The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-02-08

Diplomatic relations with Germany were broken
off last Saturday by President Wilson and the En-.
peror of Germany was warned that a sacrifice of
American lives and rights meant war. Similar action
was expected with Austria, when she notified this
government that she will join in a campaign of unre-
stricted submarine warfare.
President Wilson made his formal announcement
of the action to this country and the world Saturday,
at a Joint session of congress.
Passports have been handed to Count Won Bern
storff Ambassador Gerard with all his staff and all
American consuls have been ordered out of Germany
All German consuls in the United States are expected
to withdraw in order that the severance of relations
may be complete.
After two years of diplomatic negotiations which
many times have been strained nearly to the breaking
point attended by the loss of more than 200 ,Amcri-A
can lives on the seas, the United States has severed all
diplomatic relations with the German government, an
act which in all the history of the world, has always
led to war.
Every agency of the American government has
been set in motion to protect the country against acts
of German sympathizers. These moves are of neces-
sity being kept secret.
Count Won Bernstroff heard it u~noficialy while
talking with an Associated Press correspondent.
While apparently deeply moved, he was not surprised.
His first act was to ask DR.. Paul Ritter, the Swiss
minister, to come to the German embassy and prepare
to take over it's affairs. While the president was adj
dressing congress, one OF Secretary LanslngS CONN
Dental assistants called at the embassy and delivered
the passports and a note in reply to the German de-
claration.<
AT the request of the president, congress immed-
lately after hearing his address began work on new
laws, framed by the department of justice to check
conspiracies and plots against the United States.
which cannot now be reached under existing statutes.
The question of conveying American merchant
ships through the submarine blockade has been taken
up and is being considered as one OF the next moves
by this government.
Washington, Feb. Germany submarine war
/ fare apparently is growing in intensity. Tuesdays
reports show that underwater boats have probably
accounted for Is additional vessels-seven neutral
and eight beligerent-of 46,763 tons. Eight of them
are known to have been sunk, one is reported to have
been "torpedoed' and the others are believed to
have been sent to the bottom.
Of the known sunken vessels, six were British,
one was Spanish and one Swedish; CT those supposed
to have been sunk, four were Norwegian, one was
British and one Russian. The vessel reported merely
as torpedoed and which is not known positively to
have been sunk was a Norwegian ship.
One of the British steamers %torpedoed and sunk
was the Port Adelaide, a vessel of S,ISI tons, which
carried passengers. Ninety-six persons from her, in
GLIDING members of the crew, were rescued.
Every phase of the situation which at any hour
NAV bring the United States to war with Germany
was discussed by President Wilson and his advisers
at today's cabinet meeting. The faint hope that Ger
many after all might modify her new submarine cam
paign SO as to avoid making an active enemy of Amer
lea was touched upon, as was the probable position of
other neutrals. Most of the cabinets attention was
given to reports by each member upon the energetic
efforts of his department of the government to pre-
pare for war, if it is to come.