VOLUME- XXXI. LAURENS, SOUTH CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1916. J~jf~3 GERMANS WOULD SINK ARM[D M[RENTM[N Yet Renews Piedges'Given in Former Notcs CLAIMS ArMED SHIPS ARE NOT PEACEFUL In Nof e to Isis Goern Imeli (Germainy 11i4.eeat s .\ssurances ('ontained in Form er Notes bull ' laltriPes that Se. e'ret Ilust ruellons hate been (:en British Se masters. Washington, Feb. 28.--Germany, in a formal note presented by Count von Bernstorif to Secretary lansing today, reiterates assu rances regarding the future conduct of submarine warfare given in the Lusitania case, declaring those assurances have not been modi fied by the memorandum setting forth its intention to treat armed merchant men of the entente allies as auxiliary ernisers after midnight tomorrow, and attempts to justify the issuance of the 1lemorandum 1y Ipresenting evidence and assert ions l'signed to prove that the llriti:"h .noore"nnmen has Instructed m(rchantmeniiI to uss tigt'1r armament for purposes of attack In violation of assurances given to the United States. Later, it was said at the state de i artnent. that while the United States stood unaltrably for the right ofI a merchan ship to carry guns for de fense, it was not now and ever had been contending that Americans could travel with immunity on ships having orders to act offensively. It was in dicated that should the allegations of Germany in regard to the confident ial instructions claimed to have been given to British sea captains be sus tained, the fact would have an im portant bearing upon this govern ment's future attitude. It is felt on high official quarters here that the question of motive is the cardinal con sideration in determining the differ ence between defensive and offensive armament. The Important Evidence. Copies of the socalled British in structions, which were handed to Ai bassador Gerard in Blerlin and which are considered by Secretary Lansing to be the all important element in the situation as it stands at present, have not yet arrived. Pending their receipt and a subsequent decision regarding the attitude of the I nited States, the state department is prepared to con sider any overt a(t committed by the commanders of Germany and Austrian submarines in the light of the facts. It was authoritatively stated that the department probably would not act upon the case of an American who sus tained injuries aboard a vessel whlich it could be definitely established was to be offensively used. The state department makes a broad distinction between resistance and of fense. It holds t hat ai me'rchanit shilp has a right to resist ca pture, hut not. to act offensIvely, Of ('ours'e, it is ad mlitted, a ve'sse'l loses all the Iimmuitjy while ini the act of resist inig. Authoriitative information obtained here toniighit ini)4Lted( lhi; the liritishi gov'~leret Pirobabuly woudIi (combalSt allegations of Giermnany that 11iritIishi ships a rimed ost ensiblly lo. defense are ini ieality ar med for offen sive Puripios es. It was said that liit iish mast ers hadt~ not beetn lostru'icted to hun1 t for submarines, that on the contrairy they had been told to (10 everything possible to avoidl the craft, and that only in the event or a hostile submarine ap proaching without warning near enough to use bombs or torpedoes were the skippers authorizedt to use their guns. No Im~mediate Danger. All things considered, the state de partment is lundersteod to feel that the possibility is more or less remote of diflcuilties airising in the near fu ture as a result of the new German andl Austrian plolley. In the first place officials believe that commanders of German and Austrian submarines wil take particular care not to attack without warning armed merchant ves sels upon01 which there may be Ameri cans. This belief is strengthened by * the declaration in the German note *received today which was acquiesced in by Baron Zweidinek, charge of the :Austrian embassy hero, that the or *ders issued to the naval commanders wore so formulated as to prevent the destruction of enemy liners "on ac 3111S. ('II HIS''(PHIEII DEA D. Wife of Dr. A. J. ('hrlstopher Died Wednesday Afternoon After Linger ing Illness, \irs. Latra Dilal ('Iistolpher, wife of Dr. A. .. ('iistopher, died at her home oil West .