Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1917-04-03

right of neutrals to .se arms at all
has prescribed. even in the defence of
rights which no modern pubHcist 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 male of law and
subject to be dealt with as pirates
would be-
Armed neutrality is Intellectual
enoush at best: in such circumstances
and in the face of such pretensions it
is worse than Intellectual: IL is likely
at once to produce what was meant
draw us into the war without either
the rights or the effectiveness of bel
ligerents.
Must Protect Our Sacred Rights.
There is one choice we cannot
make, we are incapable OF making; we
will not choose the path of submis-
sion and suffer the most sacred rights
of our nation and our people to be
ignored or violated The wrongs
against which we now array ourselves
are not common wrongs; they cut TO
the very roots of human life
What President Asks of Congress.
with a profound sense of the SOL
emn and even tragical character of
the step I am taking and of the grave
responsibilities which ii involves, but
in unhesitating obedience to what I
deem my constitutional duty, advise
that the congress declare the recent
course of the imperial German gov
ernment to be in fact nothing less
than war against the government and
people of the United States; that it
formally accept the status of belli-
gerents which has thus been thrust
uDon 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 en-
ploy all its resources to bring the
government of the German empire to
terms and end the war
What War Will Involve.
What this will involve is clear 1t
Will involve the utmost practicable CO.
operation. in counsel and action with
the governments now at war with
Germany and, as incident to that, the
extension 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 in
volve the organization and mobiliza-
ton of all the materiak resources of
the country to supply the materials
of war and serve the in&zdentaf needs
of the nation in the most abundant
and yet the most economical and eff
cient way possible.
At Least 10000 Needed.
'.It will involve the immediate fun
equipment of the navy In all respects,
the best means of dealing with the
enemy's submarines. 1t win involve
the immediate addition to the armed
forces of the United States already
provided for by law. in case of war
at least 100000 men, who should, in
my opinion, be chosen upon the prin-
ciple of universal liability to service
and also the authorization of subse-
quent additional increments of equal
force so soon as they may be needed
and can be handled in training
Granting Of Adequate Credits.
1T will involve, 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 well-con-
ceived taxation. I say sustained so
far as may be equitable by taxation
because it seems to me that it would
be most unwise to base the credits
which will now be necessary entirely
on money borrowed. 1t Is our duty
I most respectfully urge to protect
our people SO far as we may against
the very serious hardships and evils
which would be likely to arise out of
the imitation which would be produced
by vast loans.
Materials for Entente Allies.
''In carrying out the measures by
which these things are to be accom-
Continued on Page six)