From ‘The American Note to Germany‘, The Spectator, 31 July 1915:
German submarine methods cannot possibly continue on their past lines without sooner or later sacrificing another American life. The German submarines could no doubt continue, on a small scale, to sink merchantmen bringing supplies to Britain if they made full inquiries as to the nationality of the crews, and provided for their safety by towing them in their boats to somewhere near the land. Such precautions have been taken in two or three cases during the last few days. But they could not continue their warfare on anything but a small scale. The sacrifice of non-combatant lives is inherent in the German plan as hitherto practised. If the Germans go on torpedoing and shelling merchantmen, they are certain to kill an American sailor before the year is out. Even if they give a crew time to take to their boats with provisions and water, one of those boats will be lost in heavy weather before being picked up or reaching the land. A diabolical method cannot go on without fatal results. The question, then, is whether the Germans will choose American friendship or a continuance of their submarine warfare. We have little doubt that they will choose the latter. If they do not they will have to give up every shadow of hope of paralysing British trade. In the dispute between the German Foreign Office and Grand Admiral von Tirpitz the sailor seems to have won, at least to the extent of continuing to do what he pleases at sea. But if he is determined, so are the American people. They are heart and soul with their President. All the German intriguing is seen to have achieved no more than a few scratches on the surface. When there is a crisis to face oven the Americans of German origin are apt, we suspect, to forget their hyphens. Most of them will be simply Americans.
We do not by any means assume that the United States will be forced into war with Germany, but we are certain that if such a thing should, after all, happen, the talk of civil war in America would turn out to be moonshine. The moral help which the United States gives us now is difficult to appraise in exact terms, but we hold it to be of enormous value. And if the worst came to the worst, and Mr. Wilson could save the basis of peace only by fighting for it, the material value of American help would also be enormous. It is difficult to understand the point of view of those who say that the United States could do little against Germany. She could apply commercial pressure at once. She could do it by simply breaking off relations. If she went further, of course she would want a considerable time to make ready, to improvise, or to create, but with her immense wealth and vast population she could ultimately put the possibility of a German victory—with all the evils for the world of free and civilized men that it entails—entirely out of the question.
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