Mexico Missouri message., 1916-04-27

vessels which were not armed would
still be exempt from destruction with.
out warning and that personal safety
would be accorded their passengers
and crews; but even that limitation,
il it was ever practicable to observe
1t, has in fact constituted no check at
all upon the destruction of ships Of
every sort
"Again and again the Imperial Ger
man government has given this gov
ernment its solemn assurances that at
least passenger ships would not be
thus dealt with, and yet it has again
and again permitted its undersea COM
manders to disregard those assurances
with entire immunity. Great liners like
the Lusitania and the Arabic and nero
ferry boats like the Sussex have been
attacked without moments warning,
sometimes before they had even he.
come aware that they wore in the pres
ence Of an armed vessel of the enemy
and the lives Of noncoInbanant pas.
sengers and crew have been sacrificed
wholesale in a manner which the gov
ernment Of the United States cannot
but regard as wGnton and without tho
slightest color Of justification. No
limit of any kind has in fact been set
70 the indiscriminate pursuit and de.
struction Of merchantmen Of all kinds
and nationalities within the waters,
constantly extending in area, where
these operations have been carried on;
and the roll of Americans who have
lost their lives on ships thus attacked
and destroyed has grown month by
month until tho ominous toll has
mounted into tbs hundreds.
L. S. Government Has Been Patient.
Recent events make the conclusion
inevitable that it is only one instance,
even though it be one OF the most eG-
treme and distressing instances, of
the spirit and method of warfare
which the Imperial German govern
ment has mistakenly adopted, and
which from the first exposed that gov
ernment to the reproach of thrust.ng
all neutral rights aside in pursuit Of
its immediate objects.
"The government OF the United
States has been very patient. At every
stage of this distressing experience OF
tragedy after tragedy, in which its
own citizens were involved, 1t has
sought to be restrained from any ex-
treme course of action or of protest by
thoughtful consideration of the ex-
traordinary circumstances of this un-
precedented war, and actuated in all
that is said or did by the sentiments
of genuine friendship, which the peo-
pie of the United States have always
entertained, and continue to entertain,
towards the German nation. 1t has,
of course, accepted the successive ex-
plantations and assurances Of the I'M
perial German government, as given in
entire sincerity and good faith, and
has hoped, even against hope, that it
would prove to be possible for the Ger
man government so to order and con-
troll the acts of it's naval commanders
as to square its policy with the princi-
pies of humanity as embodied in the
laws of nations. It has been willing to
wait until the significance of the acts
became absolutely Enthusiastically and
susceptible of but one Interpretation.
"That point has now unhappily been
reached. The facts are susceptible Of
but one Interpretation. The Imperial
German government has been unable
to put any limits or restraints upon its
warfare against either freight or pas
senger ships. 1t has therefore become
painfully evident that the position
which this government took at the
very outset is inevitable, namely, that
the use of the submarines for the de-
struction of an enemy's comerce is Of
necessity because of the very charac-
ter of the vessels employed and the
very method Of attack which their en-
ployment of course involves, incom-
patible with the principles of humanity
the long established and incontroverti-
BILE rights of neutrals and the sacred
lmmunities of noncombatants.
'T have deemed it my duty there.
lore, to say to the Imperial German
government that if 1t is still it purpose
| 10 prosecute relOu1eSS anu lnulSCrlLl'
mate warfare against vessels of com
merce by the use of submarines, not
withstanding the now demonstrated
impossibility Of conducting that war
fare in accordance with what the gov
ernment of the United States must
consider the sacred and indisputable
rules of international law and the uni
versalIy recognized dictates of hu
manity, the government Of the United
States is at last forced to the con
clusion that there is but one course
it can pursue; and that unless the Inn
perial government should now imme
diately declare and effect an abandon
ment Of it's present methods of war
fare against passenger and freight YES
sells, this government can have NJ
choice but to sever diplomatic rela
tions with the government Of the Ger
man empire altogether.
81 have taken it, and taken 1t in thi