The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1917-04-07
WAR BETWEEN GERMANY AND
THE UNITED STATES.

The lneVltaDle mas HdpPehcu civ
the United States, much against the
wish of her people and government
is drawn into the great Worid-War
that has been raging across the seas
for the past thirty-two months.
President Wilson appeared before
the houses Of congress, assembled IN
Joint session at Washington last Mon
dav evening, and in an earnest ana
calmly eloquent address, which Will
90 down in history as one of the most
important and impressive utterances
of this momentous period IN the
worlds affairs, reviewed the even's
appertaining to the relations OF the
United States and Germany, contrast
ing the sincere, consistent and patient
efforts of our nation to avoid a breach
and to maintain it's neutrality, with
the contrary course of the Imperial
German government, whose repeated
appressions, violations Of agreements,
secret plottings against the lnterhai
neace and welfare of our country,
and finally, wanton and deilperaIe
destruction of American vessels ana
lives on the high seas, had rendered
further forbearance intolerable.
The paragraph of the presidents
address in which congressional actloh
was asked is as follows:
"With a profound sense of the
solemn and even tragical character OF
the step | am taking and of the grave
RESPONSIBILITIES which it involves, but
in unhesitating obedience to what /
deem nv constitutional duty, advise
that the congress declare the recent
course of the imperial German gov
eminent to be in fact nothing less
than war against the government ana
people of the United States; that 1t
formally accept the status of being
erent which has thus been thrust
upon it. and that it take immediate
steps not only to put the country IN
more thorough state of defense, Dut
also to exert all it's power and employ
all it's resources to bring the govern
ment of the German empire to terms
and end the war"
Resolutions responsive to this ap-
peal were introduced in the house and
senate, and atf11 o'clock Wednesday
night, after thirteen hours of unre-
stricted debate in which every senator
who desired to eX1,MIss his views,
whether for or against the PROPOSE
ton, was given an opportunity TO
speak, the upper house of the nation
al congress adopted the following dec
laration by vote of 80 yeas to 6
nays: ....
"Whereas, the imperial German
government has committed repeated
acts of war against the government
and the people of the United States
of America; therefore be it
Resolved by the senate and house
of representatives of the United
States of America in congress as
sembled, that the state of war be-
tween the United States and the i'm
perial German government which has
thus been thrust upon the United
States is hereby declared; and that
the president be and he is hereby au-
tlorized and directed to employ the
entire naval and military forces of the
United States and the resources of
the government to carry on war
against the imperial German govern
ment, and to bring the conflict to
successful termination all Of the re-
sources of the United States are
hereby pledged by the congress of
the United States"
In the lower branch of congress
the resolution was debated from 10
o'clock Thursday forenoon until 8
o'clock Friday morning, at which
latter hour the discussion was ended
by unanimous consent and the meas
ure adopted by 373 yeas and so nays.
The negative vote was much larger
than had been anticipated, result
largely attributable to the opposition
of the Democratic floor leader, Con-
gresham Claude ,Kjfhin of North
Carolina, who MAJ the strongest
speech on the pacifist side.
Enthusiastic demonstrations at
tended the announcement of the votes
in both houses of congress, and ex-
pressions of popular sentiment find
ing vent in all parts of the country
show that the great mass of the Ameri
can people believe with the president
that Germany's hostile, perfidious and
inhuman acts left the United States
no other decent and honorable re-
course than an acceptance of the gage
of battle and determination to en-
ploy the nations resources to the ut
most limit necessary to crush the au-
tocratic military despotism that seeks
to dominate the world by brute force
and ruthlessness.
NJ ~ ~