Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-07-14

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States.
In the new year of 1917, as
through our acceptance of world re-
sponsibilities so plainly indicated in
the Presidents utterances in regard
to a league of nations, we felt our
selves now drawing nearer to full
accord with the powers Of the en-
tente; and as on the other hand
we found ourselves more and more
Outraged at the German Government s
methods of conducting warfare and
their brutal treatment of people in
their conquered lands; as we more
and more uncovered their hostile
intrigues against the peace of the
New World; and above all, as the
sinister and antidemocratic ideals of
their ruling class became manifest in
their manoeuvers for peace of con-
quest---the Imperial German Gov
eminent abruptly threw aside the
mask.
ON the last day of January, 1917,
Count Bernstein handed to Mr. Lam
sing a note in which his Government
announced it's purpose to intensity
and render more ruthless the opera
lions of their submarines at sea, in
manner against which our Govern
ment had protested from the begin
ming. The German Chancellor also
stated before the Imperial Diet that
the reason this ruthless policy had
not been earlier employed was simply
because the Imperial Government had
not then been ready to act. In brief
under the guise Of friendship and the
cloak of false promises, it had been
preparing this attack.
This was the direct challenge.
There was no possible answer except
to hand their ambassador his pass
ports and so have done with dip
Iomatic correspondence which had
been invited from the start by the
often proved bad faith of the Imperial
Government.
On the same day, February 3,
1917, the President addressed both
Houses of our Congress and announ-
ced the complete severance of our re-
lations with Germany. The reluct-
ance with which he took this step
was evident in every word. But diplo-
macy had failed, and it would have
been the ehollowest pretense to
maintain relations. At the same
time, however, he made it plain that
he did not regard this act as tanta-
mount to a declaration of war. Here
Tor the first time the President made
mis- sharp distinction between gov
eminent and people in undemocratic
lands
I'VE are the sincere friends of the
German people, he said, and ear
nestly desire to remain at peace
with the Government which speaks
Tor them. God grant we
may not be challenged by acts of will
full injustice on the part of the Gov
eminent of Germany"
In his address of the President.
and in it's Endorsement by the Senate,
there was a solemn warming; for we
still had hope that the German Gov
eminent might hesitate to drive us
to war. But II was soon evident
that our warning had fallen on deaf
ears. The tortuous ways and means
of German official diplomacy were
clearly shown in the negotiations
opened by them through the Swiss
legation on the 10th of February.
In no word of their proposals did the
German Government meet the real
issue between us. And our State
Department replied that no minor
negotiations could be entertained
until the main isue had been met
by the withdrawal of the submarine
order.
By the 1st of March it had become
plain that the Imperial Government
by the warning In the
address to Congress on
February 3, was determined to make
good its threat. The President then
again appeared before Congress to
report the development of the crisis
and to ask the approval of the Rep
of the Nation for the
course OF armed neutrality upon
which his constitutional authority,
he had now determined. More than
500 of the 531 members of the two
Houses of Congress showed them
selves ready and anxious TO act: and
the Armed Neutrality Declaration
would have been accepted if ii had
not been for the legal death of The
congress on March
No overt" act, however was
by our Government until
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