\lalin street. \\ednesday af Ie'noon fol lowing a long illness of iuch suf fering and marked by beauti iftl Spirit of ('hri tian ft(' itude. The funeral services were hield Thursday afternoon at the l''rst It aptist chulrhel, beinsg conducted by her pastor, Rev. Al. L.. Lawson. 'hie intertent. followed itmnediately afterwards at the laan retnsi ('Cmetry, where a nlmerous body of sorrowing friends and rela tives gathered. Six nephews acted as active pall bearers, as follows: A. Dial Gray, 11. ('oke Gray, .\lbert Gray, Cecil Gray, Albert !)ial and HIastings Dial. The following were honorary pall bearers: Messrs C. 1, (lobo, .1. C. Ow ings, E. 1'. Minter, J. C. Shell, .J. F. Tolbert, ('. II. Roper, 1)r. L. S. Fuller, Col 11. Y. Simpson, Dr. W. ). F'ergu sonl, J. W. Todd, M. .1. Owings and Ii. I1. Kennedy. Mi's. ('Iiristoplier was a datughter of the late ('ol. Albert Dial, for many years a leading citizen of the county, and was niarried to Dr. Christopher twenty-live years ago. She was for many years a tiember of the Ilaptist church anid took a great deal of inter est In its work. In the church societies she was particularly active and will be missed in those circles. .ilrs. Christopher is survived by her husband and adopted child, Laura Elmily Dial, and the following brothers and sisters: Mrs. I. L. Gray, Gray ou't; Mrs. John I). W. Watts, ''rltity Ridge; N. B. Dial and Dr. W. II. Dial, Laurens; J. Conway Dial, Cross 11111. count of their armament unless such armament is proved." Reiterates Assurances. The note at the outset reiterates the previous pledges, which were given on September 1 and October 5 of last year, for the safety of unresisting lin ers and then goes on to say the Ger man government does not believe those assurances have been modified by the new tnemorandim. Durin' the negotiations over the Lusitania, It. says, no mention was made of armed tmerchanItmen, and that the ('nited States inl one or its notes on the L~usitatnia mentioned "tn arm'ied tile''haitimen." Attention then is called to the as surances previosuly given in whicli it was stated that liners will not be sunk without. warning, providing they do not offer resistance, Attention also is called to the statemeit of the Ameri 'an government in its notice to port authorities that he presence of arma ment oti board a merchant vessel rentes the presumi pttoti that the ves sel is armed for offense. It. is stated that a submarine com mander can not. be expected to warn an enemy merchantnant which has a i'lght to tire on the subm arinie which warns it, anid the Gertman government sets op the contetion that eqiuimett andl attetmpt to r'eist a warnIng glveni byu a subminti (fo not comle witin the dolitioti of dlefnsIve itarmament. Jiased ontt~ ('rgs. Thle tnote thlen 5(ets fothi t hat thle Germ'nan Movrn'tttenit idi tnot lssute its now instrictiont to sitbmar'ino com tmaindet's util aftert it. had come itnto liossessioni of confitdetIial inlstrtuctions by thle Dnrltish govern menit to thle connianders of'Dtrltish mer'chanttmen. 