The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-04-19
WILSON TELLS CONGRESS
JUST What is BEING DONE
HAWKINS'S SERMONS
ARE FAITH BUILDERS

tlneu. IN pursuance o. the policy OF
submarine warfare against the CON-
merce Of its adversaries, the comman-
ders Of German undersea vessels
have attacked merchant ships with
greater and greater activity not only
upon the high seas surrounding Great
Britain and Ireland, but wherever
they could encounter them In way
that has grown more and more ruth
less, more and more indiscriminate
as the months have gone by, less and
less obseryant Of restraints Of any
kind; and have delivered their at
tacks without conjunction against
vessels Of every nationality and
bound upon every sort Of errand.
Some times the merchantmen attack
ed have been warned and summoned
to surrender before being fred upon
or torpedoed; some times passengers
or crews have been vouchsafed the
poor security Of being allowed to take
the ships boats before 1t was sent to
the bottom. But again and again
no warning has been given, no es-
cape even to the ships boats allowed
to those on board. What this gov
eminent foresaw must happen has
happened. Whatever the disposition
and Intention of the imperial German
government 1t has manifestly proved
impossible for 1t to keep such meth
DDS Of attack upon the commerce Of
its enemies within the bounds set
either by the reason or the heart OF
mankind"
The president then detailed the
German announcement Of last Feb
ruary in which 1t is claimed British
merchantmen had been armed and its
purpose to renew submarine warfare.
Continuing, he said:
Again and again the imperial
German government has given this
government its solemn assurances
that at least passenger ships would
not be thus dealt with and yet it has
again and again permitted its under
sea commanders to disregard those
assurances with entire IMMUNITY.
Great liners like the, Lusitania and
Arabic and mere ferry boats like the
Sussex have been attacked without a
moments warning, sometimes before
they had even become aware that they
were in the presence OF an armed
vessel of the enemy and the lives OF
non-combatants, passengers and crew,
have been sacrificed wholesale in a
manner, which the government Of the
United States cannot but regard as
wanton and without the slightest col
or of Justification. No limit of any
kind has in fact been set to the indis-
criminate pursuit and destruction OF
merchantmen of all kinds and nation
alities within the waters constantly
extending in area where these opera
lions have been carried on; and the
roll of Americans who have lost their
lives on ships thus attacked and de-
stroyed has grown month by month
until the omrnous toll has mounted
into the hundreds"
The president again referred to
the Sussex case and then said:
1.-The government of the United
States has been very patient. AT
every stage Of this distressing ex-
perience Of tragedy after tragedy in
which 1t own citizens were involved
1t has sought to be restrained from
any extreme course of action or OF
protest by thoughtful consideration
of the extraordinary circumstances OF
this unprecedented war and actuated
in all that 1t said or did by the senti-
ment OF genuine friendship which
the people of the United States have
always entertained and continue to
entertain toward the German nation,
1t has of course accepted the success
i've explanations and assurances OF
the imperial government as given In
entire sincerity and good faith and
has hoped even against hope that
1t would prove to be possible for the
German government so to order and
control the acts Of its naval COM
manders as to square its policy with
the principles OF humanity as en-
bodied in the law of nations. 1t has
been willing to wait until the signifi-
canoe Of the facts became absolutely
unmistakable. That point has
been unhappily reached. The i'm
perial German government has been
unable to meet any limit for re-
straint upon its warfare against
either freight or passenger ships.
~ have deemed 1t my duty therefore
to say to the imperial German govern
ment that II 1t is still its purpose to
prosecute, relentless and indiscriminate
war against vessels of commerce by
the use OF submarines Notwithstanding
the now demonstrated impossibility Of
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