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Show SINKING OF THE ALGONQUIN WILL NOT BRING ON WAR WASHINGTON, March 14. Consul Stephens at Plymouth reported the sinking sink-ing of the Algonquin in the following dispatch: dis-patch: "Steamer Algonquin of New York, from New York for London with foodstuffs, sunk bv German submarine sixty-five miles west of Bishop's Rock, March 12. 6 a. m. Captain reports vessel not warned and sunk by ehellfire. . Crew of twenty-seven twenty-seven all saved in own boats. Submarine Subma-rine refused assistance. No other boats in Bight." In the absence of official dispatches on the destruction of the steamer Algonquin, officials withheld comment, but the unofficial un-official view was that nothing in the incident in-cident changes the situation between the United States and Germany. President WSison already has , taken steps to place the nation in a state of armed neutrality, which, with the breaking break-ing of diplomatic relations with Germany. Ger-many. Is practically the last measure possible short of war. American ships now ase being armed to defend themselves them-selves against unlawful eu'bmarlne attack. at-tack. The general view today Is that arming of shit is is the only answer to submarine operations short of a declaration declara-tion of war, which may be made only by congress. The circumstances that the Algonquin carried foodstuffs, which are contraband, and that she recently was transferred from British to American registry, a transaction Germany might plead she would not recognize, are not taken to outweigh the fact that the ship was reported re-ported destroyed without warning. Neither does tho fact that apparently no lives were lost mitigate- the situation. But the real fact, as unofficially expressed, ex-pressed, is that, while the destruction of an American ship in such a manner is very serious, the American government already has taken all the steps it can take to meet such a case, unless it wishes to take the last step and declare war. The real issue of peace or war is expected ex-pected to come when an American armed ship has a clash with a German eubma-rine. eubma-rine. A series of destructions of American ships probably would arouse congress to a declaration of war, if, indeed. Germany should not declare war on the United States, as many expect, as a result of the first encounter with one of her submarines. sub-marines. Up to the present, in the absence of action by congress, all that could be done to meet such a case as the destruction of the Algonquin already has been done. It is generally accepted on first reports as not being the "overt act." |