The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-11-14

= y ssay. - Ssesa H.
er1nlnatfon. S
i challenge e 81 " 81 - M 4.
Each e nation must decidesfors itself how
itEwtl meet 1T. The choice We make
lor. ourselves must be made with 8
ateness Il 81 "A Judgment befittink III our
character and our motives as q. nation.
We must put excited feelings away.
our motive will not be revenge or the
victorious assertion OF the physical
might g Of the nation, but only the vim
d1catlon OF right, Of human riKht Of
when we are only q single champion.
When addressed the congress Il On
the 18th OF February last Thought Il
would suffice to assert our neutral FIGHTS
with arms ourl right to use the 81.
against Unlawful Interference, our rixkt
20 Keep our people safe against unlayvs
Iul. violence. But armed neutrality it
now appears is impracticable. Because
submarines are I'm effect outlaws, when
ase as the German submarines have
been used against merchant shiupinx.
y Is impossible to defend ships against
their attacks, ~ the law of nations has
assumed that merchsntmen would de
lend themselves against privateers or
cruisers, visible craft giving chase up-
On the open sea. 1t is common pru-
dence In such circumstances, grim nee
essity indeed, to endsavor to destroy
tnem before they have shown their own
mention They must be dealt with up
ON sight, II dealt with ut NIL. =
The German government denies the
rleht OF neutrals to use arms at all
within the areas Of the sea which it
mas prescribed even in the defense Of
rights which no modem publicist has
ever before questioned their right to
derend. 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
subject to be dealt with as pirates
would be. Armed neutrality In inefrec-
tuaA enough Mt best, In such circum-
stances AID In the face of such preten-
sions 1T IL worse than 1neffectual, 1T IL
likely only to produce what it was
meant to prevent; 1T In practically GER
tain to draw us into war without either
the rights or the effectiveness Of the bel
h8erents. There II one choice we cam
not make, we are Incapable Of making:
we Will not choose the path of 8ubmis-
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 wrOngs3 they cut to the very
roots of human life.
With a profound sense of the solemn
and even tragical character of the step
1 am taking and of the grave RESPONSE
D1l1t1es which 1T Involves, but in I'M
nesltat1ng obedience to what 7 deem
my constitutional duty advise that
the congress declare the recent course
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 ac-
cept the status of belligerent which has
thus oeen thrust upon it; and that it
take immediate steps not only to put
the country In more thorough state
OF defense. but also to exert all its
power and employ all It's resources to
orlng the government Of the German
empire to terms and end the war;
What this will involve Is clear. It
WILL involve the utmost practicable CO.
operation In counsel and action with
the governments now at war with Ger
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 DOS
s1ble 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.
- VILLA AuVOAVe the 1mmeQlaC0 full
equipment of the navy in all respects,
but particularly in supplying it with
the best means of dealing with the enc
my's submarines.
It 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-
1ty to service, and also the authoriza-
ton of subsequent additional incre-
ments OF equal force 50 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, 80 far
as they can equitably be sustained by
the present generation, by well-con-
ceived taxation.
say sustained 80 far M may be
equitable by taxation, because 1T seems
to me that 1T would be most unvvlse 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 M 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-
plished we should keep constantly In
mind the wisdom of interfering AZ lit
tie as possible i'm our own preparation
and In the equipment Of our own milf
tary forces with the duty-for 1t will
be very practical duty-of supplying
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 In the field, and we
should help them i'm every way to be
effective there.
shall take the liberty Of suExest-
ing, through the several executive de-
partments of the government, for the
consideration of your committees,
measures for the accomplishment Of
the several objects I have mentioned.
1 hope that 1T will be your pleasure to
deal with them AZ 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 deen-
~ m0mentOus things, let us be very
clear, and make very clear to all the
world, what our motives and our oh
jects are. MY own thought has not
been driven from it's habitual and nor
NAL course by the unhappy events Of
the last two months, and do not be-