The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-04-12
The Presidents Address Asking
Congress to Declare State OF War

/
States and Germany.
While the news of the summarizing
of the steamer Aztec-the first Amer.
lean armed ship to sail into the wal
zone-was being told from mouth to
mouth in the Capitol, the President
appearing before House and Senate
in joint session, asked Congress to
recognize and deal with Germany's
warfare on America.
The President stated that war with
! Germany would involve practical CO.
operation with the governments now
at war with Germany, including lib
eral, financial credits.
The President made it clear that no
action was being taken against the
Austrian Government and the other
nations allied with Germany.
Presidents Speech
81 have called the Congress into
extraordinary session because there
are serious, very serious, choices of
policy to be made, and made imme-
diately, which it was neither right nor
cOnstitutionally permissible that l
should assume, the responsibility of
making.
"On the third of February, last, /
officially laid before you the extra
ordinary announcement of the Impe-
rial German Government that on and
after the first day of February it was
its purpose to put aside all restraints
of law or humanity and use its subma-
rines to sink every vessel that sought
to approach either the ports of Great
Britain and Ireland or the Western
coasts of Europe or any of the ports
controlled by the enemies of Germany
within the Mediterranean. That had
seemed to be the object of the Ger
man submarine warfare earlier in the
war, but since April of last year, the
Imperial Government had somewhat
restrained the commanders of it's un-
dersea craft in conformity with its
promise then given us that pas5ehger
boats should not be sunk and that due
warning would be given to all other
vessels which submarines might seek
to destroy, when no resistance was
Offered or escape attempted and care
taken that their crews were given al
least a fair chance to save their live.
in their open boats.
"The precautions taken were
meager and haphazard enough, as wa
proved in distressing instance afte
instance in the progress of the crue
and unmanly business, but certaii
degree of restraint was observed
The new policy has swept every re
striction aside. Vessels of ever,
kind, whatever their flag, their char
acter, their cargo, their destination
their errand, have been ruthlessl
sent to the bottom without warnin,
and without thought of help or mere,
for those on board, the vessels o
friedly neutrals along with those o
belligerents. Hospital ships an
ships carrying relief to the sorely be
rcaved and stricken people OF Bel
gium, though the latter were provide
with safe conduct through the pre-
scribed areas by the German Govern
ment itself and were distinguished b,
unmistakable marks of identity
have been sunk with the same lack O
compassion or of principle.
81 was for little while unable t,
believe that such things would in fac
be done by any Government that hat
hitherto subscribed to the human,
practices of civilized nations. Inter
national law had its origin in the at
tempt to set up some law which
would be respected and observed up
on the seas where no nation haC
right of dominion, and where Law the
Tree highways of the world. By pain
ful stage after stage has that law
! been built up with mcager enough re.
suits, indeed, after all was accom-
| plIShcd that could be accomplished
but always a clear view, at least
Of what the heart and conscience OF
mankind would demand This mini
mum of right the German Govern
ment has swept aside under the plea
of retaliation and necessity, and be-
cause 1T had no weapons which il
could use at sea except these which il
is impossibleto employ as it is employ
ing them without throwing to the
winds all scruples of humanity or ot
respect for the understandings tha
were supposed to underlie the inter
course of the world.
81 am not now thinking of the los
Of property involved, immense and Sc
rious as that is, but only of the wan
ton and wholesale destruction of tn,
lives of non-combatants, men, womeI
and children, engaged in pursuit
which have always, even in the dark
est periods Of modern history, beer
deemed innocent and legitimate
Property can be paid for; the lives O.
peaceful and innocent people canno
be. The present German submarin,