Salt Lake Telegram | 1916-01-02 | Page 23 | What Does it Mean?

What Does It Mean The torpedoing of the ocean liner Persia cam came as s such a surprise after the satisfactory n adjustment of the Ancona difficulties one one can only feel amazement and bewilderment It t j js y le t to UJ under understand lel I stand it until complete details arrive and the Austro gov government speaks Not since th the Lusitania was was was' sent to the bottom had a submarine caused such a heavy lo loss s of oi life as the one did which placed the Persia Persia Persia Per Per- sia In the Mediterranean graveyard Reports of the disaster say that only four foul lifeboats got sot away from the sinking vessel Since the German ambassador announced that none of hi his country's country's coun coun- try's undersea craft was operating in those waters it is natu naturally y accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac as a fact that it was an Austrian boat that did the work This is puzzling since the Vienna note on the Ancona only a few lays days ago contained these significant sentences The imperial and royal government agrees es thoroughly with the American cabinet that the sacred commandments of humanity must be observed also alzo in war Just as It has hitherto given at no time and to tono tono tono no person occasion to doubt Its respect for these thes commandments In like manner also th the whole course of this war which presents such pictures of confusion of or moral conceptions has It given numerous proofs of humanitarian sentiments toward enemies as well as toward neutral states and It was not due to this government that it was a short time ago not in harmony with the Washington cabinet precisely on ona ona a question which It the Austro Hungarian government in harmony with the entire public opinion In Hungary Austria regarded as principally a question of humanity The Imperial and nd royal government can also substantially concur In the principle expressed in the very esteemed note that private ships In so far as they d do not flee or offer resistance may not be destroyed without the persons aboard being brought into safety The imperial and royal government is very responsive to the assurance that the federal government lays value upon seeing that the good relations which happily exist between Hungary Austria Hungary and the United States of America remain It reciprocates this assurance most warmly and is now as heretofore concerned to render the relations more hearty so far as s lies fn In Its power Further the imperial and royal gov government of A Hungary Austria announced that it had pun punished the submarine u marine commander commander whose orders or or- ders doomed the Ancona BECAUSE HE HAD NOT Nor GI GIVEN N THE PASSENGERS PROPER PROTECTION In view of all aU these things and nd the previous pledges s on the part of Germany that such murderous conduct would not be repe repeated ted on the high seas it is impossible at this time to understand th the latest slaughter of innocent passengers There is a possibility that the submarine commander had not learned Austria's latest vi viewpoint on this subject BUT UJ EVEN SO HE AND HIS GOVERNMENT KNEW I MONTHS AGO WHAT THE AMERICAN VIEWPOINT WAS VAS AND KNEW THAT GERMANY HAD ADMITTED THAT THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENTS GOVERNMENT'S PROTESTS WERE VERE WELL FOUNDED POUNDED It is also possible that the Austrian admiralty refuses to follow the ii instructions of the foreign office at Vienna It fl was not until von was stripped of his autocratic power by tl the e kaiser that the GerI German an submarine warfare against defenseless passenger ships ship ended But in the light of the several conflicting st st. stories ries sent sept out by the Hungarian Austro us government on on oi the Ancona outrage out ige it is but natural to suspect trickery and hypocrisy on the part of that nation in th the latest commission of wholesale sale murder I