The Dominion SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1915. "THE HOHENZOLLERN CURSE"

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2504, 3 July 1915, Page 4

The Dominion SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1915. "THE HOHENZOLLERN CURSE"

Germany's stark contempt for international law and ,the gross savagery which has characterised her methods o£.-fighting are matters', of vital; concern to neutrals as .well as .to Britain and her' Allies. : /. This fact is quite clearly recognised in the United. States, however; much the apologists for the Kaiser- may strive to divert attention to other aspects of the war controversy. It is not merely a, question 'of seeking redress for the murder of American citizens by, German pirates, though' no selfrespecting nation could permit such crimes' to be committed with impunity. "Thoughtful Americans know that , every' violation of 'the law of nations, even/though it. may not immediately -affect the United is,a blow, at civilisation which should' meet with the severest condemnation of. every .member of the' family of nations. . The onlooker to-day may be the victim to-morrow. . Some of tho leading American newspapers have- stated the true position with convincing logio and lucidity. They see that Germany's insolent defiance of public law is a serious menace to every qeutral, including their own country. They realise that nothing but superior forcc can restrain the lawless Power, that trampled on the 'rights of Belgium from trampling on tho rights of tho United States- if at any time they should happen to stand in the way of the realisation' of German aims and ambitions., . ' With commendable force and directness the New York Times shows that such, barbarities as the sinking of the Lusitania are matters 'of very real concern to, neutral countries.'. In the course of,a striking article it says:: '

.It is not .alone the Lusitania's dead that' call upoji us to seek Tedress. it is our own living sense of: the peril that nould beset us and all peaceful nations if by these frightful methods and'in this savage spirit Germany should beat back her'iocs and come to a place of dominance in,the world. That must not be. There can be no peaco on earth until the Hohenzollern curse is lifted from, Germany, until" her godless military arrogance is crushed.

•'Many.'Americans'..feel'■ that their Government ought to have made a solemn protest in the name of freedom, law, and civilisation as soon as the German armies began to cross the frontiers of Belgium. A splendid opportunity of affirming 1 the claims of .international morality wa3 then lost! A neutrality, which involves silence, on great moral issues is sometimes 'hardly -distinguishable from cowardice. It bears ( a close resemblance to the neutrality of Pontius' Pilate when he allowed-a great wrong to be done, rather than create a : troublesome situation for himself. The invasion of Belgium was only the: beginning of Germany's crimes. Since tho commencement of the war matters have gone from bad to worse. She has been guilty of piracy, pillage, and almost eveVy. conceivable form of savagery. Her methods of submarino warfare have resulted in the murder of _ defenceless men, women, and_ children, including American, citizens; and the United States Government has now been compelled to demand that this policy of indiscriminate slaughter must be abandoned. Unless neutral nations take a firmer stand on behalf of law,' civilisation, which is based on respect' for law, may be shaken to its foundations. ; Anarchy leads to savagery. In the absence of generallyaccepted standards of right ■ and wrong to regulate the relations be? tween war would become tho. normal state of affairs instead of a last resort. A Power which cares nothing for the law of nations outlaws itself and becomes tho enemy of all law-abiding_ States. .

This is the position which Germany now occupics. 'But sho .realises the danger of setting the whole world against her, and has endeavoured from time to time to justify her 'conduct. . Here Dernburg has tried to persuade the people of tho United States that it is unreasonable to find fault withithe murderous methods of her submarine-pir-ates. Ji.c admits that it has been the custom to' take off passengers and crows of merchantmen and tow the ships into port. But. ho says, a submarine cannot do this; therefore passongcr steamers must bo torpedoed without notice. This is, of course, no justification at all from tho point of viow of international law. '.With glaring inconsistency this outlaw nation, which has so diarogut'deit ijvcry rulo ■ptjvay tfeafr fionflieta .with ]isr extern,

o! "frightfulness," does not refrain from seeking the protection of tho law of nations when .it suits her purpose to do so. She appealed to law and precedent in order to induce America- to prohibit tho export of mnnitions to the Allies. As a matter of fact law and precedent are clearly, against Gcrrrany on this point; but the incident throws a fresh ray of light upon. German ideas of justice. International law, from tho German point of view, is a sacrecl thing when it forbids the export of munitions to Britain, but it is ..contemptible when, it clashes with German ideas of submarine warfare. With merciless logic the New .York Times exposes the flimsiness of the arguments by means of which the Germans have sought to obtain a favourable verdict when arraigned at. the judgment seat of civilisation, in connection with the Lusitania outrage. _ In answer to the German contentiont-that Amen-' cans were warned of the danger, it is poinTed out lliat tho victims

wore within tlieir lawful rights in sailing to England aboard the Lusitania, and the argument based upon considerations of prudence is answered by our Government's warning that Germany must not do the thing she has done, that she would be held to strict accountability for such an act. It was incredible that a nation claiming: to be civilised would disregard such a warning, it was even moro incredible that a . nation whiels so loudly boa.sts of civilisation • would perpetrate a crime so barbarous and damnable. There is no defence for' Germany. There is nothing to be said in her behalf that can diminish her bloodguiltiness. There is no 'exception to tlie tulb of lair that tho crew and passengers of a merchant ship which the captor intends to sink must first be removed in safety. Disregard of that rule stamps the captor as an outlaw, and in this case, since the crime was premeditated and carefully planned as executed, Germany, has put upon herself the ban. of outlawry.

Tho New York rimes .'declares that now that it is known that Germany has resolved to act "like a Malay running amuck," tho time for protests has passed. "It becomes now our duty as a.nation to demand that Germany shall'find means to carry 011 her war without putting, our citizens to death.'"' The American Note dealing with tho sinking 'of the Lusitania insists on the rights of neutrals to travel over any point of the high seas on neutral or belligerent merchantmen. It also demands a guarantee that' these rights will be respected, and that there, will be no repetition of the attacks' on merchantmen carrying- non-combatants. I This guarantee h"as not yet been given, and the attacks on merchantmen have .been repeated. Wliat is" America going to do? That is a matter which sho must decide for herself. The journal from which we, have already quoted states that tho neutral. nations : are now united by : the conviction that at whatever cost Germany "must bo stripped of the power and of tho will to defy the laws of God and man by such atrocious /deeds" as tho torpedoing of the. Lusitania. Words like these show that neut/al nations .realise that Britain and her Allies are fighting not only for thfcir own lives, but also for tho sake of civilisation and tho .freedom of tho world.