T gliche Omalj Tribune.
I x
!
i
'::
Los UsLook Foots InTI
Veigh Probabilities Vith Gare and Pre
Dare For The Perils.
Froin the N.
At the bceinninir of this war.
the English wholly underestim-
ated Uermany's strentrth and
endurance and resourecs. Thcy
aiso overrated thcir own capa
pity.
"The big: Sprin drive will
end it," they said in the Fall of
VJl!. r'VVe will muddle through
till Kitchener's new army is
ready. Then it will soon be
pver."
You know -vvhat haonened
&nd all the world knows' that
äf France bad not sacrificed her
seif so magnisicently and Rus
sia had not squandered millions
of lives, England would have
been whipped to a finish by
Germany before the war was
tix months old.
Now, we ought, above all
things, to avoid these two er
rors that England made.
We must not overrate our
capacity and we must not un
derrate the Gcrman war machine.
The sensible, patriotic thing
'to do is to look at facts as thcy
are, to weigh all the probabili
ties and to prepare for the
future Situation as it may be
and not as we think it ought
to be.
The man who goes about
boasting that we can whip the
universe off-hand and crying
that Germany is exhausted and
ready to fall on her knees is not
only a fool, but he is a nuisance
and a menacc to bis own coun
try's interests.
, It ought to be thoroughly un
derstood at once that if we go
to war with Germany we play
light into the hands of the Ger
man military caste and make
the allies defeat as nearly cer
tain. as anything can be that is
yet in the future.
Mark you, we do not say our
'defeat, but the allies' defeat.
Let us look at this matter
sensibly and dispassionately, for
it is a matter of Vital importance
to us to thoroughly understand
w hat problems war has in Store
for us, if we go to war.
In the first place, Germany
will either whip the allies this
year or not at all. If she is
strong enctigh to whip the al
lies, the only way we could
save them would be to bring
?n overbalancing sinancial, mi
litary and moral pressn re to
bear on Germany with in the
next eight months.
Can we do that?
Undoubtedly we can finance
the allies with billions, if we
are fools, enough to waste our
wealth on those bankrupts. But
the time has gone when sinances
would have any decisive "weight
in this Conflict, but the sinances
HAVE ALREADY been found
and used in the nreparation of
all the means that will be used
in this final decisive campaign.
If we gave our whole accu
mulation of cash to England
and France and Russia to-mor-rqw,"
that gigantic wealth would
not alter the naval and military
preparation of the combatants
for the coming struggle by so
much as a gun battery.
For the whole available man
. power and factory power of all
these nations has been and now
is engaged in the work of pre
paration; and moticy, whose
power is to out.stay an adver
sary in long warrare, is no
longer a factor that can alter
the result of the frightful strug
gle that is approaching.'
Mr. George's assertion that
, the last $500,000,000 would win
the war had truth ,' in it two
years ago. , Now it is a mere
catch phrase.
Remember that we are speak
ing solely of the European Situa
tion, because, .so far as WE are
concerned,. if we are unfortunate
tnough to get entangled in this
war, our sole and our strong
hope is indeed in our vast
wealth, by which we can out
last nations alreatly greatly ex
hausted and financially bank
nipt. But tjhat we can at thu lime af
fect Germany's powerfully pre
pared onslaught on the allies on
land and on sea by bolstering
up England's treasury with our
cash is a fool's dream.
There remains to be consider
cd, then, . what military and
naval assistance we can give
the allies during the next eight
months. Fivc words will an-
6 wer that jucstion; ,
lGfaCB
Y. American.
WE CAN GIVE THEM
NONE.
We ought never, under any
circumstances, send a single
American soldicr to be slaught
cred in Europe . But even if
such folly should be decided on,
we CANNOT POSSIBLY send
an American army anywhere
this year. Because it is going
to take all this year and another
year besides to recruit and to
equip the very smallest army
that is needed FOR OUR OWN
DEFENSE against probable
attack.
So far as our navy is con
cerned, it is now a highly es
ficient weapon of defense, but it
not equipped for offensive
action at a distance from home.
Its strength consists almost
wholly in dreadnaughts.
But the British and French
navies now outnumber the Ger
man navy three to one in bat
tleship and battle cruiser
strength and yet can do nothing
to destroy the German high
seas fleet, safe behind the öe
fenses of Heligoland.
