Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-04-19

Washington, April 1e.-The pres
ident in his message to congress
today on the German submarine
crisis, said: - r..
"GentIemen Of the Congress: A
situation has arisen in the foreign
relations Of the country Of which It
10 my plain duty to inform you very
frankly. ss Ess = r.
at will be recalled that in Feb
ruary, 1915, the imperial German
government announced it's intention
to treat the waters surrounding
Great Britain and Ireland az em-
braced in the seat of war and TO
: destroy merchant ships owned by
it's sssnsisss that might be found in
that part Of the high seas, and that
Z il warned all vssssts Of belli0srenta :
and neutral ownsrships 70 keep out
Of the waters thus described.
"The government Of the United
States earnestly protested. II took
the position that such a policy
could not be pursued without the
practical certainty OF gross and
paIpable violation Of the law Of ma
tions, particularly If submarines
were to be employed az its instru-
ments, inasmuch 40 the rules pre-
scribed by that law, rules founded
on principles Of humanity and es-
! tabiished for the protection Of lives
Of nom combatants at sea could not
s in the nature Of the case be OBJ
4 l.. l. - -
protest on the grounds that persons
Of neutral nationality and vessels
Of neutral ownership would be ex-
posed to intolerahle risks and that
no rights to close any; part Of the
high seas against their use or to
expose them to such risks could
lawfully be asserted by any beIIig-,
erent country. Tho law Of nations
in these matters upon which the
government Of the United States
: has based it's protest 10 not Of re-
cent origin or founded upon merely
arbitrary principles set up by con-
vsntion. II 10 based on the contrary
upon manifest and imperative prin-
been established with the approval
and by the expressed assent Of all
civilized nations: NJ
Notwithstanding the earnest pro-.
test Of our government, the imper- 3
iat German government at once
proceeded to carry out the policy it,
had apnounted. IL expressed the
hope that the danger involved, at
any rate the danger to neutral ves-
sells, would be reduced to mini.
mum by the instructions which
they had issued to their submarine
commanders and assured the gov
ernment of tho United States that
it would take every possible pre-
caution both TO respect the rights
Of neutrats and TO safeguard tho
lives Of non-eombatants.
What has actually happened in
the year which h "a; s:nss siapssd
has shown that these hopes were
not Justified, those assurances In
susceptible Of being fulfilled. In
pursuance Of the palicy cf sabma-
rins warfars against the com-
mercs Of its adversariss, thus ans
nounosd and entered upon BY tho /
imperial German. .1aovsrrrssnt, in
spite of the solemn xprotest Of this
l.
government, the commanders OF /
German undsrssa vessels have at
tackled merchant ships with greater
and greater activity not only on
tho high ssas surroundi1g the Brit
ish Isles but wFsrevsr they could
encounter them in i way that has
grown more and mors ruthless,
moro indiscriminats a. the months
90 by, less and 1sss observatit Of
restraints Of any kind; and have
delivered their attacks without
B 3eompunction against vessels. Of eV-
! cry nationality and bound upon sv-
cry sort Of errand. vesssIs of nsu-
trial ownership, even vessels of
neutral ownership bound from nsn-
traI port 70 neutral port, have
been destroyed alons with vessels
Of bslligersnt ownership in eon-
stantiy Increasing numbers. Some
times the nisrchantma STACKED
has bssn warned aNd surrrnonsd TO u
surrender bsfors being fired on or
torpedosd stme timSs passengers
h Or crews ,ave hsens ensvouchsafsds the
4 poor security Of bsin0 alicWsd tos5
taks e the ship's heat bsfors she