The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-04-06
President Wilson Asks Congress
To Declare State of War Exists

plished that could be accomplished,
but always with 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 re-
taliation and necessity and because
it had not weapons which it couId
use at sea except those which 1t IS
impossible to employ as it is enl-
! ploying them without throwing to the
winds all scruples Of humanity or OF
respect for the understandings that
were supposed to underlie the inter-
course Of the world.
II am not now thinking of the
loss of property involved, immense
and serious as that is, but only the
Wanton and wholesale destruction OF
, the lives of noncombatants, men, wo-
men and children, engaged in pur-
suits which have always. even in the
darkest periods of modern history,
| been deemed innocent and legitimate.
Property can be paid for; the lives OF
peaceful and innocent people can not
be. The present German submarine
warfare against commerce is war
fare against mankind.
ut 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
neutrals and friendly nations have
been sunk and overwhelmed in the
waters in the same way. There has
ben no discrimination. The chal-
lenge is to all mankind. Each nation
must decide for itself how it will
meet it. The choice we make for our
selves must be made with modera-
ton of counsel and a temperatures
of judgment BETTING our character
; and our motives as a nation. We must
put excited feeling away. Our mo-
tive will not be revenge or the VIC
/ torious assertion of the physical
might of the nation but only the vim
dication of -ght, of human right, OF
which we are only single champion.
Armed Neutrality Not Enough
when I addressed the congress on
! the 18th of February, last, though
that it would suffice to assert our
neutral rights with arms, our right to
! use the seas against unlawful inter
ference, our right to keep our people
safe against unlawful violence. But
armed neutrality, it now appears, ls
| impracticable. Because submarines
! are in effect outlaws when used as
j the German submarines have been
used against merchant shir:npg. it Is
impossible to defend ships agains.
their attacks as the law Of nations
has assumed that merchantmen
would defend themselves against
priyateers or cruisers, visible craft
giving chase upon the open sea. 1t is
common prudence in sucn clrc"m-
stances, grim necessity indeed, to en-
deavor to destroy than before they
have shown their own intention. They
must be dealt with upon sight, II
dealt with at all. The German gov
ernment denies the right Of neutrais
,, to use arms at all within the areas or
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 arm
ed guards which we have placed on
our merchant ships will be treated
as beyond the pale of iaT and SUD
ject to be dealt with as riraees would
be. Armed neutrality is Intellectual
enough at best; in such c1rcum-
stances and in the face Of sach pre-
tensions it is worse than Intellectual; !;
It is likely only to produce what 1t
is meant to prevent; 1t 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 can not make, We are IN
| capable Of making: we Will not
7 choose the path Of submission ana
| suffer the most sacred rights of our
nation and our people to be ignored
or violated. The wrongs against
which we now array ourselves are no
common wrongs; they cut to the very
roots of human life.
War Against United States.
with a profound sense OF the
solemn and even tragical character OF
the step 1 am taking and of the grave
responsibilities which 1t involves, but
in unhesitating obedience to what l
dem 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 1t
formally accept the status of belliger-
ent which has thus been thrust upon
it and that it take immediate steps
not only to put the country in more
thorough state of defense, but also
to exert all it's power and employ all
IT'S resources to bring the government
OF the German empire to terms and
end the war.
What this will involve is clear. II
will involve the utmost practicable
cooperation in counsel and action with
tbe Governments now at war with