The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-03

President Wilson's war mes
sage, delivered last night before
the joint session of Congress, fol-
lows:
Il have called the Congress in
to extraordinary session because
there are serious, very serious
cha1a-= of ne.:ey to be made, and
made Immediately, which it was
neither right nor constitutionally
permissible that I should assume
the responsibility of making.
"On the third Of February,
last, I officially laid before you
the extraordinary announcement
of the imperial German govern
ment that on and after the first
day of February it was it's purpose
to 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 Ire
land or the western coasts of Eu-
rope or any of the ports controll-
ed by the enemies Of Germany
within the Mediterranean. That
had seemed to be the object of
the German submarine warfare
earlier in the war, but since April,
of last year, the Imperial govern
ment had somewhat restrained
the commanders of it's underSea
craft in conformity with it's prom
Use then given to us that passen-
ger boats should not be sunk, and
that due warning would be given
to all other vessels which its sub
marines might seek to destroy,
when no resistance was offered
or escape attempted and care ia
ken that their crews were given
at least fair chance to save their
lives in the open boats. The
precautions taken were meagre
and haphazard enough, as was
proved in distressing instance af-
ter instance in the progress of the
cruel and unmanly business, but
a certain degree Of restraint was
observed.
1.-THE new policy has swept away
every restriction. Vessels of ev-
cry kind, whatever their flag,
their character, their cargo, their
destination, their errand, have
Been ruthlessly sent to the bot
tom without warning, and with
out thought Of help or mercy, for
those on board, the vessels Of
friendly neutrals alongs with
those of belligerents. Even hos
pital ships and ships carrying re-
lief to the sorely bereaved and
stricken people Of Belgium, though
the latter were provided with safe
conduct through the prescribed
areas by the German govern
ment itself, and were distinguish
ed by unmistakable marks of
identity, have been sunk with the
same reckless lack of compassion
or of principle. & was for a little
while unable to believe that such
things would in fact be done by
any government that had hither-
to subscribed to the humane prac-
tice Of civilized nations. Inter-
national law had it's origin in the
attempt 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 highways of the
world. By painful stage after
stage has that law been built up
with 3hea9re enough results, in
deed after all was accomplished
that could be accomplished, but
always with a clear view, at least,
of what the heart and conscience
OF mankind demanded.
"This minimum of right the
German government has swept
aside under the plea of retalia-
ton and necessity and because it
had no weapons which it could
use except these, which it is i'm
possible to employ as it is en-
ploying them without throwing
to the winds all scruples of hui
mainly or Of respect for the I'M
derstandings that were supposed .
to underlie the intercourse of the
world.
ct am not now thinking Of the
loss Of property involved, i'm
mense and serious as that is, but
only of the wanton and wholesale
destruction of. the lives Of nom
combatants, men. women and
children, engaged in pursuits
which have always even in the
darkest periods of modern his
tory, been deemed innocent and
legitimate Property can be paid
for; the lives of peaceful and in
nocent people cannot be.
"The present German warfare
against commerce is a warfare
against mankind. It is war
against all nations. American
ships have been sunk, American
lives taken, in ways which it has .
stirred us very deeply to learn of,
but the ships and people of other
neutral and friendly nations have
been sunk and overwhelmed in
the waters in the same way. There
has been no discrimination. The
challenge is to all mankind. Each
nation must decide for itself how
it will meet it, The choice we
make for ourselves must be made
- of oON1nSo1 and