Show Editors See Danger toI to I America in Submarine Warfare Close to Home HomeS S the European war finally to be brought to American shores IS Reading the editorials in the leading newspapers of the United States I one can easily see that the tho fear of this is steadily growing especially throughout the East When tho the startling announcement was made that the German submarine U 53 had sent several British and neutral merchant steamers and one passenger boat to the bottom of the Atlantic near the territorial waters of the United States the newspapers confined themselves to expressions of astonishment and admiration tion for the daring of the submarines submarine's commander and the skill in bringing his small craft across the Atlantic and striking such swift and deadly blows The mystery of the undersea undersea b boats boat's oat s d. d disappearance h however wever and the speculation as to whether she will return with sister submarines and wage a vigorous campaign near the American shores against boats laden with American products bound for Europe save caused a plain feeling of nervousness Editors of the leading newspapers realize the danger that war so close to to home will create The ruling of this government in the Appam case was that captured merchant vessels vessels could could not be brought to American prize courts In a signed editorial in The Fatherland leading spokesman for German- German Americans in this country its editor George Sylvester Viereck says Those who complain that the U 53 sinks ships without attempting to capture them should remember that our American breach of the treaty with Prussia makes it Impossible for German submarines to carr carry their prizEs prizE's Into Amerl American an ports Tile The state departments department's decision In the case of the Appam is coming home to roost and to plague Mr Lansing Tile The British lawyers of the state department now discover that the laugh Is on them and their masters He reminds us that the British ambassador only recently contended contended that the sea belongs to all and predicts that soon America will have havea a tearful appeal requesting this government to protect British ships not only within the three-mile three limit but on their voyage across the sea Says Editor Our own American u manufacturers not the Germans have brought the war to our shores The appearance of the U 53 indicates n a anew new phase of submarine warfare It should mean the end of shipments from the United States to the allies Commenting on the fact that British and French warships have been I hovering near American territorial waters for months ready to sink any ship carrying supplies to Germany The Fath Fatherlands Fatherland's rland's edit editor r says The blockade of Germany is fictitious The blockade of America is isreal isreal real reat Indeed We may trust to Germany German to break both In any case Captain Captain Cap Cap- f intended tain n Rose Jet to merely administer pave gave to the eu the allies I Deutschland a dose of r the American 1 same n medicine waters i se outside T e t the h three-mile three limit are no longer safe for the contraband wares of or the allies and those who object to th the transferring of the war to the Western Vestern world forget that Canada Is one of the belli belligerents They forget that British cruisers overhaul American ships within view of ot Long Island The U 53 we e trust is the first of the huge hu flotilla of commerce destroyers The rights of German submarines t to ask merchant merchant ships carrying contraband contraband contraband contra contra- band supplies to the allies is J ithe the New York Evening World which says The cry cry 3 in m some q quarters ua that Germany has no right tp sink S shi shir's 3 3 so close to American shores This notion Is absurd Three j r oJ miles mile fr gm m the Am American coast uie ue A Atlantic is a legitimate field for tor the Wu pa at operations of any any nation pation so ion Ion Ionas as American rights are respected The New York Herald however refers to warfare now being waged by Germany in American waters as A deliberately unfriendly act The time for arguing over niceties of international law has passed says this influential NeW York daily which demands that Count von Bernstorff German ambassador be told that unless there is is- immediate cessation of this warfare In American waters he hel will be given his passports and the pretense of friendship between the two nations will be at an end Many newspapers contend that submarines cannot possibly wage warfare against commerce and strictly stay within the rules laid down by international agreement as as it is necessary for them to place passengers in open boats They are not able give to-give to give proper protection to innocent persons when they capture a a merchantman merchantman- argue these editors Other Influential papers contend that the limits of territorial waters should be extended as asat at present the nation assumes no jurisdiction beyond three miles of its shore This limitation is insufficient and no no way satisfies modern possibilities is the argument advanced The liThe range of guns has more than quadrupled says one editor and as this was th the original standard the territorial waters which the state should control ought to be measured