The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-02-03
Will Appeal to Congress.

Will Appeal to Congress.
In concluding his address President
Wilson declared that he could not
even now believe that Germany in.
tends any overt act against American
citizens but that if overt acts are
forthcoming he will again come before
congress to ask authority TO use any
means that may be necessary for the
protection of our seamen and our peo-
ple.''
"Al neutral governments he be-
lieves will take the same course"
The President opened his address to
congress by announcing the receipt Ct
the last German note which gave
notice of an unrestricted naval war
fare. He then referred to the notes
addressed by this government in April
1916, concerning the sinking of the
Sussex by German submarine with
out notice, and the assurances given
by that government concerning the
status of the neutrals in the future
The various notes which followed
hack and forth were reviewed. Re-
ferring to the last note received the
President said it contained the follow
ing statement:
Wants Freedom Of Seas.
"The Imperial government. there
fore does not doubt that the govern
ment of the United States will under
stand the situation thus forced upon
Germany by the Entente Allies brutal
methods and by their determination to
destroy the central powers and that
the government of the United States
will further realize that the now OPEN
ly disclosed intention of the Entente
Allies gives back to German the free
dom OF action which she reserved in
her note addressed to the government
Of the United tSates on May 4. 1916
Under the circumstances Germany
will meet the illegal measure of her
enemy by forcibly preventing after
February 1, 1917, in zone around
Great Britain. France. Italy and from
and to England and from and to
France, ETC. All ships met within the
zone will be sunk"
Withdraws Solemn Promise
Continuing he said, 81 think that you
will agree with me that in view of
this declaration, without prior intima-
tion of any kind, deliberately with
draws solemn assurance given in the
Imperial governments note of the
fourth of May. 1916, this government
has no alternative consistent with the
dignity and honor of the United States
but to take the course which, in its
note of the eighteenth of april 1916,
announced it would take in the event
that the German government did not
declare and effect an abandonment of
the methods of submarine warfare it
was then employing to which it now
proposes again to resort
Sewers All Relations
Il nave, therefore, directed the Sec
retary of State to announce to his
Excellency the German Ambassador.
that all diplomatic relations between
the United States and the German
empire have been severed and that
the American ambassador at Berlin
will Immediately be withdrawn. and,
in accordance with this decision, to
hand to his Excellency his passports.
Notwithstanding this unexpected
action of the German government,
this sudden and deeply deplorable re-
nunciation of its assurances, given
this government at one Of the most
critical moments of tension in the re-
lations of the two governments, re-
fuse to believe that it is the intention
Of the German authorities to do in
fact what they have warned US they
feel at liberty to do.
cannot bring myself to believe
that they will indeed pay no regard to
the ancient friendship between their
people and our own or to the solemn
obligations which have been exchang-
ed between them and destroy Ameri.
can ships and take the lives of Ameri-
can citizens in the willful prosecution
of the ruthless naval program they
have announced their intention to
[conttnued On Page Nine.l