The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-04-21

President Wilson today explained 10
congress the long course OF e, ,ents
which had elected from the American
government a virtual ultimatum to
Germany. The president cited the
sum5arine policy of Germany and the
pledges given the United States that
the rules OF international law would
be observed aad stated his frank con-
clusjon that unless the German gov
e-Gnent Immediately declares and Ell
fccts "an abando ment OF its present
methods of warfare against passenger
and freight carrying vessels. this GOV
eminent can have no choice but to
sever diplomatic relations With the
government of the German empire al
together.' He concluded with an eX-
preston of confidence in the support
of congress and hope that the Ger
man goyernme, might see fit to meet
the A1ueFlCdu UeuIdlIOo III 'AiS SP-' ~
in which they are made
The president said:
Gentlemen of Congress:
"a situatio} has arisen in the for
eign relations of the country Of which
i is my plain duty to inform yo1 very
frsns1v g
"It will be recalled that in February,
1916, the imperial German govern
nent announced its intention to treat
the water surrounding Great Britain
and Ireland as embraced within the
seat of war and to destroy all ner-
chant ships owned by its enemies that
might be found within any part OF
that portion of the high seas, and that
it warned all vessels, of neutral as
we'll as be1ligerent ownership, to keep
out of the waters it had thus prescrlD-
ed or else enter them at their peril.
The United States Protests.
4Tae government of the United
States earnestly protested.
eft took the position that such a
policy could not be pursued without
the practical certainty of gross ana
nalpable violations of the law Of ma
tons. particularly if submarine craft
were to be employed as its instru-
n1en4s, inasmuch as the rules pres
c.r.oed by law. rules founded upon
nrinciples of humanity and establish
ed for the protection Of the lives OF
uon-combatants at sea, could not IN
the nature of the case be observed by
sucG vessels.
cit based its protest on the srou0o
that persons of neutral nationality and
.ressels of neutral ownership would be
em,csed to extreme and intoleraole
risks. and that no right to close any
rar: of the high seas against their
nso or to expose them to such risks
co,,ld lawfully be asserted by any bel
Hgerent government. The law OF ma
fions in these matters, upon which the
Government of the United States based
it's protests, is not of recent origin or
founded upon merely arbitray princl-
pies set up by convention. j is based,
on the contrary. upon manifest and 1m-
nerative principles of humanity ana
has long been established with the
approval and by the express assent OF
all civilized nations
Carried Out Threats.
'Notwithstandi@ the earnest pro-
test of our government, the imperial
German government at once proceed
ed 10 carry out the policy It had an
nounced 1t expressed the hope that
the dangers involved, at any rate this
danger to neutral vessels, would be re-
duced to a minimum by the instruc-
tons which it had issued to its sub
marine warfare against the commerce
government of the U2ited States that
II would take every possible precau"
ton both to respect the rights OF neu-
trails and to safeguard the liEes Of non
combatants.
What has actually happened in the
gear which has since elapsed has
shown that those hopes we're not just
I'd. those assurances insusce@ti5!e OF
no fulfilled
IN pu~enaree OF f1a po.=. e -E2-