And if we were willing to
leave our own coasts undefend
cd, which the nation would not
endure, and to send all our bat
tleships and cruisers to Europe
an waters, the German fleet
woul still be as safe as it is
to-day behind those impregnable
defenses. '
We have no fast scout crui
sers, no submarines that can go
to sea, no aircraft, no any
thing to add to the offensive
strength of the British and
French fleets.
As a means of defense of our
own coasts our navy is - ad-
mirable. As an offensive wea
pon against a safely hidden
high-seas fleet in German wa
ters it is of about as much
practical value as a popgun.
And every ofsicer of our splen
did ships knows this.
The German nation has no
merchant marine afloat, - so that
the füll damage we could do
in that line is to seize the in
terned ships a loss which
would not have the slightest mi
litary or cconomic effect upon
Germany while the war lasts,
as these ships have been lost to
her anyway, so far as any user
is concerned
It is very clear that we (can
give the allies no naval or mili
tary aid that will have any de
cisive effect upon the war this
year or next year.
In the meantime, if we an in
a state of war, we shall certain
ly require and demand the füll
output of our munitions fac
tories, our aeroplane factories,
our submarine factories, our
uniform and harness factories,
our automobile factories, our
chemical factories, our meat
and Provision packing . plants,
our steel works and the rest of
the industries that have kept the
allies going and made it pos
sible for them to prolong the
war.
England, France and Italy
would be as effectually cut off
from 'American sources of sup
ply by the pressing needs of
American preparation as by the
submarine warfare of Germany.
In the meantime, the sub
marine warfare of Germany will
almost certainly deprive Eng
bind of sufficient food and
France and Italy of the coal
without which their war facto
ries and their all-important
railroads cannot be operated.
For the moment the German
submarine commanders are re
leased from all fear of sinking
ships at sight, on aecount of
danger to Americans, that mo
ment no part of the high seas
will be safe for any merchant
ship, and the Atlantic and Me
diterranean seas will be vast
death traps, over which it will
be impossible to induce sailors
to voyagc.
I lampered by American re
stiictions, the German subma
rines have nevertheless succeed
cd in destroying an average of
20,000 tonnage per day for ma
ny weeks past. -
The German naval staff in
Msts that it can sink 1,000,000
tons of shipping a month
W I I II IX THE BLOCKADE
LINES, if the submarines tor
pt.d) without warning. And if
thcy calctilatc considcntly upon
that bag within the bl9cka.de
flines, what will they do when
' all regard for neutral safety is
destroyed by America s partici
Pation in the war, and the suh
marines are at liberty to prowl
the seas and torpedo anything
afloat anywhere in the oceanf
The reasonable supposition is
that they can and would sweep
the seas of commerce, partly by
destroying it and partly by
frightening neutral ship-owners
into declining the risks of
voyaging.
Ihc hgures that are common-
ly used to show the available
seagoing tonnage that could
have to be destroyed to
affect England's supplies of
necessities are gross exaggera
tions.
So far from having 50,000,000,
30,000,000, or even 20,000,000
gross tonnage. of seagoing
ships available,, the total quan
tity of British, French, Italian
and neutral seagoing tonnage
possibly available for carrying
supplies to England, Trance and
Italy is not above 10.000,000.
The amount of tonnage enter
ing British ports during J916
was something in excess of 11,
000,000, and, of Course, much of
this was a repetition of the
same actual tonnage, as . the
same ships registered time after
time.
Ist normal years, Great Brit
ain imports about 12,000,000
tons of food supplies. At that
there is never as much as six
weeks' supplies on band.
The food supply of London
is exhausted every four days.
. In addition to tb ? mportstion
of food from abr !, Britain
must ship food for ' her huge
armies in France, for her ar
mies in Egypt ,in Mesopotamia,
in Greece, and for her navy;
and she . ust find ships for the
far greater task of keeping her
navy and her armies supplied
with recruits, with weapons,
with ammunition, with all the
bulky supplies of the camp and
sield; and she imperatively must
keep France supplied with coal,
since the French coal mines are
in German hands.
Now, figures are very apt to
err unless one allows wide mar
gins. There lies before us on
the table at this moment the
World Almanac for 1915-1916,
containing a "History of the
War," in which the learned
writer proves by the most
painstaking calculations of man
power .that the Central Empires
woud collapse from exhaustion
of reserves by May 1, 1916. The
rather ridiculous aspect this
mathematical prophecy wears in
February, 191, 'is a warning
not to trust figures too far.
