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Show Imperial Chan c e 1 1 o r j Von Bethrnann - Holl-j weg's Speech in Reichs- i tag Leaves No Room for Doubt in the Minds of the Officials at the National Capital. LIE IS GIVEN TO RUMORS OF PEACE President Wilson Puts in Day in His Study Working Upon His Address Ad-dress to Congress, While War and Navy Departments Prepare for the Conflict. WASHINGTON, March 29. While it is assumed from the defensive measures already taken "by the military arm of the government, President Wilson in addressing congress next week will ask for war against Germany or a declara-: declara-: tion that a state of -war exists, it is known he will speak along broad lines, dealing lightly with incidents leading up to the present crisis. Officials feel now that tho time is past when incidentals should be discussed, dis-cussed, and henceforth that only fundamental funda-mental questions of both presont and future American safety should be considered. con-sidered. As a result the president is gathering opinions and suggestions from all sides as to the sort of address to make in the coming crucial hours. Situation Unchanged. The general situation has not been changed by the speech of the German chancellor, Von Bethmann-Hollwcg, to- , day, according to the view tonight of j officials. j Germany, it was said, has consistent- j ly attempted to lay the blame for her acts on other nations. On previous oc- j casions President Wilson has taken the position that Germany is in no way justified jus-tified in carrying on submarine ruth-lessness ruth-lessness because of the British blockade. block-ade. Only complete abandonment of unrestricted un-restricted submarine warfare could change the attitude of the United States, it has been Baid semi-officially recently, and press reports indicate that tho German chancellor did not even discuss dis-cuss that possibility. Cabinet Meeting Today. The president will meet with his cabinet cab-inet tomorrow for the last time before be-fore beginning the actual writing of his message to congress, and therefore it is expected that, the German situation will be dnalt with very fully. He is hopeful that no time will be lost in organizing tho house, so that he may deliver his address as soon as possible after the extra session convenes. The attitude of both congress and public opinion is sought in order to represent rep-resent both as fully as possible. As to the former, the president is anxious not to transgress the constitutional prerogatives prerog-atives of rongress as the war-making body. 7t is realized that in the ultimate ulti-mate analysis the responsibility for de cision rests there. People Favor Action. Public opi nion, it was said here, a? indicated by clippings from newspapers in all parts of the country, umnistnk-abh umnistnk-abh favors decisive action. Belligcr-encv Belligcr-encv is not confined to the Atlantic and Pacific section, if opinions gathered bv the a-mini?tnition are a tnip index. TVmand for action on the part of congress con-gress nnd the president come? also from the interior section betwppn thp Alle-ghenies Alle-ghenies and the Sierras. The views reported re-ported by some mid-westpm congressmen congress-men as to the apathy of their constituencies constitu-encies is considered more jocal then gpn-eral. gpn-eral. The grpatc- point nndr consideration considera-tion by the administration i whether Germany has not unmistakably shown, through a lontr succession of violations cf international law, that th? T'nited States must defi nitoly ur.it? with the liberal nnio-rries of the world acainM the four most complete autocracip. both for the present and future pafetv. All hope i'.a be-n lost, a 'hown in the note to Germar.v, as to t h treaty of lCS in the goo-i faith of the pres- (ContLnued on Pao Two.)! Hi Willi Mil BID CM (Continued from page One.) ent German rulers. The Belgian invasion in-vasion and deportations, the ruthless submarine warfare, the attempts to embroil em-broil neutra countries in plots, and the general conduct of the war, have convinced con-vinced many officials that the German military system as at present directed is a permanent danger to the world's peace. German plots in this country, running back almost to the beginning of the war and finally culminating in the Ximmer-mann Ximmer-mann note to ally Japan and Mexico iu war against this country, are regarded as evidence of the evil of the general system. The administration has much material not yet made public and it is understood, moreover, that the complete text of the Zimmerman n note has not been published, further disclosures of intrigues may be expected at any time. Source of Danger. Germany, through the coolness with which she treated the president's proposal pro-posal to name peace terms, is felt to be the greatest source of clanger to world peace. Some officials here; who felt ner original offer was insincere and merely a play for domestic consumption, consump-tion, believe ner refusal to state terms is proof of that contention. Full co-operation with the allies, therefore, is generally favored as a necessity ne-cessity to America's future safety. German Ger-man victory now, it is said, might lead to a direct" attack on this country later and would at least necessitate extensive armament. A deadlock would be tantamount tanta-mount to a German victory on the basis that, while after peace the German union un-ion would become stronger, the entente might easily fall apart and Germany be left relatively world supreme. Possible Solution. Military authorities' here believe that the most Germany expects now is a draw. Why she seems so indifferent to this country's entrance into the war causes much interest. Some officials have predicted for more than a vear that Germany would attempt to force this nation into tho conflict at the last moment, first, in order that her autocracy autoc-racy might save its face before the people peo-ple by surrendering to the whole world, and secondly, because this country would probably be a generous enemy. The last objection to America's participation par-ticipation was removed with the severance sever-ance of relations, when it ceased to be possible for America to get funds to Germany and thus sustain the price of the mark. Before that Finance Minister Minis-ter Helfferich had been most instru-nital instru-nital in curbing the Von Tirpitz party of ruthless submarine warfare. Manner Undecided. With the United States drawn into the war through no desire o"f her own, and convinced that the war is of self-protection self-protection and self-preservation; the exact ex-act manner of American participation is undecided. The sending of an army to Europe or the provision of a huge credit of from $1,000,000,000 to $5,000,-000,000 $5,000,-000,000 are both being discussed. As for military participation, nothing has been determined, and decision must await actual - entrance into the war. Some feel that a large army, owing to need of equipment and diversion ,of shipping, would be more of a hindrance than a help. Munitions manufacture, where the United States could be of most value, wild be expedited by the greatest possible degree. At the same time, general alliances with the entente nations are not contemplated. con-templated. The United States plans to maintain its freedom of action just as far as possible. In a naval and military mili-tary sense there will, of course, be full co-operation, but beyond that the country coun-try will not assume unlimited liability for the allies' aims. The United States will seek as far as possible to ameliorate amelior-ate the bitterness of the present war and prevent its ending from generating future fu-ture wars. |