The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-04-05
Says United States Must Assist in Bringing German
Government to Terms, But Would Not Involve
Others of Central Powers,
WANTS AN ARMY OF A MILLION men Wen
Recommends Adoption Universal Military Service Cooperation
With Entente Allies, Granting Of Liberal Financial Credits
and Use of Navy in De stroyng Submarines.

&
I because it had no weapons which Il
could use ar sea. except these, which
II Is Impossible to employ ;:s Il Is EN-
| ploying them without throwing to the
winds all struptes Of humanity or Of
respect for the understandings that
were supposed to underlie the inter
| course of the world
am not thinking of the loss of
property involved, immense and seri-
Gus as that is, hut only of The wanton
and wholesale destruction Of The lives
OF noncombatants, men, women and
children, engaged In pursuits which
have always, even In the darkest pc.
riocs Of modern history, been deemed
innocent and legitimate. Property cun
be paid for; the lives OF peaceful and
innocent people cannot be.
The present German submarine
warfare against commerce Is war;
fare against mankind. Ii Is a war
against all nations. American ships
have been sunk, American lives taken,
In ways which it has stirred us deeply
OF other neutral and friendly nations
have been sunk and overwhelmed IN
the waters in the same way. There
has been no discrimination. The chal-
lenge is TO all mankind. Each nation
must decide for itself how il will meet
Ii.
The choice we make for ourselves
must he made with moderation Of
counsel and Il temperance of judgment
betitting our character and our mo-
lives rs Il nation. We must put ex-
cited FEELING away. Our move will not
he revenge or the victorious asser-
ton of the physical might of the ma
ton, but only the vindication of right,
Of human right. of which we are only
a single champiou
When ! addressed the congress on
the 9th of February last / thought
that it would suffice to assert our
neutral rights with arms, our right
to use the sSas against unlawful
interference, our right to keep orr
people safe against unlawful yio-
lence.
But armed neutrality, it now ap-
pears, is impracticable. Because
submarines are in effect outlaws
when used as the German submarines
have been used against merchant
shipping, it is impossible to defend
ships against their attacks, as the
law Of nations has assumed that
merchantmen would defend them
selves against priyateers or cruisers,
visible craft giving chase upon the
open sea. ....s, -.
Germans Deny Right.
+ 1t is common prudence in such cir
cums.ances, grim necessity indeed,
to endeavor to destroy them before
they have shown their intention.
They must be dealt with upon sight,
If dealt with at all. a.a-
The German government denies the
right of neutrals to use arms at all
within the areas of the sea which it
has prescribed, even in the defense of
rights which no modern publicist has
ever before questioned their right. to
defend.
The intimation is conveyed that the
armed guards which we have placed
on our merchant ships will be treated
as beyond the pale of law and sub
ject to be dealt with as pirates would
be.
Asks State of Mar.
Armed neutrality is Intellectual
enough at best; in such. circumstances
and in the face of such pretensions,
it is worse than Intellectual; it is
likely only to produce what it was
meant to prevent; it is practically
certain to draw us into the war with
out either the rights or the effective
ness of belligerents.
There is one choice We cannot
make, We are incapable of making
we will not choose the path of sub
mission and suffer the most sacred
rights of our nation and our people
to he ignored or violated. The
wrongs against which we now array
ourselves are not common wrongs;
they cut to the very roots of human
life.
With a profound sense of the sol
emn and even tragical character of
the step am taking and of the grave
responsibilities which it involves, but
in unhesitating obedience to what
deem my constitutional duty, / advise
that the congress declare the recent
course of the imperial German gov
ernment to be in fact nothing less
than war against the government and
people of the United States; that it
formally accept the Status OF bellig-
erent which has been thrust upon it.,
and that 1t take immediate steps not
only to put the country in more
thorough state of defense but also to
exert all its power and employ all its
NM ss.