The Monticellonian., 1917-11-09

! The challenge is to all mankind l Each nation must decide for itself how
 1t will meet it The choice we mak. | for ourselves must be made with a i moderation of counsel and temper | ateness of judgment befitting our 1 character and our motives as a nation l We must put excited feelings away l Our motive will not be revenge or tn 1 victorious assertion of the physical | might of the nation. but only the win l dtca m of right. of human right or | whica we are only a single champion | When I addressed the congress on | the 18th of February last I thought il | would suffice to assert our neutral rights l with arms. our right to the sea against unlawful interference. our rigb
 to keep our people safe against unIaw- tHt violence. But armed neutrality. 1t | now appears. is impraeticable Because submarines are in effect outlaws, wber use as the German submarines hayt l been used against merchant shipping | It IS impossible to defend ships against | their attacks. ss the law of nations has assumed that merchantmen would de lend themselves against privateers or cruisers, visible craft giving chase up- on the open sea. If is common pru dence in such circumstances. grim nee essity indeed to eudeavor to destroy them before they have shown their own intention. They must be dealt with up- on sight. If dealt with at all.
 The German government denies the right of neutrals to use arms at all within the areas of the sea which ii has prescribed even in the defense Of rights which no modern publicist has ever before questioned their right to defend. The intrnation is conveyed that the armed guards which have placed on our merchant ships will be treated as beyond the pale of law and subject to be dealt with as pirates would be Armed neutrality Is fneffec- tunl enough at best; In such circum- stances and in the face of such preten- sions It Ia worse than intellectual; 1t ts likely only to produce what it wa~ meant to prevents 1t Is practically cer- tain to draw us Into war without either the rights or the effectiveness of the bel ligerents. There is one choice we can not make. we are incapable of mak' We will not choose the path of submis- sion and suffer the most sacred rights Of our nation and our people to be ig nored or violated. The wrongs against which we now array ourselves are nc common wrongs; they cut to the very roots of human life.
 With R profound sense of the solemn and even tragicaI character of the ster I nm taking and of the grave responsi- biiities which ft involves, but In un- hesitating obedience to what I deem my constitutional duty. I advise that the congress declare the recent course of the Imperial German government to be in fact nothing less than war against the government and people of the United States: that it formally ac- cept the status of belligerent which has thus been thrust upon 1t; and that it take immediate steps not only to put the country in a more thorough state of defense. but also to exert all it's power and employ all it's resources to bring the government of the German empire to terms and end the war.
 What this will involve is clear. It will involve the utmost practicable CO., operation in counsel and action with the governments now at war with Ger many and as incident to that. the ex tension to those governments of the most liberal financial credits. in order that our resources may so far as pos sible be added to theirs.
 It will involve the organization and mobilization of all the material re- sources of the country to supply the materials of and serve the incl dental needs of the nation in the most abundant and yet the most economical and efficient way possible,
 It will involve the immediate full equipment or tnc navy in all respects but particularly in supplying 1t with the best means of dealing with the enc my's submarines
 It will involve the immediate addi- ton to the armed forces of the United States, already provided for by law in case of war, of at least 5000 men. who should. in my opinion be chosen upon the principle of universal liabtl- ity to service. and also the authoriza- ton of subsequent additional incre- ments of equal force soon as they may be needed and can be handled in training.
 It will involve also, of course, the granting of adequate credits to the government, sustained. I hope. far they can equitably he sustained by the present generation. by welI-con- ceiSed taxation.
 say sustained so far ss may be equitable by taxatios. because 1t seems to that 1t would he most unwise to base the credits, which will now he necessary, entirely on money borrowed. IL is our duty. most respectfully urge. to protect our people, far we may, against the very serious hard ships and evils which would he likely to arise out of the imitation which would he produced by vast loans.
 In carrying oWt the measures by which these things are to he accom- plished we should keep constantly in mind the wisdom of interfering lit- tie as possible in our own preparation and in the equipment of our own miti- tary forces with the daty-for fl will be very practical duty-of supplying the nations already at war with Ger many with the materials which they can obtain only from or by our as- sistance. They are in the field, and we should help them In every way to be effective there.
 shall take the liberty If suggest ing. through the several executive de- partments of the government. for the consideration of your committees, measures for the accomplishment of the several objects have mentioned. | hope that 1t will he your pleasure to deal with them as having been framed after very careful thought by the branch of the government upon whom the responsibility of conducting the war and safeguarding the nation will most directly fafi.
 While we do these things, these deep iy momenteas things, let us be very clear. and make very clear to all the world. what motives and our ob- iects are. My own thought has not been driven from It's babitual and nor mai course by the unhappy events of the last two months, and I do not be- Iieve that the thought of the nation has been altered eiouded by them. have exactly the same things in mind now that ! had in mind when ad- dressed the senate on the 22d of Janu- ary last; the same that | had In mind when addressed congress on the Sd of February and on the 26th of February. Our object now. as then, is to Nindicatc the principles of peace and justice in the life of the world against Seifish and autocratic power, and to set up ~o~~-~~~~~--~-~~~~->c>o~c e~-~~oo~cc~>e-~-o.~-~