Cheyenne record., 1916-04-27

before the joint session of Congre
GENTLEMEN OF THE CONGRESS: \
A situation has arisen in the foreign |
my plain duty to inform you very |
Il win be recalled that in February,
1915, the imperial German government
announced Its intention to treat the
waters surrounding Great Britain and
Ireland as embraced .witnln- the sea-
ships owned by Its enemies that might
be found within any part Of that por--
tlen sd shs vssse. ssa of
as of belligerent ownership to keep
out of the waters it had thus pro
scribed or else enter them at their
peril.
says Gross Abuses Are Certain.
The government OF the United States
. earnestly protested. 1t took the posi-
ton that such policy could not be
pursued without the practical certain
the law of nations, particularly II sub
marine craft were to be employed as
Its Instruments, inasmuch as the rules
prescribed by that law. rules founded
upon principles Of humanity and es-
tablished for the protection of the lives
of non-combatants at sea, could not In
the nature of the case be observed by
II based its protest on the ground
that persons of neutral nationality and
exposed to extreme and intolerable
risks, and that no. right to close any
or to expose them to such risks. could
lawfully be asserted by any oeihger--
ent government.
upon which the government OF the
United States based its protest; Is m0e
of recent origin, ,nrtnc,nies Er set up BY
conyention, It Is based. on the con-
trary. upon manifest and imperative
been established with the approval and
by the express assent OF All ciVhi@eu
nations.
Germany Disregards All Protests.
Notwithstanding the earnest. protest
of our government. the imperial ger
carry out the policy 1t had announced.
1t expressed the hope that the dangers
involved. at any rate the .aanss dangers 3 70 o
minimum by the Instructions wnich II
had issued to its submarine comma nd :
and ssased tbas sns wenia take
cry possible precaution both to respect
the rights of neutrals, and to safe-
What has actually happened in the
year which has since elapsed: has
shown that those hopes were not 5asti1
In pursuance of the policy of sub
marine warfare against onnrsd the G0mmercd and
ontered upon by the Imperial German
government in spite of the solemn pro-
test Of this government tne vsssss nave
attacked merchant ships with greater
and greater activity. not only upon
ain and Ireland but wherever they
could encounter them. in a way that
has grown more and more ruthless,
Who're and more indiscriminate as the
months have gone by, less and less ob,
servant of restraints of any kind; and
have delivered their attacks without
conjunction against vessels OF every
nationality and bound upon every sort
Of errand.
Ne-tr.l-Owned vessels Destroyed.
Vessels of neutral ownership. even
vessels. of neutral ownership pound
from neutral port to neutral port, nave
been destroyed, along with vessels of
belligerent ownership in constantly-in-
creasing numbers.
has been warned and summoned to
surrender before being fired on or tor
pedoed; sometimes passengers ens & or crews crews
ity of being allowed to take to the
ships boats before she was sent to
But again and again no warning had
been given: no escape even to the
ships boats allowed to those on board
happen has happened. Tragedy has
followed tragedy on the seas In such
fashion. with such attendant circum.
that warfare of such a sort, II war
fare 1t be, cannot be carried on with
out the mGst pinht al
Whatever the disposition and inten-
tion of the imperial German govern
sible for il to keep such methods of
attack upon the commerce of Its enc
niles within the bounds set by either
the reaBon or the heart of mankind
In February of the present year. the
imperial German government informed
this government and the other neu-
had reason to believe that the gov
ernment Of Great Britain had armed
all merchant vessels Of British . owner r-
ders to attack any submarine OF the
enemy they might encounter upon the
government felt Justified in the cir
cumstances in treating all merchant
rnen of belligerent ownership as aux,
have have the right to destroy without
warning.
G.r-.uy Sets Aside Law of Nations.
The law of nations has long recog-
nized the right OF Ifsnn merehan5men AM e. o 10
them to repel attacks, to use them In
such circumstances at their own FISK
Claimed the right to set these under
standings aside under circumstances
which it deemed extraordinary.
nonnced its purpose thus still further
to relax the restraints It had preyi-
o,.siv professed its willingness and de
Sire to nut upon the operations of Its
s,:bmarines carried the plain implica-
tion that at least vessels which were
not armed would be exempt from de-
struction without warning and that
personai, safety would be accorded
their passengers and crews: put even
thet lfmitation,t II 1t was ever practi-
cable TO observe II. has in fact consti-
tuted no check at all upon the de-
struction of ships Of every sorE
A1ain and again the Imperial Ger
man government has %iven this gov
o,es win Case Again ar !ssus.
u,u,A.,-In the District Court an