Show TO HIGHTS AMERICANS MAY SAIL ON ARMED merchantman merchantmen MEN IF THEY WISH TO TAKE CHANCE declares honor and self respect of nation Is involved we covet peace and shall preserve it at any cost but loss of honor AV washington ashington president wilson at the end of two days of agitation in congress for action warning americans candoff cans ott armed merchantman merchantmen merchant men brotea letter thursday night to senator stone chairman of the sonata senate foreign relations committee stating that he could not consent to the tha abridge ment of the rights ot of american elti zens in any respect the honor and self respect of the nation Is involved he said we ve covet peace and shall preserve it at any cost but th the a loss of honor the president expressed hope that explanations of tho the declared intentions of the central Euro european powers to sink all armed merchant ships without warning earning would put a different aspect on a situation which now seemed to tp present resent insuperable obstacles wo we have hae had no reason to question their good faith or fidelity to their promises in the past lie he added and 1 I for one feel confident that we shall have nono none in the future the letter was in answer to one written by senator outlining tho the situation existing at the capitol where since tuesday morning persistent demands had been made for a some ome action ilch might lessen the possibility ot of between the united states and G iny the preside dei wrote his letter during the afternoon shutting himself up in hla his study while congressional leaders vainly attempted to td get him on the telephone to tell him of devel at the capitol and to arrange for the call of the house leaders ile he began to write after telephone conferences with cabinet members and other close advisers ills decision was to end all speculation ver over what the position of tho the government was and to let congress and tho the country know that the administration believed the united states could do nothing lut but stand behind the right of its citizens to the freedom of the seas |