THE WILD BEAST AT LARGE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 246, 5 July 1918, Page 4

THE WILD BEAST AT LARGE

I Reports which appeared yesterday depicted the latest German atrocity in its full magnitude and horror. The nature of the crime was at once apparent. The Llandovery Castle, a hospital ship "immune by every law of war and peaco from attack or molestation," was' torpedoed _ without warning. Now, however, it is all but certain that to tho destruction of the ship must be added the cold-blooded murder of all but twenty-four of the men and women whom she carried as crew and hospital staff. Presumably by an oversight on the part of the assassins responsible for this foul deed one boat-load of survivors was permitted to escape, but tho area in which the ship Fas sunk has now been carefully, though unavailiiigly, searched, and it is assumed that there are no more survivors. On the facts which have been stated no other conclusion seems possible than that with ono exception the boats which left the Llandovery Castle wsra shelled and their occupants barbarously murdered. Germany long ago passed tho point at which it was possible to measure her crimes with reference to any, recognised standard of morality. _ But before leaving her latest achievement to be added to the long list of abominations for which she will one day bo called to a stern account and which will mark her for all timo as bestial and degraded, it may be well to lay all possible emphasis on the fact that the case for her condemnation is flawless and admits of 110 shadow oi doubt or qualification. The bram effrontery with which she has so often attempted to justify or palliate 'her methods of frightfulncss has nowhere stood her 'in worse stead than where attacks on hospital ships arc concerned.

It was in January last year that the German Government accused Great Britain of employing hospital ships to transport troops and munitions of war, and announced that "in the maritime zone which is situated between the lines Flamborough Head to Terschclling on the one hand and Ushant to Land's End on the other"—that is to say, in the English Channel and the southern part of the North Seahospital ships would be attacked "without further consideration." 111 a dispatch dated March 29, Germany intimated that hospital ships would in future be attacked in the Mediterranean Sea also. A number of hospital ships have since been sunk in both areas. It may be noted in passing that the Llandovery Castlo -was at least 200 miles outside tho western limit of the area within which Germany avowedly regards hospital ships as objects of attack. The evidence upon which the German Government professedly based its action was obviously bogus and fabricated. It was categorically deiiied and refuted by the British Government, which pointed out at the time that tho German authorities had never once sought to exercise the right given them under Article 4 of the Hague Convention for the application of the Geneva Convention to maritime warfare of inspecting hospital ships. Only one instance is on record in which a British hospital ship was boarded by tlm Germans. On February i! 3, 1017, the hospital ship Dunluce Castle was stopped by a German submarine in the Mediterranean ; her papers were found to bo in order, and she was allowed to proceed. ■ No search of the ship, was attempted. Jho mere

fact that tho Gorman Government has not attempted to exercise its rightof inspection makes it evident that it knows Lhe so-called evidence upon which it is proceeding to be false and is simply using it in a futile attempt to obscure the real nature of crimes which would be base even by German standards if such standards could be said to exist. The impromptu fabrications of the commander of the submarine which sank the Llandovery Castle are strictly in keeping with the attitude of Ins Government.

In the main Jin. Bonau Law is right in saying that our only real remcd.v is to destroy, the wild' beast which is at large on land and sea. But there ia in addition something more to he clone than to put this crime on record with so many others against tho day of reckoning. The horror and indignation awakened bv the fate of the "Llandovery Castle will naturally give greatly increased force to the demand for all legitimate reprisals, and the outrage,"ha:-' at the same time concentrated attention anew 011 the too long neglected question of dealing in really effective fashion with enemy aliens. It is not the leash arresting feature of this tragic affair that the submarine detailed for the. crime was evidently well posted in regard to tho movements of its destined victim. That implies treachery, and should stimulate action all over tho Empire, to the end of suppressing treachery, either by known enemy aliens or hy aliens of doubtful nationality. Events at our own doors have conveyed a similar warning, but it can hardly be said that it has been taken to heart as thoroughly as it might have been.