The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1917-04-05
PRESIDENT WILSON ASKS JOINT CONGRESS TO DECLARE
THAT A STATE OF WAR NOW EXISTS WITH GERMANY

cooperation in counsel OF and action
with the governments now at war with
Germany, and as incidendt to that, thu
extension to those governments OF the
most liberal financial credits, in order
that our resources may, so far as pos
sible, be added to theirs. It will in
volve the organization and mobiliza-
ton of all the material resources of
the country to supply the materials
of war and serve the incidental needs
and yet the most economical and
of the nation in the most abundant
efficient way possible.
Army of Half Million.
"It will involve the immediate full
equipment of the navy in all respects,
but particularly in supplying it with
the best means of dealing with the
enemy's submarines. 1t will involve
the immediate addition to the armed
forces of the United States, already
provided for by law in case of war,
at least 100000 men, who should, in
my opinion be chosen upon the prin-
ciple of universal liability to service
and also the authorization of sub
sequent additional increments of equal
force so soon as they may be needed
and can be handled in training.
cit will involve also, of course, the
granting of adequate credits to the
government sustained, I hope, so far
as they can equitably be sustained by
the present generations, by we'll con-
ceived taxation.
Il say sustained so far as may be
| a hN
to me that it would be most unwise
to base the credits which will now he
necessary entirely on money borrow
ed. 1t is our duty most respectfully
urge to protect our people SO far as we
may against the very serious hardships
| and evils which would be likely to
j arise out of the imitation which would
be produced by vast loans.
I'm carrying out the measures by
| which these things are to be accom-
plished, We should keep constantly in
| mind the wisdom Of interfering as lit
| tie as possible in our own preparation
and in the equipment of our own mill
tary forces with the duty-for it will
be very practical duty-of supplying
the nations already at war with Ger
can obtain only from us or by our as
sistance. They are in the field and we
should help them in every way to be
effective there.
81 shall take the liberty of sug-
costing, through the several executive
departments of the Government for
the consideration of your committees,
measures for the accomplishment Of
the several objects l have mentioned.
hope that it will be your pleasure
to deal with them as having been
framed after very careful thought by
the branch of the Government upon
which the responsibility of conduct
ing the war and safeguarding the
nations will most directly fall.
while we do these things, these
deeply momentous things, let us be
very clear and make very clear to all
the world what our motives and our |
objects are. My own thought has not |
been driven from it's habitual and nor
NAL course by the unhappy events |
of the last two months, and do not |
believe that the thought OF the Ma |
ton has been altered or clouded by |
them.
81 have exactly the same things in
mind now that l had in mind when l !
addressed the Senate on the 22d of !
January, last; the same that I had in |
mind when I addressed the Congress !
on the 3rd of February and on the
26th of February. Our object now,
as then, is to vindicate the principles |
of peace and justice in the life of the
world as against selfish and auto
cratic power and to get up amongst |
the really free and self-governed peo-
pies of the world such a concert of
purpose and action as will henceforth
ensure the observance of those prin-
ciples.
Neutrality Not Feasible.
Neutrality is no longer feasible or
desirable where the peace of the
world is involved and the freedom of
it's peoples and the menace to that
peace and freedom lies in the exist
ence of autocratic Governments back
ed by organized force which is con
trolled wholly by their will, not by the
will of their people. We have seen
the last of neutrality in such circum-
stances.
1--WE are at the beginning of an age
in which it will be insisted that the
same standards of conduct and of re-
sponsibility for wrong done shall be
observed among Nations and their
governments that are observed among
the individual citizens of civilized
states.
eve have no quarrel with the Ger
man people. We have no feeling to-
wards them but one OF sympathy and
friendship. 1t was not upon their i'm
hot khn3 |