'It ls deniedi thinIat armed Brttish mer' chant shilps of atny dlescr'iptionl at'e peaceful tr'adersx and it is declared that the armament on board all of thenm Is to be utsedl especially for purposes of attack. The note makes it clear that Ger nmany believes its new InstructIons to sutbtmarine commanders are in ae cor'd with the viewpoint expressed by the United States In Its memorandum prtoposing ft mlodus vlvendhi to the en tente allies fotr the disarmament of merchant ships. Woul d Wolco me A greceent. Thle efots~ of' the Uinited States to havo beligerents agr'ee to a nmodits vivendll, which would cause all metr chant ships to be0 disarmedi, it is de clared. are welcomed by Glermany. Then follows a declatation that (Ger many will no longer allow its subma rines to ho made the object of attacks in violation of the principles of in ternational law and -theroforo the new instructions will not be postponed or modified. CAU Wi th a si'ltage of1 Ships sl 'e :withl It-, l~i~iig l 1 i(n st irreil (1ve(r preiI redni(ss iill >r f)1 \ l. 1' tih I ( w r' "4 2ll1 I di I i ii- l' I il is : It I 1al t Let 4'v1'1'.vi'iit' 1.'l111'111'r i1fn i.' 1 ulsi''. l'i lly j4 10' d41 I'41. . i111 ies f r lhims ll'. is nii y 111. anij I 1 ( iii (I l l e vas1 I ';I.) i 1 -t)(1' 1 l l,' ;11iii ( '": II :1 1 .1 I4 ;+u hot11i'~ ( as l' f l'i1.11'I " liiust lhe tl wiBlE is. Six-("enlt 1"o)t~tn this fall1 w\ Stales. Low ri'e Follows ove the (1Ioy. I igh prices anil i prove whlat volulltitll' retlitt'tii i litrl (I ilH'lelos' 11t a l 'rtC e o' il t !grea t loss to loltliaeeril t ic llierS, illol w ill siil seliu l'e ('foNm''o:. 1-:N('E-: ( aoCOT l' It E:111( TS '0i CO'O-:R , i I:.I, I1E IN THE'- RA.\E itercef inair Phe iient Story fromo fo. witlia - 11 h e Se ertr Other ('an dthile for the Go elraceorshi gv. Ano iantresting political story to the .ffec that solicitor Lobert A. Cooper will be one of several candidates in the race for raovernor this stammer was sent out from *Columibia several days ago. Iot is stated that lion. W. A. Stuckey, of eishopville, is seriously considering making the race and that \lr. Cooper is almost sure to run since former Gov. Blease has announced. In part the story follows: That h ie will positively announce within the near future whether or not he will be in the race for gover nor and opposing those planks in the platform of \1r. Cole L. lease which advocate reduction of the passenger rates on railroads to two cents and reducing the rates of interest was stated this morning by the lion. W. '. Stuckey over the long distance telephone from his home at Bishop ville. At the same ltme .\lr. Stuckey emphatically and positively denied the iumlor that he w ould run for I4iuteliant ovenor on a ticket with .\r. B lease. "l'ndr no circumstances will I take second place on any man's ticket," Said .\lr. sleekey and added, that. Is anoceeIllneaet som0e m0ohs '. t,11 that oe wiovld not 111 for Laieu tenangt governo r stands. lie declared ntin umistakable language that he will not he the tail of any man's kite. c hisagteeing with two of the lead Ing planks in the platform of \ir. lilease was expressed by .\r. Stuckey. Ile said he and the farmers favored legitimate cororaons and were o them toand one whalcinsto twoA centoper ofmai'ilelandtha Thoase wo hae~areinfavo the ostutinae egia taonfo th Miarooer, said nor. Sukeyo gover'nor' fiioredl euacin nssentr Iats etohr tot iewllo andnreuce.o 'ro te lgrvie of Mr.noerlsto sxmp Te fa that ud rforngledners oIf ctn ondr iles atione ae taken tkean ob f Mris.pvileas antd faor ovenowr eGooreto Te ene bouht forwaefr governor indi-rai atdeverytone ivesfact it i oe st ascrta that eratorh leaders feil Te tve acennouncement fom Coope of awaiten will duo nToerwo have watched the sitinaecr TION! to lItuve ()III* ofr nton to 'oreiLi le (1114 I I111 \\. ; \ ill illhe N a 'or v\ lll hI l : with t hte htlly 14' Ia i n-r'' I4 I4(" II lw1 sai t 11 1t' I'o l i"'r the' .4. nnuliv11 as well.! hlis li\t 11!4 !tie . i :\ val l'. a p1'!, ('11 11 the