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Show f President Woodrow WIlson delIvermg hIS ' \ ar message to congress , AprIl 2 , 1917 . .TfilO TfilO Ll\IO Ll IO ' . \ SCOTT ' WATSON 'VATSON VATSON " OR two months It ithad . had been apparentthat apparent apparentHthat that the march of ofevents ofevents Hthat events was slowly slowlybut slowly.but slowlybut . but surely turning turmng turmngthe the footsteps of a anahon anation nahon toward thepath the path which would wouldj -J J : - : j lead it into mto the gI- gI gIganhc gi gigantic - " gantic ganhc conflict rag- rag ragr ragmg rag-r rag r ragrmg - r mg across the AtAnd At- At AtAnd - . , And , ironically Iromcally , thIs thIsfte thisie fte nation nahon whose people peoplewo wo months earlier earher had hadcted hadcted cted its Chief Execuhve Execuhvebecause Executivebecause because of the plea In inhalf fci outfci alf : "He He " kept A us outr out r . " prst .f f . rst significant slgmficant step In InI Inmarch inimrch I march ofevents of events had hadtaken ken on January 31 , trhe German . , hIgh com- com comgamblmg - y " - .v v " " " " * & " < - * gambling gamblmg desperately desperatelyd , the two-year two year - stale- stale stalennounced stale-kannounced stale kannounced - . nnounced that on the thelay thelay lay it woul would ' ! . begin unre- unre unred unre-sd unre sd - d warfare and that thatlean thatican lean shipping shlppmg enteringar entermgar entermg ar zone would be hmIt- hmIt hmItone limit-one limit one - one vessel a week . n Tumultyd Secretary Joe Tumulty d the office of the Presl Prcsil 1 the White House and laId laIddesk laidjdesk desk a copy of the AsSOCI- AsSOCI AsSOCIress Associ-Press Associ Press - ress dispatch contammg contammgews containingSws ews , , Woodrow Wilson read ready Y . , then 1 ie e read it A look lookprise ; prlSe , , then IncIedulIty inciedulity.ern inciedulityern , . ern passedhis determination determmatIon passed ! hIS face "Tumulty Tumulty " , , thIS thiswar ar , , " he exclaimed eyclalmed "The The "Thehat "Thehat Thehat " hat we have tried so hard hard'fnt hardint 'fnt fnt ' now seem " ' inevitable mevltable "lext lext " 1e"tt 1ett { " day the President met metfs mets fs cabinet cabmet and told them of ofstoundmg ofstounding stoundmg surprise " of thIS thISact thisact act of thatumadman that "madman madman umadman " who whoe | e curbed-Germany curbed Germany curbed " - Germany . But "i i " h this crisis thrust upon upone uponwas e was determined deterlfimed not to toe tohan e than sever diplomatic re- re re-ith re ith - ! 7w1th re7w1th Berlin Berlm nor tal e any hI anytil anyhI there \ was \ as an "overt overt "overtthe "overtthe overtthe " the part of the CentralII Central CentralJ II . . He repeated that deter- deter deterIn deter-n deter n - In ' [ J the following followmg day when whencared whenfeared -cared cared - before the congress congressjBt t that we had broken , dIpc.ally dip- dip dipally - - c.ally cally ; . ally , with Berlme Berlin Berlm Berlinlie lie e First rust Overt Act . ig g the next month that thatact thatact act " was committed The Thei , an American Amencan ship , had hadnk hadink nk m In the war zone Agam Againw Agamw ) w Wilson WlIson appeared before befores beforePS s to announce a policy ofneutralIty of . neutrality " and to ask askzatIon askzation zatIon for mounting mountmg naval navalour naval\ naval navalour . , \ our merchant ships shipslouse louse use readily gr granted mted hIm himuthonty thonty hImthonty but the senate , , in m favor of the resolutIOn resolutIOnopposedenough resolutionopposed opposed-enough opposed enough - enough to block blockmmous blockmmous mmous consent necessaryg necessarythe the matter to a vote- vote voteed vote voteed - ed for three days Then at atock atock ock , , noon , , on March 4 4Ion 4Sion Ion ' came 'dme dme to an end Four Fourpassed Fouri WhIChhe passed by , , during durmg WhICh whichie he United Umted States techm- techm techmlad techni-lad techni