Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-02-15 | Page 6 | An Obscure Philosopher

AX OBSCURE PHILOSOPHER.' lr. Alfred Zimmermann, 'Wilhelm- sirasse, Berlin, Prussia, is, we fear, a follower of the obscurantist school of j thought. Jlerr Doctor Zimmermaun sus-I sus-I I i pei-ts that the British are engaged in the , E-inihter task of -transmitting untruths to Germany about conditions in the United States and to the United States about conditions in Germany. His proofs, however, are surrounded by a baffling atmosphere of obscurity. "Thus," says Doctor Zimmcrmann, " have serious reason for the belief that up to the present moment the Kng-iish Kng-iish measure ( designation of a new mine zone in the North sea) is unknown, by which Kngland has 1arred a large "area I of 1 lie North sea and warned all neutral neu-tral ships not to enter that district, because be-cause every-ship within the zone would be, without regard to nationality, exposed ex-posed to the danger of destruction." Will the good Ilerr Doctor Zimmer-maiui Zimmer-maiui explain how England could keep a mine zone secret by warning neutrals to stay away from it? How can one at the same time tell a certain thing and keep it a secret ? Perhaps that is one of the arts which the Prussians have invented since the war began. Great Britain proclaimed a new zone of stationary mines in the North sea and warned neutral ships away from tho mined areas. It was illegal and one could quite understand Doctor Zimmer-mann Zimmer-mann if he confined himself to a discussion dis-cussion of the illegality of the procedure, proce-dure, but he seeks to convey tho impression im-pression as a matter of fact we do not ; know just what he seeks to convey, for we are not adepts in the obscurantist philosophy. ''This measure," pursues Doctor Zim-mermann, Zim-mermann, "was taken by the English several days earlier than the corresponding correspond-ing German measure (unrestricted submarine sub-marine warfare together with the sowing sow-ing of mines) which is so much discussed in the United States. A measure which genuinely corresponded corre-sponded to the English measure would be to plant stationary mines at certain points along the coasts of England or Ireland or both and to warn neutrals to stay away from the danger points. If these areas blocked certain harbors the neutrals would not be endangered, for they would know just where the mines were planted and would not enter the zones. It is Doctor Zimmermann's real purpose, pur-pose, we imagine, to argue that there is no difference between blockade by stationary sta-tionary mines and blockade by unrestricted unre-stricted submarine warfare and floating float-ing mines. One essential difference is that mining enemy harbors is recognized by international law as legitimate warfare. war-fare. The illegality of the English stationary sta-tionary mine fields lies in the fact that the mines are planted far out to sea and along those laues where neutral ships have a perfect right to travel. International law, while it does not fully justify the English measure, is utterly ut-terly opposed to the German measure of setting mines afloat in the open sea and of using warships to sink all vessels, whether neutral or belligerent, without warning and without providing for the safety of passengers. Doctor Zimmerman Zimmer-man n might reply that the distinctions are slight, but it is only necessary to consider con-sider the consequences to see that there is a radical difference. In the one case there is no loss of life; in the other there is. "But we have given warning and neutrals should stay out of the forbidden zones just as they stay out of the English Eng-lish mine fields," Doctor Zimmermann might say. "There need be no loss of life if you stop trading with England." The German blockade does not leave any routes open to trade at all. English mines in themselves do not even prevent us from trading with Germany, for there are a number of routes to German Ger-man ports that are not blocked by mines. Nevertheless the government at Washington Wash-ington has protested against the English Eng-lish mine zones, but as there has been no loss of life nor even of ships the protests pro-tests cannot take the form of our protests pro-tests to Germany.