The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-11-08
Gentlemen of the Congress:

Gentlemen of the Congress:
nave called the congress into extra
ordinary session because there are Sc
rious, very serious. choices of policy to
be made, and made Immediately, which
IT Is neither right nor constitutionally
permissible that should assume the re-
sponsibility of making.
On the 30 of February last I ofFicially
laid before you the extraordinary an
nouncement of the Imperial German
government that on and after the 1st
day of February 1t was its purpose to
put aside all restraints of law or of hu-
manity and use it's submarines 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 Medi
terranean. That had seemed to be the
object of the German submarine war
rare earlier in the war, but since April
of last year the Imperial government
had somewhat restrained the comman-
ders OF its undersea craft in conform
ity with its promise. then given to us,
that passenger 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 resistance was offered OF es-
CREe attempted, and care taken that
their crews were given ut lenst a fair
chance to snve their lives In their open
bOnts. The precautions taken were
meager and haphaEard enough, AZ was
proved In distressing instance after
instance in the progress of the cruel
and unmnnly business, but n certain de-
gree of restraint waa observed.
The new policy has. swept every re-
striction aside. Vessels of every kind,
whatever their flag, their character
their cargo, their destination, their
errand, have been ruthlessly sent to
the bottom without warning and with
out thought of help or mercy for those
on board, the vessels of friendly neu-
trails along with those of belligerents.
Even hospital ships and ships carrying
relief to the sOrely bereaved and strlck-
en- people Of Belgium, though the lat
ter were provided with safe conduct
through the prescribed areas by the
German government itself and were
.distinEuished by Onmlstakable marks
of identity, have been sunk with the
same reckless lack Of compassion or
OF principle.
was for n little while unable to
believe that such things would i'm fnct
he done by any government that had
hitherto subscribed to the humane
practices of civilized nations. Inter-
national law had it's origin In the at
tempt to vet up some law which would
he respected and observed upon the
~eas, 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. indeed.
after all was accomplished that could
be accomplished. but always with a
clear view, at least, of what the heart
and conscience of mankind demanded.
This minimum of right the German
government has swept aside under the
plea Of retaliation and necessity and
because it had no weapons which 1t
could use at sea except these, which
1t is impossible to employ as it Is en-
ploying them. without throwing to the
wind all scruples of humanity or of
respect for the understandings that
were supposed to 'underlie the inter-
course OF the world.
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 the lives OF
non -combatants. men. women. and chill
sdren. engaged In pursuits which have
always, even in the darkest periods Of
modern history, been deemed innocent
and legitimate. Property can be paid
for; the lives of peaceful and innocent
people cannot he. The present German
submarine warfare against commerce
is warfare against mankind
tits a war against all nations. Amer
lean ships have been sunk, American
lives taken, in ways which 1T has
stirred us very deeply to learn of, but
the ships mad people of other neutral
and friendly nations have been sunk
md overwhelmed i'm the waters In the
1ame way. There has been NO dis
criIninatIOH.
The challenge is to all mankind
Each nation must decide for itself how
1T will meet it. The choice we make
for ourselves must be made with a
moderation OF counsel and temper
ateness of judgment BETTING our
character and our motives as nation
We must put excited feelings away
Our motive will not be revenge or the
victorious assertion of the physical
might of the nation. but only the vim
dication of right, of human right. OF
which we are only single champion
When I addressed the congress on
the 26th q February last thought ii
would suffice to assert our neutral rights
with arms. our right to use the seas
aCainat Unlawful interference, our right
to keen our people safe against unlaw-
fnI violence. But armed neutrality, II
now appears. is impracticable. Because
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