Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-11-09
PRESIDENTS WAR
MESSAGE GARBLED
Full Text Withheld From People
of Germany by kaiser's
Government.
PASSAGES WERE SUPPRESSED
Report Of Wolff Telegraph Bureau,
Unofficial Mouthpieee Of Kaiser,
Shows Wilson's Address
Distorted.

The German people never had an Op-
portunity to read the full text of the
address delivered by President Wilson
before congress on April 2, 1917, in
which the president called upon con-
gress to declare the existence Of the
state Of war then being waged upon
the United States by Germany. In the
copies of this address which were per-
lmltted to be published in Germany,
many passages were suppressed, ac-
cording to the committee on public
Information Of the United States gov
ernment. The passages suppressed in
cluded those In which the president
told why the United States had been
forced to enter into the war against
Germany in protection Of its rights and
In order to make the world safe for
democracy.
The committee on public information
has issued a copy of the presidents
address, showing the passages which
were suppressed by the Wolff Tele-
graph bureau, which is under govern
ment censorship and has been consist
emily employed by the German govern
ment for the PRONUNCIATION of it's Off
cial opinions. The following is an Of
ncial copy Of the presidents address
with the passages suppressed by the
Woln Telegraph bureau shown in bold
faced type:
Gentlemen of the Congress:
have called the congress into extra-
ordinary session because there are Sc
rious, very serious choices Of policy to
be made, and made immediately. which
IL is neither right nor constitutionally
permissible. that should assume the re-
sponsibility of making
On the Sd of February last I of1ciallv
laid before you the extraordinary an
nouncement of the Imperial German
government that on and after the 1st
day of February II was its purpose to
put aside all restraints OF law or of hu-
manity and use its 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
fare earlier in the war, bssa since April
OF last year the Imperial government
uers OF its undersea craft. in conform
Vty with its promise, then given to ms,
that passenger boats should not he
sunk, and that due warning would be
given TO all other vessels which it's
)Aubmnrines might seek to destroy,
v~hen NO resistance was offered or es-
~dpe attempted, and care taken that
their crews were given mt least n fair
chance 20 save their lives I'm their open
boats. The precautions taken were
neager and haphnxard enough, ns was
proved In distressing Instance after
instance I'm the progress of the cruel
sad unmanly business, but n certain de-
gree Of restraint vvns observed.
The new policy has swept every re-
Ntriction aside. Vessels of every kind.
whatever their nng. their character
their cargo, their destination. their
errnnd. 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 60 the soreIy bereaved and strIcIx-
rn people of Belgium. though the lat
GER were provided with safe conduct
through the prescribed areas by the
Herman government itself and were
sli-tin wuiuhed by unniistakabIe marks
80 Identity, have been sunk with the
sane reckless lack of compassion or
ef principle.
was for a little while unable to
believe that such things would I'm fact
- done by any government that had
hithertO subscribed to the humane
rrnctires of civilized nations. Inter-
rational law had Its origin In the at
Tempt 20 set up some law which would
" respected and observed upon the
rsaz. where no nation had right Of
dominion and where lay the free high
v~nys of the world. BY painful stage
ter stage has that law been built up
with meager enough results, indeed
stter all was accomplished that could
be accomplished, but always with n
clear view. Rt 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 II had no weapons which 1t
could use at sea except these. which
~ is impossible to employ as Il is en-
pioying 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
Az that Is, but only of the wanton and
Wholesale destruction of the lives of
non n-combatants, men. women, ana cnI1-
dren. engaged In pursuits which have
always, even In the darkest periods OF
modern history, been deemed innocent
and Legitimate. Property can he paid
fort the lives of peaceful and innocent
people cannot be. The present German
submarine warfare against commerce
Is a warfare against mankind.
II Is a war against all nations. Amer
lean ships have been sunk, American
lives taken, In ways which II ha,
stirred us very deepIy to learn of. but
the ships md people of other neutral
and friendly nations have been sunL