The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-04-03
American Armed Ship
Aztec Torpedoed; Many
Americans Are Slain
Continued From Page One.)

Continued From Page One.)
task we can dedicate our lives and
fortunes, everything that we are, and
everything that we have, with the
pride of those who know that the day
has come when America is privileged
to spend her blood and her might for
the principles that gave her birth and
happiness, and the peace which she
has treasured, God helping her, she
can do no other"
What President Said.
/ In speaking of Germany's attitude,
the president said:
when | addressed the congress on
the twenty sixth of February, /
thought that it would suffice to as
sert our neutrality rights with arms.
Our right to use the seas against un-
lawful interference. Our right to
keep our people safe against unlawful
violance, 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 has assumed that mer-
| CuduIIlCh WOulu uElSIu IucIuSClNGS
against privateers or cruisers, visible
craft giving chase upon the open sea.
| 1t is common prudence in such cir
| cumstances, grim necessity indeed, to
| endeavor to destroy them before they
| have shown their own intention. They
| must be dealt with upon sight, if
dealt with at all. The German gov
eminent denies the right of neutrals
- oH all y, 4l1n
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 be-
yond the pale of law and subject to
be dealt with as pirates would be-.
Armed neutrality is Intellectual
enough at best, in such circumstances
and in the face of such pretensions, 1t
is worse than Intellectual, it is likely
to produce what it was meant to pre-
vent; it is practically certain to draw
us into the war without either the
rights or the effectiveness of bellig-
erents.
/ No Common Wrongs.
"There is one choice 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"
After referring to steps the United
States should take the president said:
| SWhile we do these things, these
deeply momentus things, let US be
very clear and make very clear to all
the world what our motives and our
objects are. My own thought has not
been driven from its habitual and
normal course by the unhappy events
of the last two months, and | do not
believe that the thought of the nation
has been altered or clouded by them
Vindicate Peace Principle.
az have exactly the same things
} in mind now that l had in mind when
J | addressed the senate on the 22nd OF
January last, the same that | had IN
mind when l addressed the congress
on the third of February, and on the
26th of February. Our object now,
as then, is to vindicate the principles
of peace and the justice in the life of
the world as against selfish and auto
. cratic power and to set up amongst
: the really free and self governed peo-
: ME of the world such a concert OF
nurpose and of action as will hence
, forth insure the observance of those
principles.
.. 'tNeutrality is no longer feasible OF
desirable where the peace of the
world is involved and the freedom
: of its peoples, and the menace to that
! peace and freedom lies in the exis-
. tence of autocratic governments
backed by organized force which i:
controlled wholly by their will, moi
bv the will of their people. We have
seen the last of neutrality in such
circumstances.
ave are at the beginning of ar
!, age in which it will be insisted thai
l the same standards of conduct and Of
r responsibility for wrong done shall
e be observed among nations and theil
: governments that are observed among
e the individuals citizens of civilized
J states.
n Friendly to German People.
eve have no quarrel with the Ger
), man people. We have no feeling to-
$ wards them, but one of sympathy ant
J friendship. 1t was not upon thei,
impulse that their government actet
in entering this war. 1t was not witt
|. their previous knowledge or approval
at was a war determined upon a
: wars used to be determined upon IL
. the old, unhappy days when peoples
!. were nowhere consulted by thei
> rulers and wars were provoked ant
!, waged in the interest of dynasties o.
. of little groups of ambitious men VIII,
r were accuctoae4 20 $50 thar fellew
: lnep as pawns and tools.
"Self- governed nations do not fl