The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-08-03

Continued from last week
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 a full
accord with the powers Of the en-
tente; and as on the other hand we
found ourselves more and more out
ragged at the German governments 5
methods of conducting warfare anG
their brutal treatment of people in
their conquered lands; as we more
and more uncovered their hostile in
trigues 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 a peace Of
conquest-the Imperial German gov
ernment abruptly threw aside the
mask
On the last day of January, 49,
Count Bernstorff handed to Nh
Lansing a note in which his govern
ment announced its purpose to il
tensify and render more ruthless thC
operations of their. submarines at
sea, in a manner against which our
government had protested from the
beginning. 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 govern
ment had not then been ready to act
In brief, under the guise of friend
ship and the cloak of false promises,
it had been preparing this attack
This was the direct challenge.
There was no possible answer eX-
cept to hand their ambassador his
passports and so have done with
diplomatic correspondence which had
been vitiated from the start by the
often proved bad faith of the I'M
perial government.
On the same day, February 3.
1917, the President addressed both
Houses of our Congress and an
nounced the complete severance Of
our relations with Germany. The
reluctance with which he took thi
step was evident in every word. Bu'
diplomacy had failed, and it woulG
have been the hollowest pretense to
maintain relations. At the same
time, however, he made it plan
that he did not regard this act as
tantamount to declaration of war.
Here for the first time the presi-
dent made his sharp distinction be-
tween government and people in un-
democratic lands:
Eve are the sincere friends of the
German people," he said, "and earn
estly desire to remain at peace with
the governpent which speaks foi
them. : God grant we may no
he challenged by acts of willful in
justice on the part of the govern
ment of Germany"
In this address of the President
and il it's Endorsement by the Sen,
ate, there was a solemn warning
for we still had hope that the Ger
man government might hesitate to
drive as to war But it was soon
evident, that our warming had fallen
on deaf ears. The toEtuOus ways
and means of German official diplo-
macy were clearly shown in the ne
gotiations opened by them through
the Swiss legation on the 10th of
February. In no word of their pro-
posals did the German government
meet the real issue between US. And
our State Department replied that
no minor negotiations could be en-
tertained until the main issue had
been met by the withdrawal of th
submarine order.
By the 1st of March it had be
come plain that the Imperial gov
ernment, unrestrained by the warn