Austria. Most serious of the aspects of the imfs is t lie statement t!it th1 submarine u ;i s Austrian, in repH'ing to tb1 queries that will be sent to Vienna as to the facts of the sinking, it is thnuuht more than pioh-jihle pioh-jihle that Aus'.rla may make some M;itp-ment M;itp-ment which will precipitate t!n r-xpP. t ,.-( break with that country. Hficl;,ls havi ;idmiTtf,1 that Austria lias sent a submarine sub-marine note identical wuh iJermanv's. but so far this count rv has held off fiorn extending the severance of rclu ions to that country. The question of the a r ma in en t of (Continued 011 Fae Two.) j Ml! 10T WAIT FOR SERiOOS DIM (Continued from Page One.) -A V American merchantmen seemed to be temporarily disposed of today by the official offi-cial statement that there were no guns in the, country to be had by shipowners unless the governirlent provided them and the strong- intimation that tiie president presi-dent expects to go before congress again before committing the government to a policy of furnishing arms. President Wilson Wil-son is said to feel that he promised congress con-gress he would consult that body again before he took the next step toward protecting pro-tecting American lives and property 'on the hish seas, aiv that official partici-pation'in partici-pation'in the armament of merchantmen would constitute such a next step. Peremptory Demand Probable. The detention Vy Germany of the sev-eniy-two American sailors brought in as prisoners on the p:ze shin YarrowdaVe wilf result in a perunptory demand for their release within a few days. Navy department officials let it be known that there are absolutely no gun mou n tings and very lit tie ammunition in the country not directly under govern-menT govern-menT ownership and that there are no guns of the type wanted Hearing completion comple-tion in American factories, either for this cpun try or foreign government, which could he released for American shipowners. shipown-ers. Reports in answer to u.ueries by the state department already are coming in from tiie outlying possessions of the United States as to the treatment of Herman crews there, and a complete statement on that subject will be sent to Germany as soon as possible, accompanied accompa-nied by the demand for tiie freedom of the American sailors held in Germany. Exclusive of the seventy-two Van ow-dale ow-dale prisoners, it is thought the number o r" na t i v e A m e r i ca n s in Ge r m a n y has fallen since the break from about f0n to leg? than -50. with perhaps another fifty in Austria. The exact number of native Americans in Bulgaria and Turkey, who i probably cannot be reached in any circumstance, cir-cumstance, is unknown. Inquiry ,to Turkey. Another inquirv was sent to Turkey lodav asking Ambassador Elkus why he had not been able to report to tiie department depart-ment as to the condition of the 3 000 Americans, naturalized and others, ma-moned ma-moned in Svria, and as to whether Tur-kev Tur-kev plans to carrv out Germany's suns marine poli'-v with the submarine she is known to have. Steps were also taken to learn where all reports from both Tur-i Tur-i key and Bui-aria, since the break with GeVmanv, have been held up. It is assumed as-sumed that it is at Vienna, through which all communications to those countries coun-tries pass. |