Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1917-02-09
President Wilson's
Address To
Congress.

washington, req. Sat the l
pint session of Congress at 2 P. M. 8
be President spoke as follows !:
Gentlemen of the Congress
The Imperial German Govern
nent on the thirty-first of January L
Innounced to this Government and
o the governments of other neutral
lations that on and after the first
lay Of February, the present month.
t would adopt a policy with regard
o the use of submarines against all
shipping seeking to pass through
certain designated areas of the high
seas, to which it is clearly my duty
to call your attention.
Let me remind the Congress on
the eight of April last, in view of
the sinking on the twenty-fourth of
March of the cross-channel passen-
ger steamer Sussex by German
submarine without summons orI
warning and the consequent loss of
the lives of several citizens of the
United States who were passengers
aboard her, this Government ad-
dressed a note to the Imperial Ger
man Government in which it made
the following declaration
If it is still the purpose of the
Imperial Government to prosecute
relentless and indiscrimate warfare
against vessels of commerce by the
use of submarines without regard to
what the Government of the United
States must consider the sacred and
indisputable rules of international
law and the universally recognized
dictates of humanity, the Govern.
ment of the United States is at las
forced to the conclusion that there
is but one course it can pursue. I'm
less the Imperial Government shoule
now Immediately declare and effec
an abandonment OF its present meth
DDS of submarine warfare agains
passenger and freight carrying YES
sells. the Government of the Unitet
States can have no choice but tt
sever diplomatic relations with tn
German Empire altogether
In reply to this declaration tn
Imperial German Government CAV
this Government the following as
surance
The German Government i
prepared to do its utmost to confin
the operations of war for the res
of its duration to the fighting force
of the belligerents, thereby also in
suring the freedom of the seas,
principle upon which the German
Government believes, now, as be
fore, to be in agreement with tn
Government of the United States
The German Government, guild
ed by this idea, notifies the Gov
eminent of the United States tina
the German naval forces have re-
ceived the following orders In &C
cordance with the general principle.
of visit and search and destruction
of merchant vessels recognized by
international law, such vessels, both
within and without the area declared
a naval war zone, shall not be sunk
without warning and without saving
human lives. unless these ships at
tempt to escape or offer resistance.
p" But it added, 'neutrals canno,
expect that Germany. forced tc
fight for her existence, shall for the
sake of neutral interest restrict the
use of an effective weapon if hel
enemy is permitted to continue to
apply at will methods of warfare
violating the rules of international
law. Such a demand would be in
compatible with the character of
neutrality and the German Govern
ment is convinced that the Govern
ment of the United States does not
think of making such a demand,
knowing that the Government of
the United States has repeatedly
declared that it is determined to re-
store the principles of the freedom
of the seas. from whatever quarter
it has been violated
To this the Government of the
United States replied on the eighth
of May, accepting, the course, the
assurances given, but adding
The Government of the United
States feels it necessary to state
that it takes for granted that the
Imperial German Government does
not intend to imply that the main
tenance of its newly announced pol
icy is in any way contingent upon
the course or result of diplomatic
negotiations between the Govern
ment of the United States and any
other belligerent government, not
withstanding the fact that certain
passages in the Imperial Govern.