by the longest possible of its existing ordnance Naval battles fought within three miles of our c coast ast line with guns having havinga a range range of twelve to twenty miles would naturally endanger American coast cities The ultra conservative Bradstreets Bradstreet's trade journal sees the danger In this new submarine submarine activity activity saying The authorities at Washington are watching I the situation with keen interest for it is realized that with the submarine warfare brought se so close to the shores of the United States the possibilities of I I serious complications are very considerably bly increased The comments below clipped from editorials of many of the nations nation's leading newspapers show the trend of opinion pinion of this new menace to the peace of the United States Anxious Days Afloat N. N Y Herald erald After an alarming week in shipping circles owing to th the raid of the PrUssian Prussian sian elan submarine U 53 conditions are quieter but have by no means reached the tle n normal condition of passenger steamship traffic to European waters The five vessels attacked and sunk were with one exception cargo carriers and more by good fortune than by any regard for the obligations of humanity no loss of life occurred The pres present nt haunts of the raider are unknown for her disappearance was Jas as sudden as her appearance and until this is settled the distrust of shippers and own owners rs will not be removed Up to British Navy N N. Y Evening World Merchant 1 vessels both within a and d without the area declared a naval war zone shall shall not not be sunk without warning and without saving human lives The United States government will assure itself that that pledge e still holds The The rest rest Is up to the British navy More Trouble for a Great Neutral Seattle Times The p presence of foreign warships cruisers destroyers and submarines off oft the Atlantic Atlantic- coast coupled with the patrol established by United States destroyers destroyers de de- de- de from Bar Harbor Me to New York indic indicates tes the existence e of a serious situation involving not only the safety of merchantmen plying to and from American ports but the continued neutrality of ot American waters as well The presence of these hostile naval detachments off oft the American coast makes action by the United States fleet necessary t 9 The destroyer patrol is designed to prevent infraction of ot American rights and ana neutrality as well as t to extend aid if necessary to the passengers rs or crews of vessels sunk by the submersibles Commodities Affected ted by U-Boat U Operations Bradstreets Bradstreet's Trade Journal TournaI Submarine operations ns off our our coast led to some unsettlement in prices of commodities this week Cotton and grain gram prices weakened temporarily on the pr prospect of ot interruption to our export trade many ships being h held ld up for a time in their sailings railings gs Submarines May Be Expected Ana Anaconda onda Standard Our east coast could be blockaded by ten submarines of ot the type of f the U 53 which raided along the Atlantic coast Such is the statement of Simon Lake pioneer builder of submarines He may b be right The submarine has I vast possibilities as a destroyer of merchant shipping It is our opinion the tho U U 53 53 is coming back and on its return will be accompanied by half halt a dozen submersibles of equal power and the Deutschland as a a. supply ship When ihen this nest of submarines appears there will be consternation among shipping election h o on n the Atlantic coast The submarines can be looked for tor prior to Germanys Germany's Pledge N. N Y M Morning World The United Stat states s. s is not concerned with the place of ot operation of German submarine lne warfare pro provided nr that it is outside the three-mile three limit of American waters r me methods methods th It 0 is s 0 of concerned such warfare only with German Germanys Germany's s unqualified pledges relative to the thein theme 1916 T Those which pledges e the g in heir their final r form orm rm are to be found in the reply dated May 5 6 followed followed the aft attack ac German upon foreign the Sussex office made to the American ultImatum which ment The of the German government g guided by this idea notifies the government govern- govern men following on order orS United ted States that German Gnan naval forces have received the I the J In destruction st accordance f nc of with the general principles of visit and search and I m merchant ant vessels recognized by international la law such vessels bO both h W without and within the area declared a war zone il shall unless not Eu the e ebS bS be ship I sunk a attempt sis Without r to escape warning and without ss saving human ss ll lites I offer resistance President d Wilson YI said all that or yesterday when he I issued the fOl following g s statement need be said on that subject The count country tray rest assured will be bethe bethe held held to the co complete f that tha the German government fulfilment of of its promises to the government of the United States State I fulfill them have ae no right now to question its willingness to to Subject to the pledge ot of blay M ay 5 the German government IS wen well Wit within 1 I its ts rights In sending submarines