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Show The Thorny Path Ofjeulfalily A fact which bus beconio palnfu ly apparent moro thou onco tlurlim tho wor is that neutrals must trend 'a thorny path In preserving their neutrality In tho forvor of n nnt 'urnl zeal t0 erlpplo their opponents, tho belligerents nro not always Bcru pulously observant of noutrnl rights. Whllo neither of tho contending alliances al-liances 1ms been guiltless, It seems as If tho sinking of tho Amorlcnn bark William P. Fryo by th0 Gcr man converted cruiser Prlnz Eltel Frledrlch wns a crowning net ot In tomatlonnl lawlessness. Apparently thero Is no dispute ns to tho actuality of tho sinking. Hut tho defense hns not been heard When It hns been, ther0 is n possibility possi-bility that tho occunenco will tnko on n somewhat different nspo;t. However, this act on tho pnrt ot the Gormnn commnndor Is especially to bo regretted slnco it makes It so much moro difficult for tho Unlto.l Stntes to avoid being swept into tho European maelstrom. It was tho mocking of fnto that tho destruction of an American ship on tho high sens by n German vessel should havo ntitednted ProBldcnt Wll son's now famous messngo to Uorlln. That cpistlo wns Indited with tho ubiquitous undersea lighter In mind. With tho Kni&cr's fleet on tho high sens reduced to a sennt three or four adventurous units, It was hardly to b0 thought that tho Wilson dictum would be challenged In that qunrtor. For n German Bhlp commander to have tho assuranco, not to Bay tho downright offrontory, to tako rofugo In an Amorlcnn bnrbor after dynnmlt-Ing dynnmlt-Ing nn American ship Is so preposterous prepos-terous as to bordor on tho ludicrous. Of course, tho matter Is not ono for adjudication with an individual cum mnndor. It uuiBt bo threshed out with tho Impel lnl German government govern-ment nfter calm nnd dlspasslonnto Inquiry. Lately tho tono of the com munlcntlons received nt Washington from tho Uorlln foreign offico hns boon refreshingly conciliatory. If this Is n manifestation ot a studied po'ley, then it ought to bo n slinplo mnttor for tho United Stntes to ob tain whntoier indcmnlilcntlon and redress tho circumstances ot the Hi-tel Hi-tel case' demand. As for, the contention that Gor many should pay for tho wrong do Ing of ono of her navnl commnndors by forfeiture of tho offending ship, obviously this Is nrbltrary and Injudicious, Inju-dicious, nnd a method of procedure which would undoubtedly lend to graver complications. Confiscation may bo part of tho policy of mllitar istlc states; it has never received clso Germnny would fear for tho safety of tho pick of her merchant murine, now languishing in American harbors, nnd Just nugmented by tho Prlnz Eitol Frledrlch. For th0 Eltel by scurrying into a neutral harbor, has practically sealed tho bottle on herself. Britain's greyhounds of tho Bca cro now nro doubtloss poised ready to pounce upon tho Kaiser's ship It sho has tho hardihood to emerge from hor haven of refuge Boston News Bureau. m n |