Show PORT off PRESIDENT WILSONS WAR 61 U S P D I 1 N G E RA MANY that kaiser did not dare bermi full text of address to reach his people shown it I 1 declared by distorted reports published hd that the german government did not dare dar c permit the publication in that country of tho the full text of president wilsons Wil sons address to congress on april 2 1917 in which the president called upon congress to declare the existence of a state of war with the imperial german government is shown by copies of the message a as published blushed in germany which have been obtained by the committee on public information of the united states government the wolff telegraph bureau which is not only under under censorship control of the german government but has been used as a semiofficial semi official mouthpiece of the government in its report of president wilsons Wil sons address suppressed many passages in which the president outlined the conditions which forced y this country to defend itself against the attacks of the german government As a result the message was vas p resented presented to the german people in an abridged and distorted form in the following ca copy py of the presidents address issued by the committee on public information the passages suppressed by the wolff telegraph bu reau are shown in boldfaced bold faced type gentlemen Cent lemen of the congress I 1 have called the congress into extraordinary session because there are serious very cry serious sor lous choices of policy to be made and made immediately which it is neither right nor constitutionally permissible that I 1 should assume the alie responsibility of making on the ad of february last I 1 officially laid before you the extraordinary in mo noun coment of the imperial german government that on and after the 1st ast klay day of february it was its purpose to put aside all restraints of law or of humanity in and use its submarines submarine s to sink very vessel that sought to ap either the ports of great britain and ireland or the western coasts of europe or any of the ports contro controlled llod by the enemies of germany within the ucal ter that had seemed to be tho object ob j cc t of the german submarine warfare earlier in the war but since april of last ear the imperial erial govern government had ila d somewhat restrained the comman aers of its undersea craft in conformity with its promise lian then glan to us in that boata should not lie be auch and that due ii arning would lie be sit hien en to nil all other which it lit neck meek to 0 o de dentro when no DO resl reinnie reIn tance nce won wan offered or c cn cape ut tempted and care taken that their brei crown tri were tere t given nt at lennit a fair chance to awse their heir alse hies in their open bont bantu the precautions taken were meager unit n an 1 ann pro ed in litter instance in the progress of the cruel and unmanly busl nenn but a certain degree of restraint wa tax ed the new policy has swept every restriction tion aside vessels of every kind whatever their flag their character their cargo their de destination their errand and have been ruthl ruthlessly sent to the bottom without warning arning and without thought of help or mercy for those on hoard board the vessels of friendly neutrals along with nith those of belligerents even hospital ships unil and ships carrying teller relief to the norel bereaved I re ed nud and stricken people of though the latter were provided with safe conduct through the proscribed areas by the german government itself and viere by unmistakable marks of identity have been sunk with tile the reckless lack of compassion or of principle I 1 tens for a little unable to 1 Imi leve that much things would in fact tie he done b uny any goN emment that lind hitherto to tile the hun taic of ed nations international law ini t lind its ita origin in the attempt to net up orne liny jaw which i inid nid he eted oad and abse ed upon the oien zihere no lattion lind right of dominion and where iny the free high ays of the world by painful stage after stage stag hai hag that law been built up with meager enough results indeed after all was accomplished that could be accomplished but with n clear aci licit it lent len t of what the heart nod conme lence of 0 nian kind demanded this minimum of right the germ german n government has swept aside under the plea pica of retaliation and necessity and because it had no weapons alil which ch it could use at sea except these w which aich it Is impossible to employ as ag it Is ern cm TIo tidying ying them without throwing to the wind all scruples of humanity or of respect for the understandings g s that were supposed to underlie the intercourse of the world I 1 am not now new thinking of the loss of property involved immense and serious as that 19 but only of the wanton and wholesale destruction of the lives of non combatants men women and children eniz aged in pur nult which haie fien ne in the he darkest periods of 0 modern liln tory bee been deemed innocent and legitimate property can be paid lor for the he alief of peaceful and innocent people cannot lie be the present german sub submarine marln warfare against commerce Is a warfare against mankind it Is a war against all nations american ships line been munk american liven taken in which it