Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1917-03-01
PROTECT AMERICAN LIVES AND
VESSELS BY FORCE Is PLEA
TO coNGREssMEN.
INSURE SAFETY FOR SHIPS
in Defense of Humanity's Rights
on the High Seas-Patriotism
Greatly Stirred.


Wilson today asked congress for au-
thority to use the forces OF the Uni
ted States to protect American lives
and ships against the German men
ace-to put the nation in a state of
armed neutrality.
The immediate response was the
Introduction in the house of a bill,
approved in advance by the presi-
dent, empowering him to furnish guns
and gunners to American merchant
men and to employ such other in
strumentalities and methods" as may
become necessary; and providing for
a $100,000,000 bond issue, to be used
in his discretion for war insurance
to encourage American commerce to
brave the submarine peril
Although President Wilson told con-
gress he was not acting because Of
the long-feared covert act" news of
the destruction of the Cunard liner
Laconia, with Americans aboard, was
received here as he was entering the
doors of the capitol and was pass
ed from mouth to mouth through
congress while he was speaking. Lack
ing details, it's seriousness could not
! be estimated, but it was apparent
everywhere that it gave weight to
the Presidents words, then falling
upon body of grave, silent legisla-
tors, assembled before him in SOM
Der moment of American history,
weighing the declarations which may
lead the United States into war.
But the president made it clear
that America was asking to exercise
none but the rights of peace; that he
was not proposing nor contemplating
war. He was thinking, he said, OF
the right of life itself, the rights of
humanity, without which there is no
civilization" +. rights Keeper and
more fundamental than merely the
rights of Americans.
Standing at the clerks desk in the
hall of the house, grave, calm, speak
ing earnestly in the latitude now ia
miliar, the president delivered his
address while congress sat in tense
respectful silence, fully impressed
with the soberness of the occasion
President Drives His Point.
But at the conclusion of the ad-
dress, when the president spoke of
the fundamental rights on which are
based the structure of family, state
and liberty, and said, Il can not i'm
agine a man with American princi-
pies at his heart hesitating to defend
these things" cheers resounded all
through the chamber.
Whatever might have been the opin-
ions of some of those who dissented
from the presidents views, it was
plain that they were touched by his
words. At once the wheels of con-
gressional machinery began turning.
| The armed neutrality, which the
president proposes, does not contem-
plate war 1t depends upon those
who infringe upon the rights it seeks
to protect. There is ample historical
precedent for it; northern Europe
under the leadership of Russia form
ed league and used it to protect
it's commerce in the wars between
England and France and France and
Spain
Although the president, when he
severed diplomatic relations with Ger
many invited other neutrals to follow
his lead, he has not so far as is now
known suggested that neutrals join
tn eUnited States in the armed neu-
trality he proposes. All foreign gov
ernments, however, have been Off
cially advised in his addresses to con-
gress today and official copies have
been delivered to their diplomats
here. BY wireless the text was sent
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