New Britain herald., 1916-04-19
STAND IRREVOCABLE
 WILSON SAYS AS HE
 TALKS TO CONGRESS
President Informs Senate and House Of What He Has Done
 by SendingL Last Word DIPLOMATIC EXCHANGES
 AT AN END, HE STATES

Says History of Past Year Has Shown
 That Hopes of Germany Keeping
 Promises to Take Every Precaution
 to Safeguard Lives of Neutrals Are
 Not Justified-Fccls It His Duty
 to Speak.
 Washington. April 19-President Wilson told congress, assembled in joint session shortly after 1 o'clock this afternoon, he has given Germany irrevocable notification that the United States will break off diploma tic relations if her illegal submarine campaign is continued
 A note, Americas last word, prac- tically an ultimatum, and demanding a1- immediate reply, presumably was in the Berlin foreign office as the president was speaking. It was dis patched last night in accordance with the presidents plan to have it be- fore the German government at the same moment he was addressing the American congress. The president asked no action whatever of congress. He simply informed it of the accu mutation of facts proving that Ger many's assurances, to the United States are being violated that the submarine campaign, despite the earnest protests of the United States, is being conducted with renewed vigor in contravention of all the laws of nations and humanity and that he means to sever relations unless it is brought within the law. Diplomatic history of the world shows that such 8 course is almost certain to be fof- lowed by war.
 The presidents note and his ad dress to congress are final. They mark the end of diplomatic ex- changes. A continuance of the long standing friendly relations, the pres ident made clear depends alone upon Germanys conduct.
 Duty to Speak Frankly.
 The president said:
 Gentlemen of the Congress-:
 A situation has arisen in the for eign relations of the country of which it is my plain duty to inform you very frankly.
 It will be recalled that in February 1915, the Imperial German govern ment announced it's intention to treat the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland as embraced within the seat of war and to destroy all mer chant ships, owned by it's enemies that might be 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 it had thus prescribed or else enter them at their peril.
 United States Protests.
 The government of the United States earnestly protested. It took the position that such a policy could not be pursued without the practical certainty of gross and palpable vio- lations of the law of nations, particu- larly if submarine craft were to be employed as it's instruments, inasmuch as the rules prescribed by that law, rules founded upon principles of hu- manity and established for the protec- tion of the lives of non-cOm mbatants at sea, could not in the nature of the case be observed by such vessels. It based it's 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 any part of the high seas against their use or to expose them to such risks could lawfully be asserted by any bel ligerent government. The law of na- l (COntinued On Eleventh Page.)