lad - lad ladno no President Then Thenw beforeJustice > w Wilso.n Wilson Wllso1 . . ' stood before beforeusttce usttce White , , raised rmsed Iusand his Ius hisand andand and andagam and again agam took the theoffice theoffice office to guide the natlOn nationi natlOnthe the four stormy years he yearshe realized full well were ? ! weref him lum . ig g the next two weeks weeksmarched weeksmarched marched slowly to a clI- clI clIo cli-Jn cli Jn - o March 20 the cabmct cabmctssemblcd cabinetissemblcd ssemblcd in m the execuhve executiveof execuhveof ; of the White House The Thent Theent nt told his Ius aides what they I already knew - three more moreAmerIcan moreAmerican AmerIcan ships had been sunk by byGerman byGerman German submarines submarmes Several SeveralAmerIcan SeveralAmerican AmerIcan seamen were m1ssmg m1ssmgThese missingThese These were "overt overt " acts " What Whatwas Whatwas was the next ne"t net } " step for the Ameri AmerI- AmerIcan American - can government to take take7 ? The Thecongress Thecongress congress was due to convene on onAprIl onApril AprIl 16 Should he call it In Ine"tra mextra e"tra etra } " session seSSlOn before that date date7 date7Unanimous ? Unanimous Unanunous for War . Their advice was that he heshould heshould should They were unanimous unammous for forwar forwar war . So he issued a proclama proclama- proclamabon proclamation - tion bon calling callmg congress together on onApr onApril Apr 2Then 2 2Then Then followed a period of wait walt- walt waltmgwaltmgWaltmg waiting - mg-waltmg-Waltmg mg waltmg ing - waiting - waiting The cab- cab cabmet cab-met cab met - met met at regular intervals mtervals but butthe butthe the matter of war was not dIs- dIs dIscussed dis discussed - cussed Between meetings the thePresIdent thePresident PresIdent spent most of his Ius tIme tImeill timem ill his study on the second floor floorof floorof of the White House . There , day dayafter dayafter after day and far into mto the mght nightWoodrow , Woodrow Wison Wlson v/restled v restled wrestled / with hIs hIsproblem hisproblem problem , went through his Geth- Geth Gethsemane Geth-semane Geth semane - semane aloneCame alone aloneCame Came the second of April The Thesenate Thesenate senate , a continuing contmumg body , con con- convened convened - vened officially and after 12 min mm- mm mmutes minutes - utes adjourned Over in the house PRESIDINT : WOODROW WILSON of representatives they were wereelectmg wereelecting electmg a speaker and other offi- offi officers offi officers - cers and ratifying ratIfymg commlttecs committees.After committeesAfter . After eight hours and ten roll- roll rollcalls roll-calls roll calls - calls they were ready for busi busI- busIness business - ness In the White Willte House the thePresIdent thePresident PresIdent was dining dlnmg with mem mem- members members - : bers of his family . . As they fm- fm fmIshed fin finished - ished , , a delegation delegahon from congress congressarrIved congressarrived arrIved with the message that thatthe thatthe the senate and the house were wereready wereready ready to receive a communica commumca- commumca commumcatIon communication - tion from the PresIdentOutsIde President PresidentOutside Outside the Capitol a great greatthrong greatthrong throng milled about , , kept in m or- or order or order - der by t\\ t h\ h to ha \ \ o a troops of cavalry that thathad thathad had ridden over from Fort rort Myer Myer.Inside MyerInside . . InsIde , , the galleries gaUerlcs of the house housewere housewere were packed Even the seldom- seldom seldomused seldom-used seldom used - used diplomatic gallery gaUery was wasfilled wasfilled filled TV.O TVO Tv . . 