The Arvada enterprise., 1917-04-05
fare against commerce Is a warfare


against mankind. It Is war
against all nations. American ships
have been sunk, American lives taken,
In ways which It has stirred us very
deeply to learn OF. but the ships and
people OF other neutral and friendly
nations have been sunk and over
whelmed in the waters In the same
way. There has been no discrimina-
ton. The challenge is to all mankind.
Each nation must decide for itself
how It will meet It. The choice we
make for ourselves must be made with
a consideration OF counsel and a tenn
perateness OF judgment befittlng our
character and our natives as ma.
ton.
We must put excited feeling 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 | addressed the Congress on
the twenty.sixth OF February last l
thought that 1t would suffice to as
sert our neutral rights with arms, our
right to use the seas against unlaw-
people safe against unlawful violence.
But armed neutrality. it now ap-
pears, is Impractical. Because subma-
rines are in effect outlaws when used
as the German submarines have been
used against merchant shipping, 1t Ia
impossible to defend ships against
their attacks as the law OF nations
has assumed that merchantmen would
defend themselves against privateers
or cruisers, visible craft giving chase
upon the open sea.
1t Is common prudence in such cir
cumstances, grim necessity indeed. to
endeavor to destroy them before they
have shown their own intention. They
must be dealt with upon sight, II
dealt with at all.
Armed Neutrality Proved Intellectual.
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 defens"
OF rights which, no modern publicist
has ever before Questioned-their right
to defend. The intimation is con-
veyed that the armed guards which
we have placed on our merchant
ships will be treated as beyond the
pale oil law and subject 10 Do oea''
with as pirates Woula DC.
Armed neutrality Is Intellectual
at best: IN such circumstances and
In the face OF such pretensions 1t Is
worse than Intellectual; 1t Is likely
to produce what 1t was meant
10 prevent IL ID p,ac''caii' .e, 'uI.
10 draw us lhto the wal "''hou.
either the lshts OF INC eiiee'''eheS'
VI rnn % ans ,,o,o. o cornot mako
we are incanable nj making We will
not choose the path of submission
and suffer the most sacred rights Of
orr nation and our people to be tx
nored or violated The wrongs against
which wa NOW array ourselves are not
common wrongs: they cut to the very
roots of human life.
with n profound sense of the sell
ann and eyen trayical character Of
tho stem | am taking and of the grave
RESPONSIBILITIES which II involves, but
4, unbesitatinv ohedience to what |
deem nv constitutional duty. | advise
that the Congress declare the recent
course OF the German government to
he in fact nothing las, than war
against the government and people OF
the United States: that It formally
accent the status of belligerent which
has thus been thrust upon II. and that
IL take immediate steps not only to
nut the country on a more thorough
state of defense. but also to exert all its
power and employ all its resources to
bring the government OF the German
empire to terms and end the war.
ad,i, coo,.,,,,o, vv,,h A,,i..
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u"' ,n'' WIN "i'o.'o 20 ~
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'ho so'e' n'''ci's no" u. wal WIN "o'
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'na' our resou,''e may 81 i"' "s po'
s'Dic' pu auueu 10 'he'is'
II WIN involve 'no oIs"ni"u''oii anu
'ilopl'iH"t'on oi an me iha.eraa' re-
sou' ''s VI tne 'ouh'is " supP's the
',ator'"is OF war ana serve INC lhci'
usht'i heeus Oh 'he nation III inc most
""uhunh'' anu sct 'h' most 'Sohoih''
ca, anu ei''cleht "ny POSSIBLE
IL VIII lh'ol'o the i'liisuia'e iuii
equipment Oh the navy III All respects
n