Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-02-25

said. We covet peace, and sha
the loss Of honor
Makes Views Clear.
The president expressed hope that
explanations of the declared inten
tions of the central European powers
to sink all armed merchant ships
without warning would put differ.
ent aspect on a situation which now
seems to present unsupcrable obsta-
cles.
I'VE have had no reason to ques.
tion their good faith or fidelity to
their promises in the past" he added,
"and for one feel confident we shall
have none in the future"
The letter was in answer to one
written late this afternoon by Sena-
tor Stone, outlining the situation ex.
isting at the capitol, where since
yesterday morning persistent de.
mands had been made for some ac.
tion which might lessen the posi-.
bility Of war between the United
States and Germany.
The presidents statement will be
repeated tomorrow morning to
Speaker Clarke, Representative
Kitchin, majority leader, and Repre-
sentative Flood, chairman Of the
house foreign affairs committee, who
late today asked for an engagement
in. order to explain the position in
which the house found Itself and
asked the president for a statement
of the administrations views.
Does Not Want War. >e
In his letter, the president said:
u will do everything in my power to
keep the United States out Of war;"
continuing in part"
Il think the country will feel no
uneasiness about my course in that
respect Through many anxious
months have striven for that oh.
ject. amidst difficulties more mani
fold than can have been apparent
upon the surface and so far l have
succeeded. do not doubt that l
shall continue to succeed.
"But in any event our duty is clear.
No nation or group of nations has
the right while the war is in progress
to alter or disregard the principles
which all nations have, agreed upon
in mitigation Of the, horrors and ,suf-
ferings Of war; and if the clear
rights of American citizens should
ever unhappily be abridged or denied,
by any such actions, we should, it
seems to me, have in honor no choice
as to what our own course should be.
1T is important to reflect that if
in this instance we allowed expedi-
ency to take the place of principle,
the door would be inevitably open to
still further concession.
Will Lose Potency.
What we are cOntending for in
this matter is of the very essence of
the things that have made America
a sovereign nation. She cannot yield
then without conceding her impo-
tency as a nation, and making vital
surrender 81 her independent posi-
tion among the nations of the world"
The president wrote his letter dur
ing the afternoon. shutting himself up
in his study. His decision was to
end all speculation over what the
position of the government was.
At the state department today it
was stated that in it's international
aspect, the situation had not changed
in the slightest degree for three or
four days. officials said nothing had
been heard from Germany, in re-
sp0nse to the request of the United
States for assurances that previous
pledges made lin the Lusitania and
Arabic negotiations would not be null
lifted blythe campaign against armed
shine ,v--I ty5T 10
Today's developments in congress
showed the administration leaders
holding their lines against any such
action as the president opposes. A
canvass of the senate disclosed sen.
timents in favor of President vii.
sons proposition dominating.
May Warn Americans.
In the senate, Senator Gore made
an unsuccessful effort to introduce a
concurrent resolution expressing the
sentiment of congress that Ameri-
cans should keep on armed ships and
also a bill requiring Americans in
procuring passports to take oath that
they would not travel on such ships
Tonight Senator Gore said he would
ask tomorrow that the concurrent
resolution lie on the table for day
On the s6use side, Representative
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