Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 100, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 March 1918 — USE U-BOATS TO CRUSH NEUTRALS [ARTICLE]

USE U-BOATS TO CRUSH NEUTRALS

Germany’s Latest Campaign of Ruthlessness Explained by War Trade Board. TO STARVE SMALL NATIONS Plan to Cut Off Nations From U. S. and Allied Supplies and Force Them to Yield to the Kaiser's Wishes. \;. v - . ; Washington, March 15. —Germany s latest campaign of ruthlessness against neutral shipping is attributed by the war trade board, in a statement issued here, to a deliberate plan to gut olf the north European nations from American and allied food supplies, thereby reducing them through starvation to political and economic dependence upon the Teutonic war lords. Aimed at the U. S. Following is the statement: “Germany’s war leaders are using tin* submarine war weapon to prevent fulfillment of American agreements to feed and relieve European neutrals. A mass of cumulative evidence and indications in the possession of tlie war trade board shows that Germany is employing the submarine menace to prevent neighbor neutrals receiving any food or favors at the hands of the United States and its associates in the war to coerce these neutral through starvation into political and economic dependence upon Germany, quite as much as to strike at the communications of its opponents —Germany’s ostensible aim in proclaiming the ruthless submarine campaign. Dog-in-the-Manger Idea. "Further indications tend to show that the submarines are being used, along similar dog-in-the-manger lines, to destroy neutral shipping without regard to its employment in order to weaken prospective neutral competitors after the war and to drag down neutral tonnage as far as possible toward a position of equality (or inferiority) with the German mercantile marine, which has lost between 40 and 5Q per cent of its ocean tonnage, so that the neutral trader may be equally as badly off as his German rival for tonnage in tlie after-the-war race for commerce. “Prominent ship owners in Scandinavian countries have stated their belief that many sinkings were inspired only by the intention to get rid of neutral tonnage so as to increase the relative value of German shipping available at the end of the war. Put Ban on Dutch Ships.

“The intent of the Germans to prevent neutrals receiving food and supplies under relief agreements concluded with Hie United States is illustrated by the German veto placed upon the temporary modus vivendi with Holland, providing for the provisioning of that country. “Two food ships loaded with supplies for the Netherlands, along with eleven Belgian relief ships, have been waiting in American ports for weeks unable to sail because of the refusal of Germany to permit an equivalent amount of tonnage leaving Dutch harbors, the obvious plan of the German authorities being to gather all Dutch ships into home harbors and then prevent any of them sailing by threats to torpedo any vessel leaving Holland waters. “To relieve the food situation in Holland the war trade board has finally authorized the transshipment of the food in question from the two Dutch steamers to the Holland liner Nieu Amsterdam, which is sailing shortly. Aim Even at Swiss. “Now success of the earnest efforts of the United States government to rush shipments of bread grain to Switzerland is threatened by the action of German submarines, which, according to now fully confirmed reports from Switzerland, have made a start on a new policy of ruthlessness bysinking the neutral Spanish steamer Sardinero, secured with great difficulty to carry food to that eoutnry. “It is hoped that Switzerland and other neutrals will contrast the respective attitudes of Germany and the United States toward the problem of feeding tlie neutrals and Will take due notice of this latest attempt of Germany to intimidate neutral ship owners, through ruthless submarining, from carrying food to Switzerland. “They will also note the same German spirit toward Holland, which Germany seems determined to prevent receiving food supplies, except upon German terms.”