The Alaska daily empire., 1916-04-19
Presidents Plain Facts.

WASHINGTON, Aprl lg. - fres- ident Wilson said before the joint session: My plain duty is to inform you frankly of conditions" He then referred to the protest of the United States against Germany's anounce- ment in February. 1915 that she in- tended 10 destroy all merchant ves- sels owned by It's enemies on the high seas around England and Ire land and warning all neutral vessels to keep out. which the President asserted was based upon manifest and imperative principles of human ity and has long been established with approval and by express assent Of all civilized nations"
 The President pointed out that the German governments commanders of undersea vessels have attacked merchant ships with greater activity. not only on the high seas surrounding Britain and Ireland, but wherever they could encounter them. in way that has been growing more and more ruthless. and more and more indis crimlnate as the months have gone by. Less and less observant are the restraints of any kind. They have delivered their attacks without com junction against vessels of every na- tionality. and boSmd upon every sort Of an errand.
 Traqed Follows Traaedy.
 What the government foresaw would happen. has happened. Trag- edy has followed tragedy on the seas in such a fashion. with such at- tendant circumstances. as Co make grossly evident that warfare Of such sort. is warfare that cannot be carried on without the most palpa- ble violation of the rights of hu- manity
 Great liners like the Lusitania and Arabic. and mere ferry boats like the Sussex. have been attacked with out moments warning, sometimes before they had even become aware that they were in the presence Of an armed vessel of the enemy. The lives of noncombatant passengers and crews have been sacrificed whole sale in a manner which the govern ment of the United States cannot but regard as wanton and without the slightest color of justification.
 U. S. Has Been Patient.
 Asserting that the United States had been patient. President Wilson continued that the United States had been willing to wait, until signih- cant acts became absolutely mmis- takable and susceptible to but one iuterpretatlon. That point has now been unhappily reached" said the President "The fact are susceptible of but one interpretation. It has become therefore more painfully ey- ident that the position which this government took at the very outset is inevitable. namely that the use Of the submarines for destruction of an enemy's commerce is of neces- sity. because of the very character of the vessels employed and the very methods of attacks, which their em- ployment causes. involves incompati- lble principals of humanity long es- tablished in controvertable rights of neutrals and the sacred immunities of noncombatants.
 Final Warning Flven.
 "l have deemed 1t my duty there fore to say 10 the Imperial German government that if 1t is still It's pur- pose to prosecute relentless and in' discriminate warfare against vessels of commerce by the use of submar- lines. notwithstanding the impossibil- liy of conducting that warfare in ac- cordance with what the government of the United States must consider sacred and indisputable rules of in- ternational law and universally recog- nize the dictates of humanity, the government of the United States is at last forced to conclude that there is but one course to pursue. and that lis unless the Imperial government should immediately declare and et- feet an abandonment of its present methods of warfare against passen' ger and freight vessels, this govern ment can have no choice but to sever diplomatic relations with the govern. ment of the German Empire alto gether."