The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-04-06
PRESIDENT Will SON ADVISES
CONGRESS THAT NEUTRALITY
Is NO LONGER FEASIBLE
And Urges Employment of All Resources of Nation
To Bring German Empire TO Terms And
End The War.

/ been sunk and overwhelmed in the
waters in the same way. There has
been no discrimination. The chal'
lenge 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 moderation OF
counsel and temperatures OF Judg.
ment beftting our character and our
motives as nation. We must put
excited feeling away. Our motive
will not be revenge or the victorious
assertion of the physical might oil
the nation but only the vindication OF
right, of human right, of which we
are only single champion.
Armed Neutrality Impracticable
"When | addressed the congress on
the 26th of February last, | thought
that 1t would suffice to assert uur
reutral rights with arms, our right
to Use the seas against unlawful Ill
terf. renee. our right to keep our pee
pie safe against unlawful violence
hut armed neutrality it now appears
is impracticable.
Because submarines are in elect
outlaws when used as the German
submarines have been used against
merchant shipping, it is impossible to
defend ships against their attacks as
the law of nations has assumed that
merchantmen would defend them
selves against privatecrs or cruisers,
visible craft giving chase upon the
open sea. 1t is common prudence In
such circumstances, grim necessity
indeed. to endeavor to destroy them
before they have shown their own IN
tention. They must be dealt with up
on sight, if dealt with at all. The
German government denies the right
Cf neutrals to use arms at all within
the areas of the sea which it has
prcscribcd. even in the defense of
rights which no modern publicist ha
ever before questioned their right t"
defend. The intimatiOn is conveyed
that the armed guards which We have
placed on our merchant shipS viii +"
treated as beyond the pale Of law and
subject to re dealt with as nira' .
rculA he. hrmcd neutrality Is inc
rectual enough at hcst; in such cir
umstances and in the face oF such
nrcfcnsions il is worse than incfFc".
!uai. II is IikcIY only TO produce what
II vas meant to prevent; It is practl-
,nJIv certain to draw us into The "ar
without e;t',cr t1e RIGHTS o" the elfc"-
tfvcnoes cf hclIirc~cnts Their" 'e
ore cNoicc we cannot make, we are
ircapahlo Of malyin": W" will not
rhCora the path Of submission and
auT.r TIE w"et sacred rirhtS ct or
nation ard cur neople 10 be ignored
cr r;clatcd. TIE wron"s against
which we now array ourselves are ne
common WRONGS: they cut to the very
roots Of human life.
with profound sense Of the sci.
6mn and even tragiCal character OF
the step ! am taking and Of the grave
responsibilities which it involves, but
in unhesitatinD obedience to what
deem my constitutional duty | advise
that the congress declare the recent
course cf tho imperial German gov
ernment to he in fart rothn~ less
than war AGAINST the government and
peOrln of the United States; that if
formally accent the status "f hrlli"-
erent vhi"h has thus ho"r NHr"et w
on It and that it take Immediate
steps not only to put the ccurtrv in =