But if we assume that the
German submarine fleet can de
stroy no more shipping bound
to England than it has been de
stroying for some weeks, under
hampering conditions laid down
by us, then in ten months the
shipping available for carrying
supplies to England cannot pos
sibly coal France, supply Eng
land's overscas armies and feed
England. It is impossible that
the destruction of 5,000,000 tons
of shipping can have any other
result than to put England un
der the stress of starvation.
And if the German submarines
can destroy shipping at that
rate, while operating under re
strictions demanded by us, it is
very reasonable to . suppose that
they will take a much higher
toll when they no longer care
whether or not they sink ships
carrying Americans or flying
the American flag.
If they can double their
present daily bag, they will re
duce England to starvation be
fore we can fire a sliot in es
fective warfare and before the
Summer offensives on the Som
me and other points can even
become threatening to Ger
many's defense.
Purely from a military stand
point, our participation in the
war will prove a far greater
help, for many months, to Ger
many than to the allies. It will
be another case of Rumania's
supposed aid on a far greater
scale.
And we believe that it will
prove fatal to the allies if Ger
many is any way near as well
equipped to deal destruction 'at
sea as she is thought to be.
The argument that England
and France can build merchant
ships as fast as they are de
stroyed will have no weight
with well-informed men. Under
the stress of great need, the
British yards turned out less
than 600,000 tons of shipping
last year. And the reason is
that neither the yards nor the
labor can be spared from the
far niore urgent need of turning
out war niatcrial.
No thinking person disputo
Ihe.ability and foresight of the
German military and naval
staffs.
No thinking person believes
that the German Government,
after yielding so long so Amer
ican demands, would deliberate
ly throw away American friend
ship and risk war with America
unless they had weighed all the
rcsults and had the reasonable
prospect of crushing their ad
versaries before our assistane
could become powerful enough
to save Germany's enemies.
The German calculation is to
bring down England by a dead
lier blockade and a far more
crushing starvation, than Eng
land has been able to exert up
on Germany, BEFORE the
United States can possibly re
scue England.
After that, Germany probab
ly calculates that she can make
peace with us when the ' cause
of war between her and us, if
we do make war, is automatical
ly removed by European peace.
These calculations may fail.
But it is foolish to underrate
their menace or to believe that
they cannot possibly succeed.
The Germans are past masters
of the art of war and when
they risk their all on the suc
cess of a campaign for which
they have prepared for two
years, no man of sense will
weigh lightly the power and
menace of such a campaign or
say foolishly that it cannot win
victory. ' ,
As for ourselves, if we do de
termine to go to war over Ger
many's submarine blockade of
England, we should begin and
ceaselessly carry on the tre-
mendous preparation necessary
to defend ourselves in case Ger
many wins victory over the al
lies with that very blockade.
For if Germany emerges from
the mighty battles that are
about to open on land and on
sea a Victor, we must, if we
are wise and prudent, expect
that she will not hesitate to
turn her mighty armaments
against us, if we have made
war upon her. ,
she Germans will argue that
we waited to attack them until
the world had been led to be
lieve falsely that they were al
most overpowered by the great
odds they have fought against
for over two years and there
will be bitterness in their
hearts.
There will be, too, another
incentive. We shall be the on
ly nation on earth still posses-
sing vast wealth, and from
whom a European Combination
might hope to extort the cost
of its own huge warfare if it
could beat us in war.
New York City alone could
be put to a ransom great
enough to put the hnances of
the Central Empires in shape
again if the Central Empires
could beat our fleets and force
a laivding of their vast and
victorious veteran armies on
our soil.
Now, believe us, there is a
great deal more true patriotism
in putting these facts and these
possibilities plainly before you
than there is in bragging, rant
ing, reviling and making an ass
of one s seif in the holy and
beautiful name of patriotism.
War is a business proposition,
citizeris, in these days. It is a
question of efficiency just
exactly as factory or störe com
petition is.
we will win or lose any
war upon which we venture
precisely as we leave rant and
tirades to cheap notoriety hunt
ers and brokenf-down political
fakers and get down to brass
tacks and common sense, busi-ness-like
preparation.
Cannon and niles and bayo-
nets and ships and aircrafts and
submarines and equipment and
drilled officers' and men win
wars not loud mouths.
If we are going to sieht a
first-class Power, we ought to
drop every other, national In-
dustry and consideration and
turn the whole country into a
war factory.
Otherwise we will be beaten
and ruined, just as some of
these cocksure and bull-head-
ed European combatants are
going to be beaten and ruined,
because their rulers and their
press have - lied to them, brag
ged to them, belittled their
enemies to them and led them
straight to the abyss of de
feat with their eyes shut.
