Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-03

|
II have called the Congress into eX-
! traordinary session because there are
serious, very serious, choices OF policy
| to be made, and made Immediately,
which it was neither right nor consti-
tutionally permissible that l should
assume the responsibility of making.
"On the third of February, last,
officially laid before you the extra
! ordinary announcement of the Imper-
| ial German government that on and
after the first day of February II was
! it's purpose to put aside all restraints
| of law or of humanity and use its sub
marines to sink every vessel that
sought to approach either the ports of
Great Britain and Ireland or the west
ern coasts of Europe or any of the
ports controlled by the enemies of
Germany within the Mediterranean.
Broken Promise
"That,had seemed to be the object
of the German submarine warfare
| earlier in the war. but since April OF
| last year, the imperial government
had somewhat restrained the COM
manders of it's undersea craft in con-
| formity with its promise then given to
| us that passenger boats should not be
sunk and that due warning would be
| given to- all other vessels which its
submarines might seek to destroy
2
escape attempted, and care taken that
/ their crews were given at least a fair
/ chance to save their lives in their open
4 boats.
| THE precautions taken were meager
and haphazard enough, as was proved
/ in distressing instance after instance
| in the progress of the cruel and un-
manly business, but a certain degree
of restraint was observed.
Policy Swept Aside
THE new policy has swept every
restriction aside. Vessels of every
kind, whatever their flag, their char
acter, their cargo, their destination.
their errand, have been ruthlessly
sent to the bottom without warning,
and without thought of help or mercy
| for those on board, the vessels of
friendly neutrals alorg with those of
| belligerents.
Even hospital ships and ships
carrying relief to the sorely bereaved
and stricken people of Belgium,
| though the latter were provided with
safe conduct through the prescribed
areas by the German government it
self and were distinguished by unmis-
taxable marks of identity, have been
sunk with the same reckless lack of
compassion or of principle.
II was for a little while unable to
believe that such things would in fact
| be done by any government that had
hitherto subscribed to the humane
practices of civilized nations. Interna-
tionaT law had its origin in the attempt
| to set up some law, which would be
respected and observed upon the seas,
where no nation had right of dominion
and where lay the free highways of
the world. By painful stage after
stage has that law been built up with
meager enough results. indeed, after
all was accomplished that could be ac-
! complished, but always with clear
view at least, of what the heart and
conscience of mankind demanded.
This minimum of right the Ger
man government has swept aside un-
der the plea of retaliation and neces-
sity, and because 1t had no weapons
which 1t could use at sea except these,
which it is impossible to employ as
it is employing them without throw
| ing to the winds all scruples of hui
manity or of respect of the under
standings that were supposed to un-
derlie the intercourse of the world.
II am not now thinking of the loss
of property involved, immense and
serious as that is, but only of the
wanton and wholesale destruction of
| the lives of noncombatants, men,
women and children, engaged in pur-
suits which have always, even in the
darkest periods of modern history
| Dcen Q6eIh6u lHnOCeIlL ana
Property can be paid for; the lives of
peaceful and innocent people cannot
be.
Against Mankind
THE present German submarine
warfare against commerce is a war
! fare against mankind. 1t is a war
against all nations. American ships
have been sunk, American lives taken,
in ways which it has stirred us very
! deeply to learn of, but the ships and
| people of other neutral and friendly
nations have been sunk and over
whelmed in the waters in the same
way. There has been no discrimina-
ton. The challenge is to all mankind.
Each nation must decide for it
self how it will meet it. The choice we
make for ourselves must be made with
moderation of counsel and a temper
| ateness of judgment befitting our char
acter and our motives as a nation. We
must put excited feeling away. Our
motive will not be revenge or the vic
torious assertion of the physical might
of the nation, but only the vindication
of right, of human right, of which we
are only a single champion.
when 1 addressed the Congress on
the twenty-sixth of February last, 1
| thought it would suffice to assert our
neutral rights with arms, our right to
use the seas against unlawful interfer-
ence, our right TO keep our people
| safe against unlawful violence.
But armed neutrality it now ap-
pears is impracticable. Because sub
marines are in effect outlaws when
used as the German submarines have
been used against merchant shipping,
1t is impossible to defend ships against
their attacks as the law of nations has
assumed that merchantmen would de-
fend themselves against privateers or
cruisers, visible craft giving chase
upon the open sea. It is common pru-
dence in such circumstances, grim
necessity indeed, to endeavor to de-
stroy them before they have shown
their own intention. They must be
dealt with upon sight. If 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