Show WILSON URGES QUICK ACTION President Ask Congress to Declare War A Against ai st ii German Berman Empire r Asserts That Germany Never Was Our Friend and That Americans Must Fight in Order Oder to Make the World Safe r 2 Washington President Wilson in n a message to tho special session of congress on April 2 2 spoke as follows I have called the congress Into extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary ex ex- session because there are serious very serious choices of policy to be made and made immediately which it was waa neither right nor constitutionally constitutionally permissible that I should assume as Susie sume the responsibility of making On the 3rd of February last I officially of of- officially laid before you the extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary nary announcement of the Imperial German government that thit on and after tho the 1st lot day of February It was Its purpose purpose purpose pur- pur pose to put aside all restraints of law lawor lawor lawor or of humanity and use its submarines to sink every vessel that sought to either the Ule ports of Great Britain or Ireland or the western coasts of Europe or any of at the ports controlled by the enemies of ot Germany within the Mediterranean That has seemed to be the object of the GerDan German Ger Ger- man Ger-man man Dan submarine warfare earlier in the war but since April of last year the imperial government had somewhat restrained the commanders of at Its Us undersea undersea undersea un un- un- un craft in conformity with its promise then given to us that passenger passenger ger boats would not be sunk and that due warning would be given to all other vessels which Its submarines might seek seele to destroy when no resistance resistance resist resist- ance was offered or escape attempted and care taken that their crews were given iven at least a fair chance to save their lives In their open boats The precautions taken were meager and haphazard aph zard enough as was proved in distressing instance after instance in inthe inthe the tho progress of ot the tho cruel crupl and unmanly business but a certain degree of ot re re- restraint was observed The new policy has swept every aside Vessels of ot every kind whatever their flag their character char char- actor acter their cargo their destination their errand have been ruthlessly sent J f to to the bottom without warning and 1 of for without thought help or mercy those on board the vessels of ot friendly neutrals along with those of ot bolliger- bolliger Even hospital ships and ships carTing carrying car- car Tying Ting relief to the sorely bereaved and stricken people of ot Belgium though the latter were provided with safe conduct through the proscribed areas by DY the German government itself and were distinguished by unmistakable marks of identity have been sunk with the same reckless lack of ot compassion or principle I was for a little while unable to believe that such things would In fact be done by any government that had hitherto subscribed to the humane 1 practices of civilized nations International International Inter Inter- national law had its origin In the attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt to set up some law which would be respected and observed upon the theseas theseas seas where no nation had right of dominion and where lay tho the free highways highways highways high high- ways of ot tho the world By Dy painful stage after stage has that law been built up with meager meagor enough results indeed after all was accomplished that could F bot be accomplished but always with a clear view at least of what the heart and conscience of the mankind del de- de l- l Rights Swept Away 1 This minimum of ot right the German Ger Ger- man government has swept aside under under un- un der e plea of ot retaliation and necessity Sit sity Y and and because It U had bad no weapons r which it could use at sea except these f which it is Impossible to employ as asIt asU Jn t U tt Is employing them without throwing to tho the winds all scruples of humanity or lr of ot respect for tor the understandings that were supposed to underlie tho the Intercourse In In- of ot the world I am not now thinking of the loss of f property Involved Immense and serious serious se se- rious as that is but only o of ot f the wanton wanton wanton wan wan- ton and wholesale destruction of ot the lives Jives of noncombatants men women and children engaged In pursuits which have always even in tho the darkest darkest dark dark- i- i est periods of ot modern history been deemed Innocent and legitimate Property Property Prop Prop- erty can be paid for tor the lives of peaceful and Innocent people cannot be oe The present German submarine submarine- warfare against commerce is a a. warfare warfare warfare war war- fare against mankind It is a war against all nations American ships have been sunk American lives taken In ways which It has stirred us very I deeply to learn of but the ships and people ople of other neutral and friendly n have been sunk and overWhelmed overWhelmed over- over Whelmed in the waters in the same vy y There has been no t n. n The challenge Is to all mankind tach ach nation must decide for itself liow ow It will meet It The Tho choice we E make mak for ourselves must be made with witha a n moderation of