Countrymen, let us not Imit
ate this monstrous folly.
The instant war begins, 11
we do go to war, a period of
hysteria will begin and for a
time the loudest braggart and
the most impudent dunce will
be populär hcrocs.
But let us who deeplyand
sinccrely love our most dcar
country, nd .who. are, neither
braggarts nor dunces, but in
telligent and sensible men and
women let us keep our ears
open to reasonable discussion
and to the truth at all times.
Let us face situations as they
are.
Let us insist upon knowing
the facts.
There must be a censorship
of military and naval rnove
ments, of Course.
But we ought not to permit
any such censorship as that
which has constantly deceived
the peoples of Europe, which
has lest them in ignorance of
the sentiments of other coun
tnes, which has labored to in
flame hatred and every other
ugly passion by monstrous in
ventions and tales of enemy
savagery, lest without that
Stimulus they might cry for
peace with their former neigh
bors and end the designs of the
governing castes. ,
Let us insist that we are
not children to be put in lead
ing strings, nor serfs to submit
to ,the crack of the whip, but
brave, upstanding, free and in
telligent men and women, who
are not to be cowed by unhap
py news of temporary defeat
and who have the right to know
and are determined to know
what is being said and done
at home and abroad, in our own
country nd in the enemy coun
try. Let us insist upon free speech
and free discussion. We can
make war without wearingmuz
zles. Let us insist that our fleets
and our armies be used to
fight only for America!
We want no allies. We will
have use for every American
dollar and every American ship
and every American soldier 'in
defending America.
We have no strength and no
wealth to squander in this Eu
ropean quarre!. Let those who
made that insane war fight it
out at their own cost and their
own peril.
And, above every other con
sideration, let us begin now to
prepare the means of waging
gigantic war in our own de
fense, whether we actually go
to war now or happily escape
that ' catastrophe at this time.
For war we are sure to have,
soon er or later.
The calculations and agree
ments and preparations of Rus
sia and of Japan embrace the
intimidation or the defeat of the
United States as a preliminary
to dividing Asia and establish
ing dominion over the Pacific
just as surely as they embrace
the spoliation of poor China.
We must be ready for ultim
ate attack in the West as well
as for attack in the East, if we
engage in war with Germany,
and to be ready to meet that
gigantic peril, countrymen, we
cannot spend too much of our
wealth or set to work too much
of our skill and labor.
Prepare!
In that one word is our whole
duty and our only safety.
Mr. Hearst's Im
pressive Ediiorial.
We quote from Mr. Hearst's
Editorial, which has made such Im
pression In Congress, as mentioned
in yesterdays dispatch of our Special
Representative in Washington, the
following essential parts:
The country has taken the Presi
dent's decision with a graüfying ab.
sence ot hysteria.
There was, o Course the peren
nial rush of Colonel Roosevelt to
oCfer the lives of himself and his four
sons five in all; and Governor Sid
ney Catts of Florida formulated by
telegrapn a remarkable naval Pro
gramme, which was to lead the fleet
to attack Instantly and so either end
the war In twenty-four hours or
leave Mrs. Catt3 a widow.
But for the most part Americans
kept their heads and talked modestly
and sensibly.
That augurs well for the future,
because in war, as in any other
business, he makes sewest mistakes
and wins most points who calmly
and soberly sizes xip the task ahead
and uses his brains Instead of his
emotions In planning his conduct
As matters now stand, we go to
war with Germany If Germany car
ries out the Programme of blockade
announced by the Imperial Govern
ment. Above everything eise, wo should
absolutely resolve upon keeping out
of any alliance with England or Rus
sia or any other European country
during this war.
The sinancial interests which have
loaded themselves with British and
other foreign war obligations are
beside themselves with delight.over
the prospect that the American
people can now be lnduced to as
sume a great part of the debt of
these European bankrupts.
But we should have the good sense
to do nothing ot the kind. Let us
resolve to use our own nioney for
American purposes and for Ameri
can purposes only. It is bad enough
ta be dragsed lato war which. we
had no band In start! ns and in
jwhich we have no poeslble Chance
of galning anything, without being
asked to Inders the promlasory
notes ot these lunatlcs who havo
been destroying Europe.
The people of the United States
are willing to flnance the Govern
ment of the United States with bil
lions upon billions of cash and
Credit. But we shall strenuousiy
resist paying England's .debt or
Russta's overwhelmlng obligations
for their war Operation.
