Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-02
KNOX DECLARES
U.S.. MUST FIGHT
Pennsylvania Senator Will
Support President in the
National Crisis

Pittsburgh, April I'm a patriotic
mass meeting Saturday of 10000 citi-
zens in Exposition Music Hall, as cheer
ing shook the rafters, Pittsburgh took
its stand squarely for declaration OF
war upon the German Empire.
Senator Philander c. Knox made the
principal address and told his fellow
townsmen that the war America is 60
ing into is war between democracy
and autocracy.
Senator Knox said:
Il am we'll satisfied that pending the
delivery by the President to Congress
of his message of information and rec
ommendation. it is not judicious for me
to advocate any particular line of ac-
tion by him in a public meeting called
to comment upon our duty as patriotic
citizens in the present international
situation.
by no wrongful act of our own we
have been drawn to the rim of the vor-
tex of war, that with whirlpool mad
ness is wrecking the manhood. the re-
sources and the civilization of mighty
nations.
Seemingly secure in The sanctions
that the world has so long conceded to
peaceful neutral nations, we have pur-
sued our avocations, conducted our
commerce and besowed our charity with
no thought of being embroiled in the
differences of other peoples or restrain
ed in the exercise of our undoubted
neutral immunities.
But this was a FOOLS paradise, from
which there has been rude awaken
ing. Our rights upon the high seas
have been denied and defied. Our peo-
pie have been wantonly murdered in
cold blood and our ships and our flag
have been ANONYMOUSLY effaced from
the common highway of mankind.
within less than two years seven
teen American ships have been sunk on
the high seas by the torpedoes. shells,
or gunfre of German submarines. Be-
sides this many foreign ships have met
a similar fate. entailing a total loss of
225 American lives and the lives of
twenty children born of foreign
parents on American soil.
These facts, as 1 have said, place
us to-day upon the rim of the vortex
of war and we await with breathless
expectancy the nations decision.
Whether we are to prosecute a merely
dc facto war of defense such as was
employed against the French spoliators
of our commerce in the early part of
the last century; whether we shall seek
to punish the aggressor and IL so
whether by an independent war or in
full alliance with the enemies of Ger
many; whether the means we employ
shall be men and women or money or
ships or all combined whatever the
precise measures may be of offense or
defense that will soon be adopted, there
is one thing about which there can be
no doubt, we should speedily prepare,
and the measure of that preparedness
should be gauged by the maximum pos
sibilities of the situation.
believing, as 1 do. that the Presi-
dents recommendation to the Congress
will be that it should declare that the
acts of Germany in attacking American
ships and destroying American lives
are acts of war. in consequence of
which we should either assume the de-
fensive attitude of armed neutrality or
that they constitute such a grave Of
fense against our rights that 1t de-
mands a war of aggression to redress
the wrongs we have sustained, l intend
to support him in either choice. but
with the certainty that if he presently
recommends the former that the latter
must inevitably follow, and that our
instant duty is to prepare for the larg-
er event"