The Colorado statesman., 1916-04-22
GENTLEMEN OF THE CONGRESS:

GENTLEMEN OF THE CONGRESS:
A situation has arisen in the foreign
relations of the country of which it is
my plain duty to inform you very
frankly.
It win be recalled that in February,
announced its intention to treat the
waters surrounding Great Britain and
Ireland as embraced within the seat
ships owned by its enemies that might
be found within any part of that por-
tion of the high seas. and that 1t
warned all vessels of neutral. as well
as of belligerent ownership, to keep
out of the waters it had thus pro-
scribed or else enter them at their
peril.
Snys Gross Abuses Are Certain.
The government of the United States
earnestly protested. 1t took the posi-
tion that such policy could not be
pursued without the practical certain
ty of gross and palpable violation of
| the law of nations, particularly If sub
marine craft were to be employed as
its instruments, inasmuch as the rules
| 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
! such vessels.
1t based it's protest on the ground
| that persons of neutral nationality and
| vessels of neutral ownership would be
| exposed to extreme and intolerable
| risks. and that no right to close any
| part OF the nigh seas against their use
| or to expose them to such risks, could
| lawfully be asserted by any belliger-
| ent government.
The law of nations in these matters,
upon which the government of the
United States based its protest, is not
of recent origin, or founded upon
convention. 1t is based on the con-
trary, upon manifest and imperative
| principles of humanity and has long
| been established with the approval and
| Dy the EXPRESS assent OF all civilized
nations.
Germany DisreEards 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 dangers to
| neutral vessels, would be reduced to a
minimum by the instructions which 1t
had issued to its submarine command
ers and assured the government of the
United States that 1T would take ev-
cry possible precaution both to respect
the rights of neutrals, and to safe
guard the lives of non-combatants.
What has actually happened in the
year which has since elapsed. has
shown that those hopes were not justi-
fled, those assurances insusceptible of
being fulfilled.
In pursuance of the policy of sub
marine warfare against the commerce
of its adversaries, thus announced and
entered upon by the imperial German
government in spite of the solemn pro-
test of this government, the command
ers of German undersea vessels have
attacked merchant ships with greater
and greater activity, not only upon
the high seas surrounding Great Brit
ain and Ireland but wherever they
could encounter them, In way that
| has grown more and more ruthless
more and more indiscriminate as the
months have gone by, less and less OBJ.
servant of restraints of any kind; and
have delivered their attacks without
compunction against vessels of every
nationality and bound upon every sort
of errand.
Neutral-Owned Vessels Destroyed.
Vessels of neutral ownership, even
vessels of neutral ownership bound
from neutral port to neutral port, have
been destroyed, along with vessels OF
belligerent ownership In constantly in
creasing numbers.
Sometimes the merchantmen attacked
has been warned and summoned to
surrender before being fired on or tor
pedoed; sometimes passengers or crews
have been vouchsafed the poor secur-
ity of being allowed to take to the
ships boats before she was sent &c
the bottom.
But again and again no warning had
been given; no escape even to the
What this government foresaw must
happen has happened. Tragedy has
followed tragedy on the seas in such
stances. as to make it grossly evident
that warfare of such sort, If war
| rare IL De, cannot De carried on WlIn-
out the most palpable violation of the
dictates alike of right and humanity.
Whatever the disposition and inten-
tion of the imperial German govern
ment it has manifestly proved impos-
sible for it to keep such methods OF
attack upon the commerce of it's enc
mics within the bounds set by either
the reason or the heart of mankind
In February of the present year. the
imperial German government Informed
this government and the other neu-
trail governments of the world that II
had reason to believe that the gov
ernment of Great Britain had armed
all merchant vessels of British owner
ship, and had given them secret or
ders to attack any submarine of the
enemy they might encounter upon the
seas. and that the imperial German
government felt justified in the cir
cumstances in treating all merchant
men of belligerent ownership as aux
iiiary vessels of war, which it would
have the right to destroy without
warning.
Germany Sets Aside Inv of Nations.
The law of nations has long recog-
nized the right of merchantmen to
carry arms for protection and to US
them to repel attacks, to use them i'm
such circumstances at their own risk;
but the imperial German COVER 1ment
claimed the right to set these under
standings aside under circumstances
which it deemed extraordinary.
Even the terms in which 1t an
nounced its purpose thus still further
to relax the restraints it had previ
| oLsly profeSsed its Willingness and de
sire to put upon the operations OF its
submarines carried the plain implica-
tion that at least vessels which were
| not armed would be exempt from de o.
struction without warning and that
| personal safety would be accorded
| their passengers and crews; but even
that limitation, If IL was ever practi
cable to observe 1t, has in fact consti-
tuted no check at all upon the de
struction of ships of every sort.
Again and again the impeNal Ger
man government has given this gov