The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1917-02-08
"AMERICA DEFENDS RIGHTS AND
JUSTICE" PRESIDENTS AP-
PEAL TO CONGRESS-.

Imperial NGlllldu SON Cl uluCl1I, VII IAiC
thirty-frst Of January, announced to
this government and to the govern
mentS OF the other neutral nations
| that on and after the first day OF
February the present month 1t would
adopt a policy with regard to the use
Of submarines against all shipping
seeking to pass through certain desig-
mated areas of the high seas to which
it is clearly my duty to call your at
JentiOn.
Let me remind the congress that
on the eighteenth OF April last, IN
view of the sinking on the twenty
fourth of March Of the cross channel
man submarine, without summons
or warning, and the consequent loss
of the lives of several citizens OF the
United States who were passengers
aboard it, this government addressed
note to the imperial German gov
eminent in which 1t made the tollOW-
| ing declaration:
IF it is the purpose OF the imper-
! ial government to prosecute ruthless
and indiscriminate warfare against
vessels of commerce by the use OF
submarines without regard to what
must consider the sacred and lndls-
putable rules of international law
and the universally recognized die,
tates OF humanity, the government or
the United States is at last forced to
the conclusion that there is but one
course it can pursue.
"Unless the German government
should now Immediately declare and
effect an abandonment of it's present
methods of submarine warfare
against passenger and freight carry
ing vessels the government OF the
United States can have no choice PVT
to severe diplomatic relations, with
the German empire altogether
In reply to this declaration the
German government gave this gov
eminent the following assurances:
1.-The German government IS pre-
pared 70 do it's utmost to contlne the
operations Of war for the rest Of it's
belligerents, thereby insurlng the
freedom of the seas, principle upon
which the German government be-
lieves itself, now, as before, to be IN
agreement with the government OF
the United States.
by this idea, notifies the government
OF the United States that the German
naval forces have received the fol-
lowing orders:
:. In accordance with the general
principles of visit and search and de-
nized by International law, such yes
sells, both within and without the
area declared as naval war zone,
shall not be sunk without warning
and without saving human lives, I'M
Less these ships attempt to escape or
offer resistance
but neutrals cannot expect that
Germany, forced to fight for her ex-
istence, shall for the sake of neutral
interests, restrict the use OF an Often
sive weapon if her enemy is permit
ed to continue to apply at will meth
DDS of warfare violating the rules OF
would be incompatible with the char
acter of neutrality, and the German
government is convinced that the
government of the United States does
not think of making such demand,
knowing that the government OF the
United States has repeatedly declar.
the principle of the freedom Of the
seas, from whatever quarter it has
! been violated.
| TO this the government of the
; United States replied on the Sth OF
May accepting of course the assur-
ances given, but adding:
The government or the Unlteu
! States feels it necessary to state that
! it takes it for granted that the i'm
perial German government does not
! intend to imply that the maintenance
: OF it's newly announced policy is IN
any way contingent upon the course
or result of diplomatic. negotiations
ed States and any other belligerent
government, Notwithstanding the
| fact that certain passages IN the I'M
perial governments note OF the Atm
inst. might appear to be susceptible
to that construction.
''In order, however, to avoid any
possible misunderstanding the gov
eminent of the United States notifies
| the Imperial government that 1t can
not for a moment entertain, much
less discuss, suggestion that re-
spect by German naval authorities
| for the rights of citizens OF the Unit
ed States upon the high seas should
| in any way or in the slightest degree
! be made contingent upon the conduct
! of any other government afectlng
| the rights of neutrals and noncom-
batants. Responsibility in such
matters is single, not Joint; absolute
| not relative"
TO this note of the eighth of May,
| the imperial German government
On the tfirty-first of January, the
Wednesday of the present week, the
German ambassador handed to the
secretary of state, along with a for
NAL note, a memorandum which con-
tains the following statement:
''The imperil government, there
fore, does not doubt that the govern
ment of the United States will under
stand the situation thus forced upon
Germany by the entente allies bru-
termination to destroy the centra!
powers, and that the government of
the United States will further rea-