The Washington times., 1917-02-02


and delivered in April, 1916, conclud
ed with the following paragraphs:
: If 1t is still the purpose of the
imperial government to prosecute
relentless and indiscriminate war
fare against vessels of commerce
by the use of submarines without
regard to what the Government
OF the United States must con-
slider the sacred and indisputable
rules of international law. and
the universally recognized die
tates OF humanity. the Govern
ment of the United States is at
last forced to the conclusion that
there is but one course it can pur-
sue.
Unless the imperial government
should not Immediately declare
and effect an abandonment OF its
present methods of submarine
warfare against passenger and
freight carrying vessels the Gov
eminent of the United States can
have no choice but to sever dip
lomatic relations with the Ger
man empire altogether. This &C
tion the Government OF the United
States contemplates with the
greatest reluctance. but feels con-
strained to take it in behalf OF
humanity and the rights of 'neu-
trail nations.
In these utterances it was not Will
son the man who spoke, but the
President of the United States, and
he spoke for the American people.
1t was their view, their resolve, their
will, to which he gave voice. Fur
thermore, his words truly and accu-
rately expressed the thought in their
minds and the impulse in their souls.
They felt that the limits Of tolera-
ton had been reached in their en-
durance of outrages by Germany.
They were determined that the next
ofense should be met with bold and
fearless action.
The Presidents warning did not go
one whit beyond their resolution. The
view. the resolve, the will of the
people, is nowise different today from
what it was when Mr.. Wilson's
warning, given in their name,
brought the German imperial gov
eminent at least temporarily to its
senses and suspended the murderous
outrages of submarine raiders. The
American position, firmly held now
as then, is that no more insults
must be offered to the American
flag and no more American lives
must wantonly be taken in the per-
secution of Germany's unlawful
methods of warfare, or, if they are,
or are even seriously threatened, the
pretence of friendly relations be-
tween the countries must at once be
brushed aside by the severance of
diplomatic relations; the German
government must be brought at once
face to face with its responsibility
for the crimes of its agents.
This must be done fearlessly and
strongly, no matter bow far the high
duty of vindicating honor and pro-
tecting American citizenship may
lead US. There is no other way. To |
abandon our position as defined by
the President in accordance with the
will of the people would be to abdi- !
cate our position as a sovereign
power, to forfeit our own self-re-
spect, and to incur the contempt of |
mankind.
The people are united in this I'm
derstanding. They are to all intents
and purposes undivided in their pur-
pose of making good their utterance
of last April. They have nothing to
qualify, nothing to recall. The
President therefore can do naught in
the present crisis but adhere firmly
to the words which he uttered, the
warning, the pledge to which he
committed himself, as quoted above.
To falter or temporize under the
new provocation which Germany ad-
dresses to US would be not merely
to discredit himself, but to bring
obloquy upon the nation of which he
is the head and which puts trust in
him in this most trying crisis.
The note which Germany has just
addressed to US can only be regarded
in one of two ways: 1t is either a
defiance or an expression Of con-
tempt. 1t either challenges us to
stand by our word or else it carries
the inference that we are too weak
or too cowardly to carry our threat
into action. In either case it is an
affront to our dignity as
an independent state. It leaves us
no choice and it leaves the President
no choice save to. assert American
rights in a manner that cannot be
and to pursue whatsoever
course may thus be opened before US
with courage and resolution.
We still cling to the hope that Ger