The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-11-10

| same way. There has been dis
| elimination.
The challenge is to all mankind.
| Each nation must decide for itself how
| 1t will meet 1t. The choice we make
| for ourselves must be made with a
| moderation of counsel and a temper
| ateness OF judgment BETTING our
! character and our motives 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
dication of right, of human right of
| which we are only a single champion.
When I addressed the congress on
| the 26th of February last I thought it
| would suffice to assert our neutral rights
! with arms. our right to the seas
| against unlawful interference, our right
to keep our people safe against unIaWS
! full violence. But armed neutrality, it
| now appears. is fmpracticable. Because
| submarines are in effect outlaws, when
| use an the German submarines have
been used against merchant shipping,
| II Is impossible to defend ships against
| their attacks az the law of nations has
assumed that merchantmen would de-
fend themselves against prfVateers or
cruisers, visible craft giving chase up
on the open sea. 1t is common pru-
| dence in such circumstances, grim nee
/ eSSity indeed. to endeaVOr to destroy
/ them before they have shown their own
| intention They must be dealt with up
on sight, If dealt with at all.
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 to
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 pirates
would be- Armed neutrality is ineRec-
/ al
stances and In the face of such preten-
siOnS 1T is worse than Intellectual; 1T is
likely only to produce what 1T was
meant to prevent; 1T Is practically Ger
tain to draw into war without either
the rights or the effectiveness of the bel
IfSerents. There is one choice we can
not make, we are incapable of making:
We will not choose the path of submits
sion and suffer the most sacred rights
OF our nation and our people to be ig-
nored or violated. The wrongs against
which we now array ourselves are
common wrongs; they cut to the very
roots of human life.
With a profound sense of the solemn
anu even traEicaI character of the step
am taking and of the grave RESPONSE
bflffies which 1t involves, but in I'M
hesltat1ng obedience to what I deem
my constitutional duty. I advise that
the congress declare the recent course
of the Imperial German government to
be in fact nothing less than war
against the government and people of
the United States; that it formally ac-
cept the status of belligerent which has
thus been thrust upon it; and that it
take immediate steps not only to put
the country in a more thorough state
OF defense but also to exert all its
power and employ all its resources to
bring the government of the German
empire to terms and end the war
What this will involve is clear. It
will involve the utmost practicable CO.
operation in counsel and action with
the governments now at war with Ger
many, and incident to that the ex-
tension to those governments of the
most liberal financial credits in order
that our resources may so far as pos
sible be added to theirs.
1t will involve the organization and
mobilization of all the material re-
sources of the country to supply the
materials of war and serve the Incl
dental needs of the nation in the most
abundant and yet the most economical
and efficient way possible.
1t 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 enc
my's submarines.
1t will involve the immediate addi-
ton to the armed forces of the United
States, already provided for by law in
case of war, of at least 100000 men,
who should, in my opinion. be chosen
upon the principle of universal nabi1-
ity to service. and also the authorize
ton of subsequent additional incre-
ments OF equal force so soon as they
may be needed and can be handled in
training.
1t will involve also, of course, the
granting of adequate credits to the
government, sustained, 1 hope, so far
as they can equitabIy be sustained by
ceived taxation.
1 say sustained - far AZ may be
equitable by taxation, because 1T seems
to me that it would be most unvise to
base the credits, which will now be
necessary, entirely on money borrowed.
1t Is our duty, most respectfully urge,
to protect our people, 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.
In carrying out the measures by
which these things to be accom-
plished we should keep constantly In
mind the wisdom OF interfering lit
tie possible In our own preparation
and I'm the equipment of our own naiIi-
tary forces with the duty-for 1t will
be q very practical duty-Of supplying
the nations already at war with Ger
many with the materials which they
can obtain only from by our as
sistance. They are In the field. and we
should help them in every way to be
effective there.
I 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
the several objects / have mentioned.
I hope that 1T Will be your pleasure to
deal with them having been framed
after very careful thought by the
branch of the government upon whom
the responsibility of conducting the
and safeguarding the nation Will
most directly fall.
While we do these things, these deep-
~ mOmentOus things, let rs be very
clear, and make very clear to all the
world, what our motives and our OBJ
jects are. My OyvR thought has not
been driven from its habItuaI and nor
NAL course by the unhappy events of
the last two months, and / do not be-
Heve that the thought of the nation
has been altered cIOuded by them. 1
have exactly the same things in mind
now that I had In mind when 1 adj
dressed the senate on the 22d of Janu-
airy last; the same that / had In mind
when addressed congress on the Sd of
February and on the 26th of February
Our object now. then, Is te vfRdicate
the principles of peace and justice in
the life of the world an against selfish
and autOcratic power, and to set mp
About one-eleventh of the area of
A Ev-sr.