0 outstanding outstandmg figures m mIt init It were Ambassador Jusscrand Jusserand of ofFrance ofFrance France and Ambassador Sprmg- Sprmg SprmgRIce Spring-Rice Spring Rice - RIce of Great Britain Bntam The day daythey daythey they had long hoped for had ar- ar arrIved ar arrived - rived rivedA SpeakerClark Spe3kerClark A moment after Spe3ker Clark had l1ad called the house to order , , the doors at the rear rearof rearof of the chamber opened and a adoorkeeper adoorkeeper doorkeeper announced "T T "Thevice Thevice " h e eVIce VIce president of the Umted UmtedStates UnitedStates States and the members of the theUmted theUnited Umted States senate " In the themIdst themidst mIdst of a hushed silence sllence VIce VIcePresIdent VicePresident PresIdent Marshall and the elder elderstatesmen elderstatesmen statesmen of the republic filed filedmto filedinto mto the room and took their theirseats theirseats seats Then , as the slight figure figureof figureof of a scholarly-looking scholarly looking scholarly-lookmg lookmg - man ap- ap appeared ap appeared - peared , congressmen and spec spec- spectators spectators - tators alike surged to their feet feetm feetin m a storm of handclappmg and andcheers andcheers andcheersWilson's cheers cheersWllson's Wilson's Wilsons Wllson's Wllsons ' Momentous Message . It died down as Woodrow W Wil Wilson - son stepped to the reading readmg desk deskJust deskjust Just below the dais where whereMarshall whereMarshall Marshall and Clark sat He began beganto to read read"I "I I " have called the congress congressmto congressinto mto extraordinary extraordmary session seSSlOn be- be because be because - cause there are serious , very veryserIOUS veryserious serIOUS choices of policy to be bemade bemade made , and made ImmedIately immediatelywhich , whIch it was neither nelther right nor norConstItutlOnallv norConstitutionally ConstItutlOnallv permissible that thatI I should assume the responsibil responslb responsibility - ity lty of making makmg " His hands trembled slightly as he turned the pages of his Ius manu manu- manuSCrIpt manuscript - script His voice was low . HIS Hislisteners . lIsteners leaned forward to catch catchevery ! every word as he recounted the theevents theevents events of the past tw two months monthsand monthsand and stated his bill of partIculars partIcularsagamst particularsagainst agamst the German government go\'cmment go 'cmment cmment \ ' . . "The The " present German subma subma- submarme submarine - rine rme warfare agamst commerce commerceis IS a warfare against agamst mankind mankmd It ItIS Itis IS a war against agamst all aU nations . . . .The The . The challenge is to all mankmd mankmdJach mankindEach Jach : nation must decide for It- It Itself it itself - self how it will meet it The ThechOIce Thechoice Thechoicee chOIce \\e e \ \ \ e make for ourselves ourselvesmust ourselvesmust must be made with a Modera- Modera Moderabon nodera-tion nodera tion - bon of counsel and a temperate- temperate temperateness temperate-ness temperate ness - ness of judgment befittm befitting our ourchalacter ourchaiacter chalacter and our motives as a anahan anation nahan . We must put excited e"clted eclted } " feel feelmg feeling mg away . Our motive will not notbe notbe be revenge , but only the vmdlc vindication hon of right , of human humcn right , of ofwhIch ofwinch whIch we are only a single smglt : cham cham- champIon champion - " pion Through the hushed chamber chamberthere chamberthere there was a I lustle ustle of uncertamty uncertaintyjust , Just the ; slightest chghtcst hmt hi of impa mlpa- mlpa - tience hence What was he going gomg to ask askof askof of the congress congress7 ? And then . . . . . . "With With " a profound sense of ofthe ofthe the solemn and even tragicalcharacter tragical . character of the step I am amtaking takmg and of the grave respon respon- responsibilitIes responsibilities - sibilities which it mvolves , but butm butin m unhesitating unhesItatmg obedience to towhat towhat what I deem my constItutIonal constItutIonalduty constitutionalduty duty , I advise that the tho congress congressdeclare congressdeclare declare the recent course of the theImperial theimperial Imperial government to be m mfact infact fact nothing nothmg less than