The Keota news. (Keota, Weld County, Colo.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-28
PRESIDENT TELLS CONGRESS THAT GERMANY HAS
ATED EVERY RULE OF SEA WARFARE AND THAT
U-BoAT COMMANDERS SINK VESSELS OF AL
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. THAT COMMERCE
RAIDS END OR UNITED STATES WILL
SEVER DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.
Washington April 2OThe of President Wilson's speech
joint Congress Thursday follows:

GENTLEMEN OF THE CONGRESS-:
A situation has arisen In. the foreign
relations Of the country. OF which 1t is
my plain duty to inform you very
Il viii be recalled that In February.
announced its intention to treat the
waters surrounding Great Britain and
Ireland as embraced within the seat
ships owned by its e sne%.e a. ,has might
be found within any part Of that por-
ton OF the high seas. and that i
warned all vessels of neutral. as well
as OF belligerent ownership. to keep
out OF the waters II had thus pre-
peril
Says Gross Abuses Are Certaln.
The government of the United States
earnestly protested. 1t took the posi-
pursued without =; the He practical t certain.
~ Of gross and palpable violation OF
the law OF nations. particularly II sub
it's Instruments. inasmuch us the rules
prescribed by that law, rules founded
upon principles of humanity and es-
tablished for the protection OF the lives
of nOn-combatants mt sea. could not In
the nature OF the case be observed BY
such vessels
1t based Its protest on the ground
that persons OF neutral nationality and
vessels Of neutral ownership would be
exposed to extreme and intolcrnbic
risks. and that no right to close any
or to expose them to such risks. could
lawfully be asserted b. any belliKcr-
cnt government.
The law of nations In these matters.
s5a'es sased t' p mSs
merely AZ, srb'tr9ry principles sc. IT,, up by
trary. upon manifest and imperative
principles OF humanity and has lon.
been established with the approval and
nations.
Germany Dlssegaras Al rrotests.
Eotwithsta nding the earnest protest
Of our government. the imperial Ger
man government mt once proceeded to
carry out the policy II had announced
involved. Mt ANY rate the dangers to
neutral vessels. would be reduced to q
minimum by the Inst ructions which Il
had issued to Its submarine command
ers and assured the government OF the
United States that il would take ev-
cry possible precnution both to respect
the rights OF Aeutrals. and to safe
what has actually happened In the
year which has since elapsed. has
shown that those hopes were not justi-
fled. those assurances inxuSccpttble Of
being fulfilled.
In pursuance of the policy of sub
marine warfare against the commerce
OF It's adversaries. thus announced and
government in spite of the solemn pro-
test Of this government. the comm and
ers of German undersea vessels have
attacked merchant ships with greater
and greater activity. not only upon
the high seas surrounding Great Brit
ain and Ireland but wherever they
could encounter them. In n why that
has grown moro and more ruthless.
more and more indiscrim!nate ms the
months have gone by. less and less OBJ
servant Of restraints of any Kind: and
have delivered their attacks without
computation against vcsscls OF every
nationality and bound upon every sort
Of errand.
Neutfal-Owaed Vessels Desls ed.
Vessels Of neutral ownership even
vessels of neutral ownership bound
from neutral port to neutral port. have
been destroyed, along with vessels OF
beiligerent ownership in constAntly-in.
creasing numbers.
Sometimes the merchantmen attacked
has been warned and summoned to
surrender before being fired on or tor
pedoed: sometimes passengers or crews
have been vOuchsafed the poor secur-
itS Of being allowed to take to the
ships boats before she was sent to
the bottom.
be en- given: no escape even to the
ships boats allowed to those on board.
What this government foresaw must
foIIowed tragedy on the seas in s%sh
fashion. with such attendant circum.
stances. a. to make 1t grossly evident
that warfare OF such a sort TX war.
out the most palpablo violation of the
dictates alike OF right and humanity.
Whatsver the disposition and inten-
se en q fn s. mspnS imec,
eib10 for Il to keep such me thods of