counsel and a tem tem- r of ot Judgment befitting our character and our motives as a ana ana- na na- tion We must put excited feeling away Our motive motivo will not be revenge revenge revenge re re- or the victorious assertion of the tho physical might of ot the nation but only the vindication of ot right of ot buman human hu bu- bu man right of which we wo are arc only a single champion When en I addressed the congress on the 10 of ot February last I thought that mt it would suffice to assert our neural neutral neutral neu neu- ral rights with arms our right to use the le seas against unlawful interference our ur right to keep our people safe sate against unlawful violence But armed neutrality it now appears is Because submarines are in effect ef- ef outlaws when used as the German German German Ger Ger- man submarines have been used against merchant shipping it is impossible impossible sible ble to defend ships against their attacks attacks at- at tacks acks as the law of nations has assumed assumed as- as umed that merchantmen would defend defend de- de fend end themselves against privateers or cruisers visible craft giving chase upon pon the open sea It is common prudenco prudence pru pru- dence ence In such circumstances grim necessity indeed to endeavor to deroy destroy destroy de- de stroy roy them before they have shown their heir own intention They must be dealt with upon sight if It dealt with at atall all aU 1 The German government denies the rIght gut of neutrals to use arms at all within the areas of the sea which it has as proscribed even in the defense of rights guts which no modern publicist has ever ver before questioned their right to defend The intimation is conveyed that hat the armed guards which we have placed aced on our merchant ships will be treated as beyond the pale of ot law and subject to be dealt with as pirates would be Armed neutrality is Ineffectual ineffectual enough at best host In such circumstances clr- clr and In the face of ot such pretensions It is worse than in neutral It is likely at once to pro produce uce what It was meant to prevent it is practically ally cally certain to draw us Into the war without either the rights or the effectiveness effectiveness veness of belligerents There Is s one choice we cannot make we are incapable of making We will not choose the path of ot submission submission submission sub sub- mission and suffer suffer- the most sacred rights of our nation and our people to o be ignored or violated The wrongs against which we now array ourselves are not common wrongs they hey cut to the very roots of human life fe With a profound sense of ot the solemn solemn sol- sol mn and even character of the step ep I 1 am taking and of the grave responsibilities re- re which it involves but in unhesitating obedience to what I deem my constitutional duty I advise that I the he congress declare the recent course of f the imperial government to be In fact act nothing less than war against the government and people of ot the United States tates that it formally accept the status tatus of belligerent which has thus been een thrust upon It and that it take ImmedIate stops steps not only to put the country in a more thorough state of defense but also to exert all its power ower and employ all its resources to bring ring the government of ot the German empire to terms and end the war Army of Men What this will Involve is clear It will Involve the utmost practicable cooperation cooperation co- co operation In council and action with the he governments now at war with Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many and as incident to that the extension extension ex- ex tension to those governments of ot the most liberal financial credits In order that our resources may so far as pos- pos Ible be Ibe added to theirs it will involve Involve involve in In- volve the organization and mobilization ion tion of ot all the material resources of the he country to supply the materials of war and serve the Incidental needs of the he nation In the most abundant and andret yet yet ret the most economical and efficient way possible It will involve the immediate Immediate immediate im Im- mediate full equipment of the navy In all respects but particularly in supplying supplying supply- supply ing ng It with the best means of dealing with the enemy's submarines submarines' It will Involve the immediate addition to the tho armed forces of the United States already already already al al- ready provided for by law In case of war at least men who should in n my opinion be chosen upon the principle of universal liability to service service service ser ser- vice and also the authorization of subsequent subsequent subsequent sub sub- sequent additional increments of ot equal force so IO soon Boon as they may be bo needed and can be handled in training It will involve also of course the granting of adequate credits to the government government government gov gov- sustained I hope so far as they can equitably bo ho sustained by Iby bythe bythe the tho present generation by well conceived conceived conceived con con- taxation 1 T say sustained so soTar far Tar as may be equitable by taxation because It Seems to me mo that it would be most unwise to base the credits which will now foe Abe necessary entirely on money borrowed It Is our duty I