  Submarine Sinkings of Enemy Merchant Ships.—Without seeking to pass final judgment on the question whether Germany was or was not justified by the rules of war and considerations of humanity in sinking merchant vessels by means of her submarines, it is important to quote briefly what those who are considered authorities on the subject have to say aboutit: New York “World,” March21, 1919: “High officers of the British Admiralty have justified the unrestricted use of the submarine by Germany on the ground of military necessity.” The following characteristic communication of Admiral Fisher is quoted in the London “Daily Herald” of October18, from the London “Times” of October17,1919: “On hearing of von Tirpitz’s dismissal I perpetrated the following letter, which a newspaper contrived to print in one of its editions. I can’t say why, but it didn’t appear any more, nor was it copied by any other paper:” Dear old Tirps, We are both in the same boat! What a time we’ve been colleagues, old boy! However, we did you in the eye over the Cheer up, old chap! Say “Resurgam!” You’re the one German sailor who understands war! Kill your enemy without being killed yourself. I don’t blame you for the submarine business. I’d have done the same myself, only our idiots in England wouldn’t believe it when I told‘em. Well! So long! Yours till hell freezes, 29/3/16. An interview with the former German Ambassador, Count Bernstorff, which Hayden Talbot had in Berlin, as printed in the New York “American” of October26, 1919, casts an interesting sidelight on the question. Count Bernstorff is quoted as follows: Do you know what Col.House told me one day? We had been discussing the submarine issue. This was early in the war. I had defended the German use of submarines on the ground that it was our only possible method against the British blockade, illegal and inhuman as it was. I had pointed out that Great Britain had given the United States repeatedly greater cause for declaring war than in1812. “But we can’t declare war on England,” Col.House said. “A war with England would be too unpopular in this country.” American vessels in the War of 1812 sank and destroyed 74English merchant ships under instructions to the commanders of our squadrons “to destroy all or capture, unless in some extraordinary cases that shall clearly warrant an exception.... Unless your prize should be very valuable and near a friendly port it will be imprudent and worse than useless to attempt to send them in.... A single cruiser destroying every captured vessel has the capacity of continuing in full vigor her destructive power.” This, we think, disposes of the question involved whether a submarine should be required to abstain from sinking a captured vessel of the enemy. Admiral Sir Perry Scott in the London “Times” of July16, 1914, justified the work of destruction of the submarines, and quoting reports on the treatment of vessels which tried to break the blockade of Charleston during the Civil War, said: “The blockading cruisers seldom scrupled to fire on the ships which they were chasing or to drive them aground and then overwhelm them with shell and shot after they were ashore.” |
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