The Harrison times., 1917-04-07
President in Address to
Congress Says He Will Use
All Resources to End War

not be- The present German subma-
rine warfare against commerce is a
warfare against mankind.
1T is war against all nations
American ships have been sunk.
American lives taken, in ways which
il has stirred us very deeply to learn
Of, but the ships and people OF other
neutral and friendly nations have been
sunk and overwhelmed in the waters
in the same way. There has been no
discrimination. The challenge is To
all mankind. Each nation must de
eide for itself how it will meet IT,
The choice we make for ourselves
must be made with a moderation Il
counsel and a temperatures of judg-
ment befitting our character and our
motives as "a nation. We must put
excited feeling away. Our motive viii
not be revenge or the victorious as
sertion of the physical might Of the
nation, but only the yindication cf
right, of human right, of which We are
only single champion.
> When | addressed the Congress
on February 26 last, thought that it
would suffice to assert our neutral
rights with arms, our right to use
the seas against unlawful in. 'rfer-
ence, our right to keep our people
safe against unlawful violence. But
armed neutrality it now appears, is
impracticable. Because submarines
are in effect outlaws, when used as
the German submarines have been
used against merchant shipping, it IS
impossible to defend ships against
their attacks as the law of nations
Mas assumed that merchantmen would
defend themselves against priyateers
CT cruisers, visible craft giving chase
upon the open sea. 1t is common pru-
dence in such circumstances-grim ne
cessity, indeed-to endeavOr to de.
stroy them before they have shown
their own intention. They must be
dealt with upon sight, if dealt with
at all.
Use All Resources To End War.
"The German government denies
the right Of neutrals to use arms at
all within the areas of the sea which
it has prescribed, even in the defense
Of rights which no modern publicist
has ever before questioned their right
10 defend. The intimation is conveyed
that the armed guards which we have
placed on our merchant ships will be
treated as beyond the pale of law
and subject to be dealt with as pi,
rates would be. Armed neutrality is
Intellectual enough at best; in such
circumstances and in the face Of such
pretensions it is worse than ineffect-
ual; it is likely only to produce What
it was meant to prevent; it is prac.
tically certain to draw US into the war
without either the rights or the effect
iveness Of belligerentS.
There is one cnoice we cannot
make, we are incapable of making:
We will not choose the path of sub
mission and 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.
What this will involve is clear. It
will involve the utmost practical CO.
operation in counsel and action with
the governments now at war with Ger
many and, as incident to that, the eX-
tension to those governments of the
most liberal financial credits, in or.
der that our resources may so far as
possible be added to theirs.
ut will involve, also, of course. the
granting of adequate credits to the
government, sustained, | hope, so far
as they can eQuitably be sustained, by
the present generation, by well.con.
ceived taxation.
Il say sustained so far as may be
equitable by taxation because it seems
to me that it would be most unwise
to base the credits which will now be
necessary entirely on money borrow
ed, IT is our duty, most respectfully
urge, to protect our people so far as
we may against the very serious hard
ships and evils which would be likely
to arise out of the imitation which
would be produced by vast loans.
. 'ln 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 mil
itary forces with the duty-for it will
be very practical duty-of supplying
the nations already at war with Ger
many with the materials which they
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 suggest.
ing, through the several executive de-
partments Of the government, for the
consideration Of your committees,
measures for the accomplishment OF
tho spvpral ohtpcts I hnvn mnntiOned