The Foreign Office goes on to declare that the German
intention to sink merchant ships by submarines withOut bringing them to port or providing for the safety of the crews, "and the attempt to effect this even against a hospital ship," have raised very seriously the question whether Great Britain should adopt in retaliation more stringent measures against German trade. "It is recognized that when any such decision to this effect is reached due care must be taken not to inflict lose upon neutral ships which have sailed before any warning has been given or the decision announced." That is thoroughly sound. Not only do we not want to cut off our own noses to spite our faces, we want also not to cut off neutral noses in order to injure the Germane. At the same time, the existence of neutral noses must not be allowed to deflect us from our determination to beat Germany, and to beat her as quickly as possible, and so free the world and its trade from the appalling incubus which now oppresses it. The best friends of the neutrals will be those who bring the was to an end in the only way possible—by the destruction of the military and naval power of Gernany.
