ng influence of militarism has made the mass
of the German people less humane than are the peoples of other
countries, since they defend what other peoples condemn.

Your Government has bombarded unfortified seacoast towns which Americans
know from personal observation, both before the war and during the
bombardment, were not defended in any way. Mothers and babies were blown
to shreds, but no military damage was done in most cases. Dozens of
helpless old men, women and children were killed for every soldier
slain. The same is true of your Zeppelin raids. Americans believe these
acts are committed for the purpose of stirring up enthusiasm among the
German populace. They believe such acts are in defiance of the rules of
civilised warfare, that they are utterly inhuman and barbarous, and
that a nation which approves and applauds such senseless slaughter is
less civilised than other modern nations. The British Government has
steadfastly refused to accede to the clamour of a few of its citizens
who urge a policy of wholesale reprisals against German open towns.
Americans honour this respect for the rules of civilised warfare and
regret that even occasionally France has yielded to the provocation for
reprisal raids against such a place as Freiburg. The fact that Germany
began the slaughter of babies and women in defiance of the rules of war,
and has kept it up in frequent raids by warships, Zeppelins, and
aeroplanes, whereas the Allies have very seldom attacked open towns, and
then only as occasional reprisals following peculiarly barbarous German
attacks, has won for Germany the condemnation, and for the Allies the
commendation of the civilised world.

The _Lusitania_ atrocity removed from the minds of the American people
the last possible doubt as to the essential barbarity of the German
Government. No other Government pretending to be civilised has ever
shocked the entire world by such a sickening crime against humanity. It
is utterly inconceivable that the American nation could descend so low
in the scale of humanity as to order the deliberate destruction of an
English ship bearing hundreds of innocent German women and children
across the seas. But if such a thing were conceivable, you could not
find in the American navy an officer who would obey the inhuman order.
Nor do Americans believe that the English or French Governments could
ever disgrace their countries' honour by such a barbarous act. I am
shocked and surpris