war waragamst waragainst agamst the government and andpeople andpeople people of the United UDlted States ; that it formally accept the sta- sta status sta status - tus of a belligerent which has hasthus hasthus thus been thrust upon it and andthat andthat that it take immediate Immedlate steps not notonly notonly only to put the country in m a amore amore more thorough state of defense defensebut , but also exert all its po\\ po power poer ' \ er and andemploy andemploy employ all aU its resources to tobrmg tobring brmg the government of the theGerman theGerman German empire to terms and andend andend end the war . " So it was to be war I ' As the thePresident thePresident President uttered those \ wordsChief \ ords , ChIef Justice White , who was Slt- Slt Slttmg sit sitting - ting tmg in the front row of chairs be- be below be below - low the speaker , dropped the hat hathe hathe he had been holding holdmg and brought broughthIs broughthis hIs hands together high over hIS hIShead hishead head That explosive sound set setoff setoff off a torrent of noise which filled filledthe filledthe the chamber for a moment , then thendied thendied died down quickly as the low lowvOIce lowvoice vOIce continued contmued " . . . . We have no quarrel with withthe withthe the German people We have no nofeelmg nofeeling feelmg towards them but one of ofsympathy ofsympathy sympathy and friendship It was wasnot wasnot not upon their impulse that thmr thmrgovernment theirgovernment government acted upon entermg entermgthis enteringthis this war . 4C " . . . . We are glad , , now that thatwe thatwe we see the facts with no veil of offalse offalse false pretense about them , , to tofight tofight fight thus for the ultimate peace peaceof peaceof of the world and for the libera hbera- hbera hberahon liberation - tion hon of its people , the German Germanpeoples Germanpeoples peoples included mc1uded ; for the rIghts rIghtsof rightsof of the nations great and small smalland smalland and the privilege of men every every- everywhere everywhere - where to choose their way of hie hieand lifeand and obedience . Th The world must mustbe mustbe be made safe for democracy . Its Itspeace Itspeace peace must be planted upon the thetrusted thetrusted trusted foundation foundatlon of liberty . . " And so on the quiet voice VOlce con con- contmued continued - tinued tmued for 32 mmutes-mterrupt- mmutes mterrupt mmutesmterrupted minutes - interrupt interrupted - ed no less than 23 times hmes by the theapplause theapplause applause of its hearers At last lastIt lastit It came to that most splendId splendIdpassage splendidpassage passage of all an : "It It " is a distressing dlstressmg and oppres oppres- oppresSIve oppressive - sive duty , gentlemen of the con con- congress congress - gress , which I have performedin performedm performed m thus addressing addressmg you There Thereare Thereare are , it may be , many months of offiery offiery fiery trial and sacrifice ahead of ofus ofus us It is a fearful thing thmg to leadthIS lead | this great peaceful country mto mtowar intowar war , into mto the most terrible and anddIsastrous anddisastrous dIsastrous of all wars , civiliza clvllIza- clvllIza clvllIzabon civilization - tion bon itself seeming seemmg to be in m the thebalance thebalance balance ; but the right fIght is more moreprecIous moreprecious precIous than peace , and we shall shallfight shallfight fight for the things thmgs which we have havealways havealways always carried nearest our ourheart ourhearts heart heartfor < > -for for - for democracy , for the therIght theright rIght of those who submit to au- au authorIty au authority - thority to have a voice in theIr theIrown theirown own governments , , for the rIghts rIghtsand rightsand and liberties hbertIes of small nations , , for fora fora a universal umversal dominion dommlOn of right by bysuch bysuch such a concert of free people peopleas as shall brmg brmgpeace bring peace and safety safetyto to |