har bits to learn of but stirred us u ery deeply the ships and people of other neutral and friendly hate been munk and overwhelmed in the in the nome name there hu liun bran no discrimination cri the to in to nil mankind 7 aach ach nation must decide tor for itself how it will meet it the choice we mike for ourselves must be made with a moderation of counsel and EL a temper itt erics of judgment befitting our acKT and aur our motives s as aa a nation we must put excited iway away out our motive motie will not be revenge or tile the victorious assertion of the physical phYSic tl might of the but only tile the vindication di of right of human right of which we ar arr only a bangle champion when I 1 addressed the congress on the of rebr february uary last I 1 thought it would su suffice effice to assert our nestr neutral ILI rights w with ith arms our right to use tuc the iten car cli anat unlawful interference our right to keep our people safe agn trint unlawful but armed neutrality it now appears Is impracticable because are in effect butla is when ithell me nil am the german ahnne been iwed against merchant shipping it Is impossible to defend ships against their a attacks no n the law ot of nations linn namu in t lint merchantman merchantmen merchant c men n ifould defend then alic tt ga annit or cruisers cr ulner visible er craft aft 1 I I 1 n chose upon the he open men aen it is common prudence in such circumstances grim necessity indeed to endeavor to destroy them before they have shown their own intention they muot be dealt with upon 0 if denit dealt with nt at all the german government denies the right of neutrals to use arms at all within the areas of the sea which it has proscribed even in tho the defense of rights which no modern p publicist has ever before questioned their right to defend the intimation Is conveyed convened that the armed guards which we ha hate placed on our merchant ships will be treated us as beyond the palo pale ot of law and subject to be dealt with as aa pirates would be armed neutrality Is 1 ineffectual nt at bent in nuch much circum and in the frice of much pretensions nl n it la Is than ineffectual it tn in likely only to produce what it vins meant to pre present ent it in practically nan tain to draw us un in into t a war without either the he rights or the effendi eneim of the bei there li Is one choice we cannot make we e nrc are incapable of ron making king wo we will not choose the path of submission and suffer the most sacred rights of our nation and our people to be ignored or 1 located the wrongs wrong which we now novi eliem nrc are no coni inon they cut to the cry rooer of buinno life with a profound mense of the solemn and cen character of tile the step I 1 nm am ankin and of the lie grave which it but in unhesitating obedience to what I 1 deem my iny constitutional duty I 1 advise that tho the congress declare the recent course of the imperial german government to be in fact nothing less than war against the government and people of the united states that it form forvilly for milly tIly accept the status of belligerent which has thus been thrust upon it and that it tike immediate steps not only to put the h country u y in a more thorough state of defense but also to ekert eert all its power and employ all its resources to bring the government of the german empire to terms and end the war whit what this will involve is clear it will ingole the utmost practicable cooperation in counsel and action with the governments now at war with gir many and as incident to that the intension to those governments of the most liberal financial credits in order that our resources may so far as an possible bo be added to theirs it will involve the organization and mobilization of all tho the material resources of the country to supply the materials of war and serve the incidental needs of the nation in the most abundant and yet the most economical and efficient way possible it will ln involve vole the immediate full equipment of the navy in all respects but particularly in supplying it with the best means of dealing with the ene mys submarines it will involve the immediate addition to the armed forces of the united states already provided for by law lav in case of war of at least men who should in my opinion be chosen upon the principle of universal liability to servi service cp and also the authorization of subsequent additional increments mr nt of equal for force so soon as they mv may ie he needed and can be handled in training it will nill almo of course the granting of adequate credits to the goi eminent I 1 hope no fur far nn am they can lie be I by the present generation by well con calved taxation I 1 may sustained no BO far at as may be by tn catlon because it meems to nic inc that it would lie be ot u ime to linse the he credith credi tm aih will now be i ry entirely on money borrowed borroW Cd it 1 Is 14 4 our fluty cluty I 1 mont respectfully urge to protect our people so BO far n is we the lery iery serious m hard filp and eilla which would be likely to nr arle be out olit of tile the inflation which would be produced by mint amt loans in carr inc out the by which theme things are arc to lie be accomplished we vc should keep in mind the lie of interfering nn am little nn nm po possible in our own