Having used France, Russia and
Italy to do her flghtlng, we think it
entirely too much for England to
want us to pay her bills.
There Is another thing that needs
an expression of publio opinion
and we shall not hesitate to speak
our mind upon lt.
We shall strenuousiy oppose send
Ing American troops abroad to be
placed at the Service of England or
any other foreign country.
We have all seea what has hap
pened to auxillary troops how they
have been placed In every desperate
Position and slaughtered by the tens
of thousands, while the "home
guards" were held in reserve. And
that is exactly what would be done
with our boys, if we were fools
enough to send them over the seas
to be cannon-fodder.
We have 5,000 mlles of coast to
garrison and defend, and with plenty
of evidence to show that Japan is
only waiting for a favorable moment
to desert the allies and to strike at
us while we are involved in this
European broil, we should be mad
men to Strip our country of a single
soldler for foreign Service.
If we are wise and capable, we
will not underrate the difflcultles
that will conkront us as soon as war
Is declared, if it should be declared.
The British Government has made
the bad mlstake of deceivlng its
people from the outset of the war;
of making them believe that their
enemies were weakening and soon
would be begging for merey.
That is why England is face to'
face to-day with the most threat
ening Situation she has ever con
fronted. Because any man who
thinks that this German submarine
warfare is not a deadly dangerous
blow at Eng(and is feeble-minded
indeed.
It is only because the German
military and naval staffs have con
vinced the German Government that
they can crush England and France
and Italy with this weapon that the
German Government has decided to
use that weapon, even at the risk
of breaking . with us.
And we ought not to make the
mlstake of underratlng the foresight,
calculation and power of the German
organization. It is a very wonderful
organlzation, and was never so
powerful and so dangerous as it is
to-day. 1
UNWARRANTED FEARS.
The Chicago Tribune has found
followers for its Statements, made
shortly before the breaking off of dl
plomatic relations, viz. that the In
terests and the safety of the Unit
ed States requlred that England re
maln unvanquished. That viewpoint
has so freuuentiy been repeated
since in .press dispatches from
Washington, that it really appears
to contaln the key to all mysteries,
and to point at last the right way
through all the deceltful Statements
and vlrtuous misrepresentations,
such as duties of neutrallty, human
ity, clvllization, and International
law. The opinion seems to have
really prevailed in Washington that
England alone stood between us
and sure aggression from a victor
ious Germany, and that therefore
the Central powers should by all
possible means be prevented from
winning. Even the severance of
diplomatic relations appears to have
been coneeived In the hope that it
might keep Germany from making
the blockade really eftectlve and
tight
That plan has miscarried. And
if American experts are right in
their estimate, the Allies and
especlally England, will have to
give in after two months, if they
cannot raise the blockade.
It goes beyond understanding that
experts in strategy and world poli-
tics could go the length of that
fallacy about Germany's further
aims. Any such Conflict of Ger
many's making, would have to be
fought by her fleet In the Atlantic.
The aggressor must come, otherwise
there can be aggressive words on
ly, which remain ineffective. Forth
with the , British would see their
Chance to retrieve their misfortunes.
That fleet would be without basein
the Atlantic. It would have before
it the American battle fleet, sand
wlched between two lines of sub
marines, and in its rear the Brit
ish battle fleet, and besides that
its lines of Communications would
be just as much endangered, as are
now the lanes of thÄ German merenant
marine to and from the Atlantic.
And just what Germany under the
greatest sacrifices has tried to pre
vent in this warin which, if we
had entered, we would have had to
break into her lines, through her
submarine cordon and mineflelds she
would bring about to the beneflt
of her present enemies, by going to
war herseil witn us anerwaras.
Only under far worse Strategie cir
cumstances for herseif. By going
to war with America, America and
England would at once become al
lied in war on Germany. Can any
sober thought contemplata Germany
harboring such insane designs,
out ot pure desire for vengeance,
and executing them after victory
in a war like this one. Stiu. our
actiona up to now seem to have
been dictated to a degree by such
an estimate ot Germany's intellig
ence. It is certainly interestmg to see
from the press dispatches that
American experts give England only
two months time for her abtuty to
exlst under an fully effective block
ade, and believe her nable to break
it with her over "water" craft. If
the Englisn fleet cannot do it, no
other can. And that bespeeks the
probability, that there will be no
war. as a coDsequcnco 01 breaü.
