The Tomahawk., 1917-11-08
Gentlemen Of the Congress-:

s I have called the congress into extra
ordinary session because there are Sc
fr1Ous. very serious choices of policy to
fbe made. and made Immediately. which
# is neither right nor co1stitutionally
permissible that should assume the re-
.t1ponsibility of making.
On the Sd of February last officially
Qatd before you the extraordinary an
announcement Of the Imperial German
tkOvernment that on and after the LIST
tday of February it was it's purpose to
fput aside all restraints of law or Of hui
fmanity and use it's submarines to sink
tevery vessel that sought to approach
seither the ports of Great Britain and
ireland or the western coasts of Europe
lor any of the ports controlled by the
enemies of Germany within the Medi-
terranean. That had seemed to be the
object Of the German submarine war
fare earlier in the war, but since April
of last year the Imperial government
had somewhat restrained the comman-
ders of it's undersea craft, In conform
fly with its promise. then given to us,
that passenger boats should not be
sunk, and that due warning would be
given to all other vessels which Its
submarines might seek to destroy,
when NO resistance was offered or es-
cape attempted, and care taken that
.their crews were given mt least a fair
.eAance to save their lives In their open
boats. The precautions taken were
.nea&er and haphazard enough, ms was
>DrOved in distressing instance after
t1astnnee In the progress of the cruel
and unmanly business, but n certain de-
sg4ee, of restraint was observed.
& The new policy has swept every re-
1triction aside. Vessels of every kind.
whatever their Nag, their character
u their cargo, their destinatiOn, their
-errnnd, have been ruthlessly sent to
the bottom without warning and with
out thought Of help or mercy for those
on board, the vessels Of friendly neu-
trails along with those of belligerents.
4 Even hospital ships and ships carrying
relief to the sOre1y berenved and strtck-
ter were provided with safe conduct
through the prescribed areas by the
German government itself and were
istinEuished by unmistakable mark"
81 identity, have been sunk with the
same reckless lack Of compassion or
OF principle.
1 was for a little while unable to
sNelieve that such things would I'm fact
&Be done by any government that had
AithertO subscribed to the humane
fDrnctlces Of civilized nations. Inter-
0atlOnnl law had its origin In the at
tempt to set up some Inv which would
Ne respected and observed upon the
aaeas, where no nation had right of
1Ominion and where lay the free high
ways of the world. BY painful stage
after stage has that law been built up
with meager enough results, indeed.
after all was accomplished that could
be accomplished, but always with
clear view, ut least, of what the heart
and conscience Of mankind demanded.
This minimum of right the German
government has swept aside under the
plea Of retaliation and necessity and
BECAUSE it had no weapons which it
could use at sea except these. which
NJ is impossible to employ as it Is en-
sploy1ng them. without throwing to the
wind all scruples Of humanity or of
respect for the understandings that
were supposed to underlie the inter-
course of the world.
am not now thinking of the loss of
snroDerty involved, immense and serious
as that is, but only of the wanton and
wholesale destruction of the lives of
mon combatants. men. women, and chill
l1rer engaged In pursuits which have
ownyu, even In the darkest periods Of
Hoder1 history, been deemed innocent
ana legitimate. Property can be paid
1prs the lives Of peaceful and Innocent
meople cannot be. The present German
Dubmarine warfare against commerce
III IA warfare against mankind.
It is q war against all nations. Amer
,aean ships have been sunk, American
raves fnken, In ways which 1t has
STIRRED us very deeply to learn OF. nut
ne ships mad people Of other neutral
$50 overwhelmed In the waters I'm the
s.ame way. There has been no dis
The chnllenxe is to all mankind.
qcach nation must decide for itself how
ID will meet 1t. The choice we make
Tor ourselves must be made with
yu.oderation of counsel and temper
a4eness Of judgment betting our
character and our motives as a nation.
we must put excited feelings away.
Our motive will not be revenge or the
victorious assertion Of the physical
might of the nation, but only the vim
edfcation of right, Of human right, OF
which. we are only single champion.
When I addressed the congress on
the 26th of February last I thought 1t
.vvould suffice to assert our neutral rights
with arms, our right to use the seas
s.awsinst unlawful Interference, our right
IN keep our people safe against unlaw.
ful violence. But armed neutrality, 1t
noS appear, is impracticable. Because