The Ordway new era., 1916-03-03
WELD No NIGHTS
HONOR ,fs AT STAKE, PRESIDENT
WILSON WRITES TO SEN
AToR STONE.
letter Announces that Executive Will
Hold Germany to Promises for
Safety Of Americans on
the High Seas.
ws.rern Newspaper Onion News Service.

Western Newspaper Union News Service.
Washington.-Presi Wilson on
Thursday night. In q letter to Senator
Stone explicitly declared that he will
not consent to barring Of American
citizens from armed passenger ships
as proposed by resolutions before
Congress and that II any nation de-
MES the right of Americans to safety
on board such Vessels the United
States has lin honor no choice" as to
what its course should be.
The course which the central pow
ers are pursuing in their order to
sink without warning after March l
all armed ships seems for the mo.
ment to threaten "in3uperable obsta.
cles," the President wrote, but added
that, because of previous assurances,
lie must believe explanations putting
a different aspect on the situation
soon will be made.
White House, Feb. 81. 1916-My
Dear Senator: l very warmly appre
ciate your kind and frank letter OF
to-day 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. | thinl, the country vii;
feel no uneasiness about my course In
that respect. Through many anxious
months l have striven for that object
amidst difficulties more manifold than
can have been apparent upon the sur.
face, and SO far l have succeeded. u
do not doubt that / shall continue tC
succeed
The course which the central Eu
ropean powers have announced theiI
intention of following in the future
with regard to under-sea warfare
seems for the moment to threaten In.
superable obstacles, but its apparent
meaning is SO manifestly inconsistent
with explicit assurances recently Civ.
en- us by those powers with regard to
their treatment of merchant vessels
on the high seas that l must believe
that explanations will presently en-
sue which will put different aspect
upon it. We have had no reason &c
question their good faith or their II.
deity to their promises in the past,
and l, for one, feel confident that we
shall have none in the future.
But in any event our duty is clear:
NV hakAoA Va 6louP oA huShOho Aoo sAAS
right while the war is in progress to
alter or disregard the principles which
all nations have agreed upon in mitt
CATION of the horrors and sufferings
of war, and if the clear rights oi
American citizens should ever un
happily be abridged or denied by any
such action, we should, 1t seems tc
me. have in honor no choice as to
what our own course should be. Fol-
my own part, cannot consent to any
abridgement of the rights of Ameri
can citizens in any respect. The hon
or and self-respect of the nation is
involved. We covet peace and shall
preserve it at any cost, but the loss
of honor To forbid our people tC
exercise their rights for fear We
might be called upon to vindicate
them would be deep humiliation in
deed.
1T would be an implicit, all but ar
explicit, acqniesCence in the violation
of the rights of mankind everywhers
and of whatever nation or allegiance
1t would be deliberate abdication oi
our hitherto proud position as spokes
men even amid the turmoil of war fol
the law and the right 1t would make
everything this government has at
tempted and everything that it has
achieved during this terrible struggle
OF nations meaningless and futile.
1T is important to reflect that if il
this instance we allowed exIediencJ
to take the place of principle. The
door would inevitably be opened tc
still further concessions. Once accept
a single abatement of right and many
other humiliations would certainly fol
low and the whole fine fabric of inter
national law might crumble under ouI
hands, piece by piece. What we are
contending for In this matter Is oi
the very essence Of the things tnat
have made America a sovereign ra
ton. She cannot yield them without
conceding her own impotency as S
nation and making virtual surrender
of her independent position among the
nations of the world.
II am speaking. my dear senator, ir
deep solemrity without hent, with 6
clear consciousness of the high re
sponsibilities of my office, and hs
YOUR sincere and devoted friend. II
we should unhappily differ, we shall
differ as friends, but where issues sc
momentous as these are involved We
must, just because we are frtenas
speak our minds without reservation.
Faithfully yours,
WOODROW WILSON"
The Presidents letter was In an.
swer to one written late Thursday aft.
ernoon by Senator Stone outlining the
situation existing at the capitol,
where for two days, persistent d,s
- ~ To-,