across the Atlantic to attack the commerce of its enemies Whether t its s I boats U-boats boats Irish coast or ort off are operating off of the Nantucket lightship th the thI law I is the same the same and the responsibilities are re the same m same the obligations are the I Survival of Piracy I Albany Argus The present practice is spoliation and slave hunting a sur survival Vl a 1 fr from the times when all war was piracy j. j People Will Decide I Brooklyn Eagle The court of last resort in hI this country country nt is 8 not the thc government hut gift the tho j l Continued page 5 50 JI EDITORS SEE DANGER TO AMERICA IN SUBMARINE WARFARE E CLOSE TO HOME Continued from page 4 0 n people who mal make e and unmake the government The court of ot last resort will pass upon the newest phase of the submarine issue when further develop developments developments' reveal the extent to which the German admiralty proposes to carry its Us novel and sensational campaign Should Have Sent Patrol Troy Record Ilist Instead ad of mildly asserting he expects Germany to keep faith with the th United States State he the president should have ordered out a patrol of or warships warships' of sufficient strength to convince th the world that a resumption of ot the activities of ot the tho U U. 53 53 would be attended with serious consequences to the Touton cause Submarine Not Warship Providence R R. I. I Journal That That a su submarine marine is not a warship in the original meaning of ot international international inter inter- national agreements is obvious from the fact that until it was employed in this this' war the t type pe was not of or importance enough h to call for consideration Says Germans Are in the Right San Francisco Examiner Now No as to the law governing these facts That will be ba found in the ar articles cles of The Hague convention of 1907 agreed to and signed by the REPRESENTATIVES REPRESENTATIVES REPRESENTATIVES of Great Britain France Britain France Germany Hungary Austria-Hungary and the United States as well as as of nearly every other nation and sub subsequently formally ratified or adhered to by the GOVERNMENTS of these countries j Article 10 provides that the neutrality of a power Is not affected by then the m mere rc passage through its territorial ten waters of 01 warships belonging to I belligerents Article 12 provides that such warships are not to be permitted to remain main in the ports roadsteads or territorial waters of 01 the said power for tor more than twenty-four twenty hours The visit and departure of ot the U U 53 53 were therefore strictly in accordance accordance wit the law of nations expressed in The Hague convention and formally lIY I agreed to by the United States and Germany as well as the other powers The Hague convention convention article article 26 also 26 also provides that the exercise by a aj neutral power of the the- rights ts laid down in the present convention can under tinder 31 1 no circumstances s be considered as as' as-an as an unfriendly act by on one or other belligerent i As to territorial jurisdiction the l law w of nations limits the territorial juris 1 I diction of any nation to waters within three marine miles of t the shore I of that the waters are high seas seas The U U 53 53 operated as much as ten leagues league from the American shore l h t f was of course on the high seas and in no way subject to our territory territorial Jurisdiction As to the right of capture the tho law of nations provides that a a. warship must warn an unarmed merchant vessel to heave to and can destroy it summarily if it tries to resist or to escape In c case e the merchant vessel obe obeys s 's the warning to stop the captor has the right of search to establish the nature of the ship of its cargo and of its errand The captor may confiscate contraband cargoes whether shipped by neutrals or by enemy enemy subjects it may put a prize crew crow on board and take ship an and aid d crew into a home port or if the commander deems deems' it hazardous to attempt to send the prize to a home port he may destroy it it having first secured the safety of the lives of crew and passengers This is the settled law of nations first agreed to in the conference of or Paris in 1856 1866 and subsequently expressed and ratified in the declaration of ot The Hague and the declaration of London T The commander of f the U U 53 53 ha has evidently ly observed the provisions of ot the law without exception As to blockading our ports The British navy has maintained a a. patrol I of warships off our coasts for two years watching for and seizing any con con i I ship or cargo on its way to other ports ports and and pressing the definition of con contraband far beyond any meaning of the word ever before known The right of the British navy to watch for its enemies' enemies ships off our coasts is not dis disputed by anyone whose intelligence makes his opinion of any value The right of the German navy to maintain the same patrol patrol patrol-it if it can can oft off our coasts is as indisputable as the right of the British navy The sauce for the goose is the sauce for tor the gander Submarines in Neutral Harbors Philadelphia PU l Public c Ledger While it is true that international law which law which simply is international rac tice should |