Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 March 1917 — AN ACT OF WAR [ARTICLE]

AN ACT OF WAR

There surely can be no doubt in the mind of any one that the sinking of three American ships, with the loss of American lives, which was announced yesterday, is an act cf war by the German government: Two of the vessels were homeward bound in ballast —neutral ships destined to a neutral port. They were, all three of them, on the high seas, where they had a right to be. They were peaceful merchant vessels, manned by American citizens who had no relation of any sort to the war. They had violated no law, but were the victims of Germany’s lawless will. Nor were they even armed. The case is perfectly clear. We have been waiting, with a patience and consideration that have been the wonder of the world, /or overt acts and acts of aggression that would serve to fix unmistakably on Germany the responsibility /of war. There have been many overt acts. Surely here is an act of aggression. Only the other day the Laconia was sunk without warning, and as a result of this violation of the law of nations and the law of humanity two

American women lost their lives. Last. week the American steamer Algonquin was illegally destroyed. Now we have three more victims of the madness of the Berlin despots, and a murder of more Americans. While men are discussing whether we ought to go to war, we are already at war. No one surely can any longer deceive himself into thinking that Germany has any wish to' keep the peace. - She has made it impossible for us to keep it except on terms to which no self-respecting nation could even dream of submitting. We have sent home her diplomatic and consular representatives, and declared an armed neutrality, yet in spite of these warnings the German government persists frimly in its course. If we are waiting to be forced into war —and that, we think, was a wise policy—there does not seem to be any reason why we should wait very much longer. As a matter of fact the fight has already been brought, to us. The attack on these three ships was an attack on the American -flag, which should have been their sufficient protection. We can no longer blink at the facts. We must face them, and govern our course by them. The only peace possible is peace with submission.—lndianapolis News.