most moat respectfully urge to protect our people so far as we may against the very serious hardships and evils which would be likely to arise out or of the inflation In In- nation which would be produced by vast loans H Help lp to the Allies In carrying out the measures by which these things are to be Ie accomplished accomplished accomplished We ae should keep constantly in mind the wisdom of interfering as little as possible in our own preparation preparation tion and the tho equipment of ot our own military forces with the duty for duty for i It will be a very practical duty duty of of supplying supplying sup sup- plying the nations already at war wa with- with Germany with the materials material which they can obtain only from us orby o oby or orby by our assistance They are In the tho field and we should help them In every way to be effective there I r shall take the liberty of suggesting suggesting suggest suggest- suggest suggest-I ing through the several executive departments departments de do- of the tho government for the consideration of ot your committees I measures for the accomplishment t ot of the several objects I have mentioned J I I hope that It will be ho your pleasure to todeal todeal todeal I deal with them Ulem as having been framed I after aCter very careful thought by the branch of government 4 upon which I the ability of conducting the war and safeguarding the nation will most directly fall Whilo we wc do these ese things these deeply momentous things let Jet us bevery be bevery bevery very clear and make very clear to all the world what our motives and our objects are My ly own th thought ug has not been driven from its habitual and normal normal normal nor nor- mal course by the unhappy events of the last two months and I do not believe believe be ibe- lieve that the thought of the nation has been altered or clouded by themI them I have exactly the same things in mind now that I had In mind when I addressed the senate on the of January last the same that I had In mind when I addressed the congress on the of ot February and on the Ule of February Our object now as then is to vindicate the principles of ot peace and Justice In the life Ufe of ot the world as against selfish and autocratic power and to set up amongst the really free and self governed peoples of ot the world such a concert of ot purpose and of ot action action action ac ac- tion as will henceforth Insure the observance observance observance ob ob- servance of those principles World Peace Involved Neutrality is no longer reasonable or desirable where the peace of ot the world worM is Involved and the freedom of its peoples and the menace to that peace and freedom lies In the existence existence existence exist exist- ence of ot autocratic governments backed backed back back- ed by organized force which is controlled controlled controlled con con- trolled wholly by Iby their will not by bythe bythe bythe the will wUl of their people We have seen the last of neutrality in such cir cIr- We Ve are at the beginning of ot an age In which it will wUl be insisted that the same standards of at conduct and of ot responsibility responsibility re re- for wrong doing shall be observed among nations and their governments governments governments gov gov- that are observed among the Individual citizens of civilized states We Wo have no quarrel with the German German German Ger Ger- man people We have no feeling towards them but one of ot sympathy and friendship It was not upon their impulse that their government acted in entering this war It was not with their previous prevIous previous pre pre- knowledge or approval It was a war determined upon as wars used to be determined on in the theold theold theold old unhappy days when peoples were nowhere consulted by iby their rulers and wars were provoked and waged in the interest of ot dynasties or of little groups of ot ambitious men who were accustomed accustomed accustomed ac ac- to use their fellowmen as pawns and tools Infested With Spies Self governed nations do not fill their heir neighbor states with spies or set sethe the he course of intrigue to bring about some ome critical posture of ot affairs which will wUl give them an opportunity to strike and make conquest Such designs can cane be- be successfully e- e worked only onty undercover under undercover undercover cover and where no one has the right to o ask questions Cunningly contrived plans of deception deception tion Ion or aggression carried it may be toe from rom generation to generation can be ibe worked out and kept from the light only within the privacy of or courts or behind the carefully guarded conti- conti deuces lences of ot a narrow and privileged class They are happily impossible where public opinion commands and Insists upon full fun Information concernIng concern- concern lug Ing ng all the nations' nations affairs A steadfast concert for peace can never be maintained except by a partnership partnership partnership part part- of democratic nations No autocratic government could be pe trusted to keep faith within It or observe Its covenants It must toe Abe a league of honor lonor a partnership of ot opinion Intrigue Intrigue In- In would eat its vitals away the of ot Inner circles who could plan lan what they would and 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