Mohave County miner., 1917-02-10

the imperial German government made
no reply.
"On the S1st of January the Ger
man ambassador handed to the secre-
tary of state, along with a formal note,
memorandum which contained the
following statement:
"'The imperial government, there
fore, does not doubt that the govern
ment Of the United States will under
stand the situation thus forced upon
Germany by the entente allies bru-
tai methods of war and by their deter
mination to destroy the central pow
ers and that the government Of the
United States will further realize that
the now openly disclosed intentions Of
the entente allies gives back to Ger
many the freedom of action which she
reserved in her note addressed to the
government of the United States on
May 4, 1916.
"'Under these circumstances Ger
many will meet the illegal measures
of her enemies by forcibly preventing,
after February 1, 1917, in a zone
around Great Britain, France, italy
and the eastern Mediterranean, all
navigation, that of neutrals included,
from and to England and from and to
France, etc. All ships met within the
zone will be sunk
81 think you will agree with me that,
in view of this declaration, which sud
denlS and without prior intimation, at
anytime, withdraws the solemn, as
surance given in the imperial govern
ment's note by May 4, 1916, this gov
ernment has no alternative, consistent
with the dignity and honor of the
United States but to take the course
which, in its note of the 18th of April,
1916, it announced that it would take
in the event that the German govern
ment did not declare and effect an
abandonment of the methods Of sub
marine warfare which it was then en-
ploying and to which it now purposes
again to resort.
81 have, therefore, directed the sec
rotary of state to announce to his ex-
lcellency, the German ambassador, that
all diplomatic relations between the
United States and the German empire
are severed and that the American EN-
bassy at Berlin will Immediately be
Withdrawn, and, in accordance with
this decision to hand to his excellency
his passports.
Notwithstanding this unexpected
action of the German government, this
sudden and deeply deplorable renunci-
alton of its assurances, given this gov
eminent at one Of the most critical
moments of tension in the relations Of
the two governments, l refuse to be-
lieve that it is the intention Of the
German authorities to do in fact what
they have warned US they will feel at
liberty to do. I cannot bring myself
to believe that they will, indeed, pay
no regard to the ancient friendship
between their people and our own, or
to the solemn obligations which have
been exchanged between them, and
destroy American ships and take the
lives Of American citizens in the will
full prosecution of the ruthless naval
program they have announced their in
tention to adopt. Only actual overt
acts on their part can make me be-
leve it even now.
off this confidence on my part in
the sobriety and prudent foresight Of
their purpose should, unhappily prove
unfounded; if American ships and
American lives should in fact be sac
rificed by their naval commanders in
needless contravention Of the just and
reasonable understandings of interna-
tional law, and the obvious dictates
Of humanity, shall take the liberty
Of coming again before the congress
to ask that authority be given me to
use any means that may be necessary
for the protection of our seamen and
our people in the prosecution Of their
peaceful and legitimate errands on the
high sea. 1 can do nothing less. ]
take it for granted that all neutral
governments will take the same course
1--WE do not desire any hostile con-
flict with the imperial German gov
eminent. We are the sincere friends
of the German people and earnestly
desire to remain at peace with the
government that speaks for them. We
shall not believe that they are hostile
to US unless we are obliged to believe
it; and, we purpose nothing more thar
a reasonable defense of the undoubtec