The Elbert County tribune., 1917-11-09


assumed that neFchantaen would de-
fend themselves agai.st Drfvateers or
| cruisers, visible craft gfvfng chase Up
81 the eDen sea. 1t is common pru-
dence in such circumstances. grim nee
essify indeed. to endeavor to destroy
| them before they have shown their own
intention. They nust be dealt with Up
o. sfght, n dealt with at all.
The German government denies the
| right of neutrals to use arms at all
| within the areas of the sea which 1t
has prescribed even in the defense of
| rights which no modern pubiicist has
ever before questioned their right to
defend. The intimation is conveyed that
the armed guards which we 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 fnenec-
| tua1 enough at bestJ In such circum-
stances a.d in the face of such preten-
sfons II In worse than Intellectually II IL
likely only 10 produce whnt II was
| meant to preventy IT IL practically GER
| tafn to draw ms fnfo war without either
the rights or the effectiveness of the bel
lfgerents. There IL one choice We cam
not make, we are Incapable of makfnEi I
We Will not choose the path of submits
sion and puffer the most sacred rights
| OF our nation and our people to be fg-
nored or violated. The WRONGS against
| which We now array ourselves are NO
common wronGsy they cut to the very
roots OF human life.
With = profound sense OF the solemn
| and even traKicnl character of the step
| am taking and of the grave responsi-
biIitfes which 1t involves, but in un-
| hesitating obedience to what / 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 1t formally ac-
| cept the status of belligerent which has
thus been thrust upon 1t; and that II
take Immediate steps not only to put
| the country in 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.
What this Will involve is clear. 1t
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 far pos
sible be added to theirs.
1t will involve the organization and
mobilization of all the material re-
sources of the country to supply the
materials of war and serve the Incl
dental needs OF the nation in the most
abundant and yet the most economical
and efficient way possible.
1t VIII involve the Immediate full
equipment of the navy in all respects,
but particularly in supplying 1T with
the best means of dealing with the enc
my's submarines.
1t will involve the Immediate addi-
tion to the armed forces of the United
States. already provided for by law in
case of war of at least 100000 men.
who should. in my opinion. be chosen
upon the principle of universal liabil
ity to service. and also the authorize
tfon of subsequent additional incre-
ments OF equal force SO soon as they
may be needed and can be handled in
training.
1t will involve also, of course, the
granting of adequate credits to the
government, sustained, hope, 80 far
they can equitnbIy be sustained by
the present generation, by weIl-con-
ceived taxation.
say sustained far as may be
equitable by taxation, because It seems
to TINT II would he most unwise to
base the credits, which Will now he
necessary, entirely on money borrowed.
II In our duty, l most respectfully urge,
to protect our people, 80 fnr ms we
may, against the very serious hard
ships and evils which would be likely
to arise out Of the imitation which would
be produced by vast loans.
In carrying out the measures by
which these things are to he accom-
plished we should keep constantly in
mind the wisdom of interfering a. lit
tie possible in our own preparation
and in the equipment of our own mill
tnry forces with the duty-fOr IL will
he n very practical duty-of supplying
the nations already mt war with Ger
many with the materials which they
can obtain only from us or by our as
| sistance. They are in the field, and we
| should help them in every way to be
effective there.
1 shall take the liberty of suEgest-
| ing, through the several executive de-
partments of the government, for the
/ confederation of your committees,
| measures for the accomplishment of
| the several objects L have mentioned.
1 hope that It 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
| wsr and safeguarding the nation will
most directly fall.
while we do these things, these deep
| Iy momentous things, let us be very
| clear, and mike very cIear TO NIL the
| world, what our motives and our OBJ
| jects nrc. My own thought has not
| been driven from its hnbitusI and nor
| maI course by the unhappy events of
| the last two months, and do not be-
| iieve that the thought of the nation
| has been altered or clouded by them.
| have exactly the same things In mind
| now that I had In mind when ad-
dressed the senate on the 22d of Jnnu-
| ary Iasty the same that had in mind
| when / Addressed congress on the Sd OF
| February and ON the 26th of February,
| Our object now, then, Ii to vfndfcate
the principles of pence and Justice I'm
the life of the world ms against seihsh
and autocratic power, and to set up
among the really free and self-Eov-
erned peoples of the world such a con-
| cert of purpose and of action ms will
henceforth insure the observance OF
those principles.
Neutrality is no longer feasible OF
desirable where the peace of the world
In involved and the freedom of its peo-
| pIes, and the menace to that peace and
freedom lies in the existence of auto
cratic governments, backed by organ
ixed force which IL controlled wholly
by their will, not by the Will OF theii