The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-04-04
PRESIDENT TELLS CONGRESS State
OF WAR WITH GERMANY EXISTS
Wilson in Special Message Asks Lawmakers to Ac-
cept Gage of Battle With Kaiser-No Quarrel
With Other Cen trail Powers.
WANTS 100000 MEN AND UNIVERSAL SERVIC
Declares Neutrality No Longer Feasible Desirable and Urges
Practical Cooperation With Allies, Including Troops and
Liberal Financial Credits


Washington, April 3-President VIII
son appeared before the special session
of congress which convened Monday
and made what Is probably the most
important address heard by the legis-
lative body Of the United States since
the Civil war.
He characterized the present Ger
man submarine warfare as a warfare
against mankind"
II advise" he continued, that the
congress declare the recent course of
the imperial German government to be
in fact nothing less than war against
the government and people of the Unit
ed States and that it formally accept the
status Of the belligerent which has
thus been thrust upon 1t and employ
all of It's resources to bring the govern
ment of Germany to terms and to end
the war"
The president advocated "co-opera-
ton and counsel In action with the
governments now at war with Germany
and the extension of the most liberal
credits TO them
He advocated a greatly augmented
navy and an additional army Of 100000
men with additions as needed.
Text of the Message.
Gentlemen of the Congress: l
have called the congress into ex-
traOrdinary session because there
are serious, very serious, choices of
policy TO be made, and made i'm
mediately, which it was neither right
nor constitutionally permissible that
should assume the responsibility OF
making.
On the third of February last I Off
cially laid before you the eXtraOrdi-
nary announcement of the Imperial
German government that on and after
the first day of February it was it's
purpose 10 put aside all restraints of
law or of humanity and use it's sub
marines to sink every vessel that
sought to approach either the ports of
Great Britain and Ireland or the west
ern coasts of Europe or any of the
ports controlled by the enemies of Ger
many within the Mediterranean. That
had seemed to be the object of the Ger
man submarine warfare earlier in the
war, but since April of last year the
imperial government had somewhat
restrained the commanders of its I'M
dersea craft in conformity with it's
promise then given to US that passenger
boats should rot be sunk and that due
warning would be given to all other
vessels which its submarines might
seek to destroy, when no resistance
was offered or escape attempted, and
care taken that their crews were Civ
en- at least a fair chance to save their
lives in their open boats. The precau-
lions taken were meager and hap
hazard enough, as was proved in dis
tresSing instance after instance in the
progress of the unmanly business, but
certain degree of restraint was OBJ
served
The new policy has swept every re-
striction aside. Vessels of every kind,
whatever their flag, their character,
their cargo, their destination, their err
rand, have been ruthlessly sent to the
bottom without warning and without
thought of help mercy for those
on board, the vessels of friendly neu-
trails along with those of belligerents,
even hospital ships and ships carrying
relief TO the sorely bereaved and
stricken people of Belgium.
The latter though provided with
safe conduct through the prescribed
areas by the German government it
self and were distinguished by unmis-
taxable marks of identity, have been
sunk with the same reckless lack of
compassion or of principle.
Il was for a little while unable to
believe that such things would in fact
be done by any government that had
hitherto subscribed to the humane
practices of civilized nations. Inter-
national law had its origin in the at
tempt to set up some law which would
be respected and observed upon the
seas, where no nation had right of
dominion and where lay the free high
ways of the world.
By painful stage after stage has
law been built up, with meager
enough results, indeed, after ali
was accomplished that could be
accomplished, but always with
clear view, at least of what the
heart and conscience of mankind de-
manded. This minimum of right the