River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-02-08
DIPLOMATIC BREAK WITH TEUTONS COMES

lutte, no relative
Kaiser Fails to Reply.
"To this note of the eighth of May,
thhe imperial German government
made no reply.
"On the 31st of January, the Wed.
| nesday of the present week, the Ger
man ambassador handed to the sec.
rotary of state, along with a formal
note, memorium which contained the
following statement:
1.-THE imperial government, there
fore, does not doubt that the govern
| ment Of the United States will under
stand the situation thus forced upon
Germany by the Allies brutal methods
of war, and by their determination to
destroy the Central powers and that
the government Of the United States
will further realize that the now open
ly disclosed intention of the Entente
Allies gives back to Germany the free
dom of action which she reserved in
her note addressed to the government
of the United States on May 4, 1915.
Announces Blockade.
"'Under these circumstances Ger
many will meet the illegal measures
of her enemies by forcibly preventing
after Feb. 1, 1917, in zone around
Great Britain, France, Italy and in the
eastern Mediterranean, all navigation,
that of neutrals included, from and to
England and from and to France, etc.
All ships met within thhe zone will be
sunk
Il think that you will agree with
which suddenly and without prior in
timation of any kind, deliberately
withdraws the solemn assurance given
in the imperial governments note of
May 4, 1915, this government has no
alternative consistent with the dignity
and honor of the United States but to
take the course which, in its note of
April 18, 1915, 1t announced that it
would take in the event that the Ger
man government did not declare and
effect an abandonment of the methods
of submarine warfare which 1t was
then employing and to which it now
purposes again to resort.
Sewers Relations.
II have, therefore, directed the Sec
rotary Of State to announce to his
excellency the German ambassador,
that all diplomatic relations between
the United States and the German
empire are severed, and the American
ambassador at Berlin will Immediate
ly be withdrawn, and in accordance
iciN %0 {0 &c n~
cellency his passports.
Notwithstanding this unexpected
action of the German government this
sudden and deeply deplorable renunci-
alton of it's assurances, given this
government at one of the most critical
moments of tension in the relations
of the two governments, I refuse to
believe that it is the intention Of the
German authorities to do in fact what
they have warned us they will feel at
liberty to do so. I cannot bring my
self to believe that they will indeed
pay no regard to the ancient friend
ship between their people and our own
or to the solemn obligations which have
been exchanged between them and
lives of American citizens in the will
full prosecution Of the ruthless naval
program they have announced their
intention to adopt. Only actual overt
acts on their part can make me be-
lieve it even now.
eff this inveterate confidence on my
part in the sobriety and prudent fore
sight of their purpose should unhap-
PLY prove unfounded; if American
ships and American lives should in
fact be sacrificed by their naval com.
manders in needless cOntravention OF
the just and reasonable understand
ings of international law and the OBJ
vious dictates of humanity, shall take
the liberty of coming again before
the Congress to ask that authority be
given to use any means that may be
necessary for the protection Of our
seamen and our people in the prose-
dution of their peaceful and legiti.
mate errands on the high seas. I can
do nothing less. I take it for granted
that all neutral governments will take
the same course.
Desires No Conflict.
1--WE do not desire any hostile con-
f1ict with the imperial German gov
eminent. We are the sincere friends
of the German people and earnestly
desire to remain at peace with the gov
eminent which speaks for them. We
shall not believe that they are hostile
to us until we are obliged to believe
it, and we purpose nothing more than
the reasonable defense of the un-
doubted rights of our people. We wish
to serve no selfish ends. We seek
merely to stand true alike in thought
and in action to the immemorial prin-
ciples of our people which / have
sought in my address only two weeks
ago-seek merely to vindicate our
right to liberty and justice and an un.
molested life. These are the bases
of peace, not war. God grant that we
may not be challenged to defend
them by acts of wilful injustice on the
part of the government of Germany"