The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-04-19
PRESIDENT TELLS CONGRESS HE
HAS SERVED NOTICE UNLAWFUL
U-B0AT WARFARE MUST CLOSE
The Message

In his address TO Congress
President Wilson said:
N situation has arisen III thc8.t tor
.eiGn relations Of the Country ofwhich
II is my plain duty TO inform you very
frankly. 1t will be recalled that in Feb
ruary, 1915. the Imperial German gov
crnment announced its intention 10
treat the waters surrounding Great
Britain and Ireland as embraced with
III the seat OF war and TO destroy all
merchant ships owned by its enemies
that might he found within any part
Of that portion OF the high seas and
that it warned all vessels Of neutral
as well as of belligerent ownership
TO keep out OF the waters II had thus
prescribed or else enter them at their
peril
"The Government Of the United
States earnestly protested. 1t took
the position that such IL policy could
not be pursued without the practical
certainty Of gross and palpable VIC
lations OF the law of nations. paTticu-
iarly ii submarine craft were TO be
employed as its instruments inasmuch
as the rule prescribed by that law;
rules bounded upon principles OF hu-
mainly, and established for the pro-
lection of the lives OF Hon.combatants
at .scn. could not in the nature of the
case be observed by such vessels
Il based IFS protest ON the ground
that persons Of neutral nationality and
vessels OF neutral ownership would be
exposed to extreme and intOlerablc
risks and that no right to close amy
part of the high seas against their use
or 10 expose them TO such risks could
lawfully he asserted by any bcligercnt
government.
The law OT the nations in these mat-
ers upon which the Government OF
tho United States based its protest
is not OF It's origin or founded upon
mcrcly arbitrary principals SET up by
convention. Il is based. on the con-
trary, on manifest and imperative
principles Of humanity and has long
been established with the appOva!
and by the expressed assent OF all
.rivilizcd nations OF the world. Not
withStanding the earnest protest of
our government the Imperial German
government ut once proceeded TO carry
out the policy It had announced. II
expressed the hope that danger in
volved al any rate, danger 10 neutral
vessels would be reduced 10 mini.
mum by instructions which II had is
sued to It's submarine commanders
and assures the government Of the
United States that it would take every
possible precauiiOn both to respect tho
rights of ncutrals and to safeguard the
lives OF non cOmbatantS.
What has actually happened has
shown that those hopes were not
Justified lii pursuance OF tho policy
of submarine warfare against COM
mcrce OF the adversary the comman-
Ihors of the German under seas vessels
have attacked merchant ships with
greater and greater activity. not only
upon high seas surrounding Great Brit
ain and ireland hut wherever they
could encounter them III n way that
has grown more and more ruthless: ]:
more and more indiscriminate. As
the months have gone by they have
delivered these attacks without conf
punciion against vessels Of every ma.
tionalIty and bound upon every sort
of CrI'und.
"SomL times merchantmen attack
cd have been warned and summoned
to surrender before being fired on or
Itorpedoed. Sometimes passengers or
crews had been vouchsafed. the poor
security OF being allowed to take to
the ships boats before she was sent
10 the bottom, hut again and again
no warning has been given; no escape
even to the ships boats allowed to
those on board.
What this government -foresaw
must happen has happened. Whatever
the disposition and intention of the
Imperial German Government it has
nunifcstly proved impossible for II
to ncep such methods OF attacks upon
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