preparation and in the equipment tent of our own enill nry forces force with the dut fur for it will lie be a acry cry du of supplying plying the nations alrand at war with german with the they hey can obtain only from it or lv bv our ab nb mIx tunce they nrc are in thc jhc held field und and we should help them in acry way to 0 o lie be I 1 dball take the liberty of taki ing through the hie sei erril exec executive de of the KO eminent for the of hiir committees measurer men surer for the of the meveral objects object I 1 ahne I 1 hope that it will be your pleasure Plea mure to deal with them as lulling been framed utter after iery ery careful thought ay the he branch of the upon chons the responsibility of conducting the and safeguarding the he nation will trill most directly fall while we do tile liane liln firn theme hehe deeply moment momentous let us UH be lery cry clear and acry cry clear to all tile lie world what our ruota e and conr ob jccob are own thought hn ann not been driven drien from it KB habit nod normal course by the unhappy rian enam of the he lout last vio two montan and I 1 do not be aliee that the thou slit of the nation ham been altered acil or clouded by them I 1 1111 luiis exactly the same in nand mind now that I 1 had in mind siben I 1 nd the on the of annu nr nry v itin dinst tile nunie name illint I 1 had in mind ailien ahrn I 1 nedr ed cengr con renn v on the rd J of lt ebrun ry and on the addi of Feb february our koblect now nn am then Is in to indicate me lie principles of pence nod and jamile in tile hie life of the be worlie orld no am neidah and autocratic power an and d to ret met up rinso the really free ass and m lt if go kot e eroded ed peoples of the world much a c concert of purpose and of action no an will henceforth injure the observance of 0 thome hone principle neutrality 1 in no lonett f ibl or de where wh ere the pence of the world I 1 I 1 IN 1 tolled and the freedom of its people and the menace to that pence rind freed freedom 1 urn I 1 in the existence of 1 ernale backed ly by organized I 1 force which 1 in controlled wholly by their will not by the wl trill 11 I 1 of their people NN we I 1 e have seen the in ant of neutrality t T I 1 in anch ch we nrc are nt at the b of nn an tiro age in which it hlll it be that hat th he tand stand ard of conduct and of aap ane for wrong d done on e I 1 be ob observed erad antl on and ad their that are observed union the anilli idill il catie citizens of if we have no quarrel with the german peo people pie we have no feeling toward them but one of sympathy and friendship it was not upon their impulse that their government acted in entering the war it was not with their previous knowledge or approval it wai a war determined upon as wars use used to be determined upon in the old unhappy days when peoples were nowhere N 1 ter c consulted by their rulers and wars were provoked d and waged in the interest of or of little groups of ambitious men who were accustomed to use their fellow men as pawns and tools self nations do not fill their states with amples or net met the courne of intrigue to bring brine about some ome critical posture of which will kle gle them nn an opportunity to strike and make conque rit such stich de can be worked out only under cover and where no one han the right to ask k quent lons cunningly contrived of deception or carried it may be from generation to gen cration cr atlon enn can he be worked out ont and kept from the light only within the privacy of courts court or behind the carefully guarded confidences of it narrow and privileged clans clam they are happily imparl ble where public opinion commands and tm upon full information concerning nil the nation nat lonn aff affairs nIri A t concert for pence can neier be maintained except by n part of democratic nations no nu to cratic government KO eminent could be trusted ted to keep inith faith within it or observe it ita it must munt be n league of honor a partnership of opinion would ent cat it ian anway way the potting m of inner circle who could phin what they would and render ne nc count to no one would be a corruption bated nt its very heart only free people enn can hold their and their lionor honor to a common end and prefer the Inter cut of mankind to any narrow Inter Inte cut resit of their own does not every american feel eol that assurance has been added to our hope for the future peace of the world by the wonderful and heartening things that have been happening within the last few weeks in russia nu russia nuin in iv was known by those thone who in knew her licit best to have been alwag 1 in fact at heart in nil all ital habits of her thought 1 in nil the intimate of her people that their heir natural jn instinct their habitual atti tilde toward life the autocracy tent crowned the lummll of her political atrue ture loep na as it lind had stood and terrible nf am was war the reality of it its 4 power was not in fact nunilon nu nilan in origin charne ter or pur pome MC and now noly it hn has 4 been shaken inken 41 and the krent great genc rouM ilu ilus nian people linie hate been added in nil their majesty and might to tile the forces forcha nrc are fighting for to freedom in the world for Justic eg and tor for pence here Is IE a fit partner for a league of honor one of |