The Tomahawk., 1917-11-08

been used against merchant shipping.
it 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 up
| on the open sea. It is common pru
dence in such circumstances, grim nee
eSs1ty indeed, to endeavor to destroy
| them before they have shown their own
| intention. They must be dealt with up
| on sight, II dealt with mt all.
| The German government denies the
right Of neutrals to use arms at all
| within the areas Of the sea which it
| 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
| ubject to be dealt with as pirates
| would be- Armed neutrality IL inenec-
tual enough at best, in such circum-
stances and In the face of such preten-
siOns 1T II worse than effectunl; 1T is
likely only to produce what 1t was
| meant to prevent, 1t Is practically GER
I tain to draw into war without either
| the rights or the effectiveness OF the bel
| ligerents. There is one choice we can
| not make, we are incapable of making {:
| We will 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 no
common wrongs; they cut to the very
| roots of human life.
With n profound sense OF the solemn
| and even tragical character of the step
| 1 am taking and of the grave responsi-
bilities which 1t involves, but in I'M
| hesta ting obedience to what I deem
my constitutional duty, I advise that
| 4 4Io nS1f ~ a
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 it's 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 practicabl CO.
| operation in counsel and action with
| the governments now at war with GerS
| 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
| sible be added to theirs.
It 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.
It will 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-
! ton 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
| tion 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, I hope, SO far
| as they can equitably be sustained by
| the present generation, by wel-con-
| ceived taxation.
I 1 say sustained so far AZ may be
| equitable by taxation, because 1t seems
| to me that 1T would be most unwise to
| base the credits, which will now be
necessary, entirely on money borrowed.
| 1t n our duty, L most respectfully urge,
to protect our people, so far ~ 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 be accom-
| pllshed we should keep constantly In
mind the wisdom of Interfering ms lit
| tie ~ possible in our own preparation
| and in the equipment Of our own MILL
| tary forces with the duty-fOr 1T will
I,> vprnOtfcal 6nfv-Of 0unDly1nE
| the nations already at war with Ger
many with the materials which they
| can obtain only from us or by our as
| sistance. They are I'm the field, and we
should help them In every way to be
effective there.
| I shall take the liberty Of suggest-
Ing, through the several executive de-
| partments of the government, for the
confederation of your committees,
measures for the accomplishment OF
| the several objects have mentioned.
| I hope that 1T will be 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
| war and safeguarding the nation will
most directly fall.
While we do these things, these deep
| ly momentous things, let us be very
! clear, and make very clear to all the
| world, what our motives and our OBJ
| iects are. My own thought has not
been driven from Its h4bitual and nor
NAL course by the unhappy events OF
| the last two months, and I do not he
| lieve that the thought of the nation
hns been altered clOuded by them.
have exactly the same things In mind
now that I had In mind when 1 adj
| dressed the senate on the I'D OF Janu-
ary last; the same that I had In mind
when I addressed congress on the Sd of
February and ON the 10Th OF February.
| Our object now, ms then, Is to vindicnte
| the principles Of peace and Justice In
| the life of the world ms against selfish
| and autocrntic power, and to set up
| among the really free and self-Eov-
erned peoples OF the world such con-
cert of purpose and OF action ms will
| hencefOrth insure the Observance OF
those principles.
Neutrality In NO longer feasible or
desirable where the peace OF the world
IL involved and the freedom OF Its peo-
niles, and the menace to that peace and
freedom lies In the existence of auto
cratic EOvernments, backed by organ
lied force which IL controlled wholly
nv their will, not by the Will of their
ueonle We have seen the last OF neu-