The Carlisle independent., 1917-11-08

| II is impossible to defend ships against
their attacks. ~ the law of nations has
assumed that merchantmen would de-
fend themselves against privateers or
cruisers, visible craft giving chase up
on the open seN- It Is common pru-
| dence IN such circumstances, grim nee
essity indeed, TO eRdeavor to destroy
them before they have shown their own
| intention. They @ast be dealt with up
| On sight. IL dealt with at all.
| The German government denies the
| right or neutrsls to use arms at all
! within the areas OF the sea which II
has prescribed even In the defense of
| rights which no modern publicist 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 fneffec-
tusl enough at bestJ In such circum-
stances and In the face of such preten-
sions II is wOrae than Intellectually 1T Is
/ likely only to produce what IL WIS
meant to prevent; IL Is practically GER
tain to draw into war without either
the rights or the effectiveness of the bel
/ iSerents. There IL one choice we cam
not make, we are Incapable of makingi
/ We VIII not choose the path of submits
| sion and suffer the most sacred rights
/ OF our nation and our people to be ig
nored or violated. The wrongs against
which we now array ourselves are 40
| common wrongsy they cut to the very
| roots OF human life.
With profound sense of the solemn
and even tragicaI character of the step
am taking and of the grave RESPONSE
bIlItles which 1T involves, but in I'M
| heSitatng obedience to what 1 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 It formally &C
! cept the status OF belligerent which has
| thus been thrust upon it; and that It
/ 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 practica BILE 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 so far as pos
slble 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 will involve the immediate full
equipment OF the navy in all respects
but particularly IN supplying it with
the best means of dealing with the enc
my's submarines.
It will involve the Immediate addi-
70 he #
States already provided for by law in
case OF war. of at least 500 900 men,
who should in my opinion. be chosen
upon the principle of universal laSil-
ity 10 service and also the authorize
ton 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, 1 hope, far
as they can equitabiy be sustained by
the present generation, by well-con-
ceIved taxation.
say sustained far may be
equitable by taxation, because 1t seems
to me that IT would be most unwise to
base the credits, which will be
necessary, entirely on money borrowed.
II IL our duty, most respectfully urge,
TO protect our people, far
ships and evils which would be likely
to arise out of the Initiation which would
be produced by vast loans.
In carrying out the measures by
which these things are to be accom-
plIshed should keep constantly in
mind the wisdom of interfering lit
tie possible In our preparation
and in the equipment of our own mill
tary forces with the duty-for II Will
be a very practical duty-of supplying
the nations already Mt with Ger
many with the materials which they
can obtain only from or by
sfstance. They are In the field, and we
should help them In every way to be
| effective there.
shall take the liberty of suggest
ing, through the several executive de-
partments of the government, for the
/ consideration of your committees,
measures for the accomplishment of
/ the several objects I have mentioned.
I hope that 1t will he your pleasure TO
/ deal with them having been framed
after very careful thought by the
/ branch Of the government upon whom
! the responsibility of conducting the
war and safeguarding the nation will
t most directly fall.
while we do these things, these deep
/ ~ momentous things, let be very
clear. and make very cienr to all the
/ world. what our motives and our OBJ
/ jects are. My own thought has not
/ been driven from Its habituai and nor
NAL 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 clOudcd by them.
have exactly the same things In mind
/ now that I had In mind when ! ad-
| dressed the senate on the 22d of Janu-
! AIRY last; the same that I had In mind
when addressed congress the Sd or
/ February and ON the 26th of February.
t Our object now. then. is to vindicate
the principles of peace and Justice I'm
the life OF the world against selfish
Il and autocratic power. and to set up
among the really free and self-gov-
/ erned peoples of the world such a con-
I cert of purpose and of action Will
henceforth insure the observance of
| those principles.
Neutrality Is no longer feasible or
desirable where the peace of the world
/ IL Involved and the freedom of ftE peo-
| pies. and the menace to that peace and
/ freedom lie. In the existence of auto-
/ o-..se hacked nv ORGAN