The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-03-02
.QUIETS TALK OF WAR
PRESIDENT WILSON WINS CLASH
WITH CONGRESS ON WARM
ING RESOLUTION.
INSISTS ON FREEDOM AT SEA
Refuses to AoquIesee in Measure Put
ting Stain on American Honor" In
Sea crlsis-situation With Germany
Improved.

Washington, Feb. 26. President
Wilson has triumphed for the present
at least over the panic-stricken Demo
Gratis in congress, who, fearful Of war
with Germany, desired to pass a bill
forbidding American travel on bel
ligerent armed merchantmen,
NO." said the president on Thurs
day through gritted teeth, II shall not
acQuiesce in a measure which contem-
plates putting a stain on American
honor and surrendering American
rights. shall continue to insist that
those rights be maintained In their full
integrity"
To quiet the nerves set a-Quivering
by the boyle men, Secretary Lansing
telephoned Congressman Flood, chair
man of the house foreign affairs COM
mittee, that the situation with Ger
many was easier.
Here is the text of President Will
sons letter to Senator Stone touching
on the relations of the United States
with the TeutoAic allies as concerns
the rights of citizens of neutral ma
tions on the high seas:
THE White House, Washington,
Feb. "a, 1916.-My Dear Senator: !
very warmly appreciate your kind and
frank letter of today, and feel that it
calls for an equally frank reply.
You are right in assuming that !
shall do everything in my power to
keep the United States out of war l
think the country will feel no uneasi-
ness about my course in that respect.
Through many anxious months have
striven for that object, amidst difficult
ties more manifold than can have been
apparent on the surface, and so far
have succeeded. do not doubt that
shall continue to succeed.
THE course which the central Euro
pean powers have announced their in
tention of following in the future with
regard to undersea warfare seems for
the moment to threaten insuperable
obstacles, but its apparent meaning is
so manifestly inconsistent with ex-
| plicit assurances recently given us by
those powers with regard to their
treatment Of merchant vessels on the
high seas that l must believe that ex-
| plantations will presently ensue which
will put different aspect upon it. We
have no reason to question their good
faith or their fidelity to their promises
in the past, and |, for one, feel conf
dent that we shall have none in the
future.
But in any event our duty is clear.
No nation, no group of nations, has
the right while war is in progress to
alter or disregard the principles which
all nations have agreed upon in miti-
cation of the horrors and sufferings Of
war; and if the clear rights of Ameri-
can citizens should ever unhappily be
abridged or denied by any such action
we should, it seems to me, have in
honor no choice as to what our own
course should be.
For my own part, cannot consent
to any abridgement of the rights of
American citizens in any respect. The
honor and selfrespect of the nation is
involved. We covet peace and shall
preserve it at any cost but the loss of
honor. To forbid our people to exer-
else their rights for fear we might be
called upon to vindicate them would
be a deep humiliation indeed. 1t
would be an implicit, all but an ex,
plicit, acquiescence in the violation of
the rights Of mankind everywhere
and of whatever nation or allegiance.
1T would be deliberate abdication
of our hitherto proud position as
spokesman even amidst the turmoil of
war; for the law and the right. 1t
would make everything this govern
ment has attempted and everything
that it has achieved during this ter
rible struggle of nations meaningless
and futile.
What we are contending for in this
matter is of the very essence of the
things that have made America a SOW.
ereign nation. She cannot yield them
without conceding her own impotency
as nation and making virtual sur
render of her Independent position
among the nations of the world.
II am speaking, my dear senator, in
deep solemnity, without heat, with q
clear consciousness of the high re-
sponsibilities of my Office and as your
sincere and devoted friend. If we
should unhappily differ we shall differ
as friends; but where issues so mo
mentous as these are involved we
must, just because we are friends
speak our minds without reserva
ton. Faithfully yours,
WOODROW WILSON.
"Hon. William ]. Stone, United States