ing off of dlplomaüa relations, but
that on the contrary peace will re
sult, as soon as England sees thera
must be peace. At the same tißia
it proves that America can- ke-ii
any enemy from her shorea by
submarines just as well as Germany
keeps ships of supply away from
England and France. It is a bappy
thought, that peace may be really
near. A peace which will show how
unfounded and ldle that fear
of German aims das been, and how
unnecessary the Prolongation ot
this war and its sufferlngs, as
result of a mistaken issue. Since at .
last the true inward motives for
American actlons unfold themselves
we see more and more what
thouRhts, what mlsconceptions, whnt
mistakes have been covered by
high soundlng phrase, and that too
will be a very lnteresting lesson to
many.
Emigration and Inrnilplicu.
Great numbers will return to
their old hmt
War craatei opporlunitiei.
We quote. from , "Issues and
Events": '
Very likely the fears of those over
cautious people, both in Congress and
out of it, won't come true when they
predict that after the war we shall
see an enormous Immigration from
the present heiligerem countries.
Rather the reverse is going to happen
from all aecounts. There are cenain
facts and indications pointing that
way. ' . -
ilere, for instance, is one:, A Iocal
magazine has made inquiry at the Of
fices of the various steamship com
panies. The result may be briefly;
stated to the effect that one million
two hundred thousand return pas
sages from America to Europe are
alreadv contracted for. those to begin
to go into effect at once after the
s-Aficn-.- -if 1-ef f1iti-o . 1 liaf m-:Jtn2
VVO-AttUU uudhu.vivtn ..v" u
thrice the average annual number of
repatriation cases. The great bulk of
those returning from this country to
their native land, there to end their
days in comparative comfort on the
accumulated savings of their many .
years' residence ear, are Italian s,
proverbially, frugal; Austrian and
Hungarian Slavs, also Serbians,
Greeks. Bulgarians and Montenegrins,
as well' as a 6prinkling of German or
English-speakmg person s. The war
has held many here who otherwise
would have carried out their longtime
intention of starting jack again for
home. ; That explains vhat otherwise
would look like a phenomenon.
Among those who will also return
is quite a big percentage of
"hyphens," l't., foreign-born Amer-.
ican citizens mea and women of
German speech, also Austrians and
Hungarians. ,
.
Count S. Tisza, the Hungarian Pre
mier, told the present vriter over a
twelvemonth ago that Ins govemment
was making organized and systematic 1
effort to induce Hungarian farmers,
miners, railroad and field laborers
who had settled here before '1914 to
return and take up Hungariaa gov
ernment lands, most of it located in
Slavonia, Croatia and- the lower
southern Danube and Save districts,
for homestead purposes.
Then again the war over in Europe
has thinned the .anks of workers.
There will be many penings of the '
humbler kind awaiting the returning
emigrant This applies to all the bei
ligerent countries, more or less. Alto
gether, instead of increased Immigra
tion, there will be, in all probability,
a not inconsiderable emigration.
Many of those, too, who sied from
Canada to this country in 1914, and
after, to escape detention camps, will
go back there.
All of which will meaa a loss to
this country in valuable human
niatcrial. :
KEEPING THE NEWS
STRAIGHT.
iWe quote from the Washing
ton Times:
The present crisis demands
that newspapers as well as in
dividuals keep their heads cool
and their news straight. The
United States has not gone to
war yet, though it may do so
at any Minute ; but in the
meantime it behooves loyal ci
tizens and especially the citi
zens who work for newspapers
and press associations not to
kindle a conflagration by fool
ish and unfounded rumors.
On Saturday we had the
"news" that the Housatonic
was sunk and everybody on
board was lost. It nowdevelops
that warning was given, and
Provision made for the safety
of the crew, in füll compliance
with international law.
Yesterday it was reported
that the American liner Phila
delphia had been torpedoed with'
a loss of 200 lives. The Phila
delphia today is safe at Liver
pool. Yesterday morning papers an
nounced that two interned Ger
man cruisers at Philadelphia
had been seized by the Navy
Department, and their crews
locked up in Isolation barracks.
The Navy Department deines
this, pointing out that there is
yet no reason for such action.
Such wild and tinsubstantiat
ed tales only serve to inflame
Ipopular feeling and cause un-
oieccssary conceru uuuug ii;c
relatives and fnenda oi those
said to be affected. It is poor
patriotism for any newspaper or
any press association to spread
such misinsortnatioii w.i(tVnt
confirmation.