Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1917-09-13
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/ other hand w,s found ourselves
raa-e azags more outraged 81 the
I saSa-cqaa1a Government. 5 methods
I Of conducting warfare ana their
I brutal treatment. of people il,
their conquered lands: AS we
more and more uncovered their
hostile lntrigues against the
peace of the New World: and
above all. as the sinister and an
tidemocratic ideals of their rul-
ing class became manifest in
their maneuvers for a peace of
conquest-the Imperial German
Government abruptly threw
aside the mask.
On the last day of January,
1917, Count Bernstorff handed
to Mr.. Lansing a note in which
his Government announced it's
purpose to intensity and render
more ruthless the operations of
their submarines at sea, in a
manner against which our Gov
eminent had protested from the
beginning. The German Chancel-
lor also stated before the Imperi-
al Diet that the reason this ruth
less policy had not been earlier
employed was simply because
the Imperial Government had
not then been ready to act. In
brief, under the guise of friend
ship and the cloak of false pro-
misses, it had been preparing
this attack.
This was the direct challenge.
There was no possible answer
except to hand their ambassador
his passports and so have done
with diplomatic correspondence
which had been vitiated from
the start by the often proved
bad faith of the Imperial Gov
eminent.
On the same day, February 3,
1917, the President addressed
both Houses of our Congress and
announced the complete sever
ance of our relations with Ger
many. The reluctance with which
he took this step was evident in
every word. But diplomacy had
failed, and it would have been
the hollowest pretense to main
tain relations. At the same
time. however, he made it plain
that he did not regard this act
as tantamount to a declaration
of war. Here for the first time
the President made his sharp
distinction between government
and people in undemocratic
lands:
I'VE are the sincere friends of
the German people" he said,
land earnestly desire to remain
at peace with the Government
which speaks for them. ~ # ~
God grant we may not be chal-
lenged by acts of willful injus-
tice on the part Of the Govern
ment Of Germany"
In this address of the Presi-
dent. and in its Endorsement by
the Senate. there was a solemn
warning; for we still had hope
that the German Government
might hesitate to drive us to
war. But it was soon evident
that our warning had fallen on
deaf ears. The tortuous ways
and means of German official di-
plomacy were clearly shown in
the negotiations opened by them
thru the Swiss legation on the
10th Of February. In no word Of
their proposals. did the German
Government meet the real issue
between us. And our State De
partment replied that no minor
negotiations could be entertained
until the main issue had been