The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-04-06

IreSlucnC w llSon appeared DelOre
joint meeting of both houses of Con-
gress at 8 o'clock on Monday night
and spoke as follows:
81 have called the congress into eX-
traOrdinary session because there are
serious, very serious choices of policy
to be made, and made Immediately,
which it was neither right nor con-
stitutiOnally permissible that l should
assume the responsibility of making.
"On the Sd of February last | Of
fcially laid before you the extraordi-
nary announcement of the imperial
German government that on and af-
ter the 1st day of February it was its
purpose to put aside all restraints of
law or of humanity, and use its sub
marines to sink every vessel that
sought to approach either the ports Of
Great Britain and Ireland or the wes-
tern coasts of Europe or any OF the
ports controlled by the enemies OF
Germany within the Mediterranean.
That seemed to be the object of the
German submarine warfare earlier Ill
the war, but since April of last year
the imperial government had some
what restrained the commanders OF
its undersea craft in conformity with
its promise then given to us that pas
senger boats should not be sunk, and
that due warning would be given to
all other vessels which its submarines
might seek to destroy, when no resist
ance was offered or escape attempt
ed, and care taken that their crews
were given at least fair chance to
save their lives in their open boats.
"The precautions taken were mea-
ger and haphaZard enough as was
proved in distressing instance after
instance in the progress, OF the cruel
and unmanly business, but certain
degree of restraint was observed.
The new policy has swept every re-
strictiOn aside. Vessels of every
kind whatever their flag, their char
acter, their cargo, their destination,
their errand. have been ruth!@sSlT
sent to the bottom without warning
and without thoug,t Of help 2f mercy
for those on beard the vessels o
friendly neutrals along with th"Sc 81
bellircrents. Even hospital ships and
ships carving relief to the sHreIv he
reayed and stricken people of Bel
gium. though the latter were DroNld-
ed with safe conduct THROUGH Tn"
prescihed areas bv the German GOV
ernmcrt itself and were DISTINGUISHED
by unmistakahIc marks Of identity.
have been sunk with the same rcck-
less lack of compassion or of princI-
pie.
Rights Swept Aside.
Il was for little while unable to
belle, that such things would in fact
be done by any government that had
hitherto subscribed to the humane
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 upon the
seas. where no nation had right OF
dominion and where lay the free high
ways of the world. By painful stage
after stage has that law been built
up with meager enough results, in
deed after all was accomplished that
could be accomplished, but always
with clear view at least of what the
heart and conscience of mankind de-
manded.
This minimum of right the Ger
man government has swept aside un-
der the plea of retaliation and neces-
sitv and because it had no weapons
which it could use at sea except those
which it is impossible to employ as
it is employing them without throw
ing to the winds all scruples of hu-
manity or of respect for the under
standings that were supposed to un-
derlie the intercourse of the world.
81 am not now thinking of the loss
of property involved, immense and
serious ,as that is, but only of the
wanton and wholesale destruction OF
On-cOmbatants, men, women and
children, engaged in pursuits which
have always, even in the darkest pc
riods of modern nistOry, been deemed
innocent and Legitimate. Property
can be paid for: the lives of peace
full and innocent people cannot be.
The present German submarine war
fare against commerce is a warfare
against mankind.
ut is war against all nations.
ships have been sunk, Nm-
erican lives taken in ways which it
has stirred us very deeply to learn Of,
but the ships and people of other
neutral and friendly nations have