The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-11-14
PRE||: I ! D
MESSAGE ! ] GAR R Ed
Full Text Withheld From People
Of Germany by kaiser's Y
- Government: y.
PASSAGES were SUPPRESSED
Report Of Wolff Telegraph Bureau,
Unofficial Mouthpieee Of Kaiser,
Shows Wilson's Address
Distorted.

Onosncial Mouthpiece Of Kaiser,
Shows Wilson's Address
Distorted.
The German people never had an op-
portunity to read the full text of the
address delivered by President Wilson
before congress on April 2, 1917, in
which the president called upon con-
gress to declare the existence of the
state of war then being waged upon
the United States by Germany. In the
copies of this address which were per-
m1tted to be published in Germany.
many passages were suppressed, ac-
cord1ng to the committee on public
Information Of the United States gov
eminent. The passages suppressed in
GUIDED those in which the president
told why the United States had been
forced to enter into the war against
Germany in protection of it's rights and
IN order to make the world safe for
democracy.
The committee on public information
mas issued copy of the presidents
address, showing the passages which
were suppressed by the Wolff Tele-
graph bureau, which is under govern
ment censorship and has been consist
emily employed by the German govern
ment for the PRONUNCIATION of it's off,
clai opinions. The following is an Of
hclal copy Of the presidents address
win the passages suppressed by the
WolH Telegraph bureau shown in bold
faced type: 49, '~'
Gentlemen of the Congress:
have called the congress- into a~+r.
oroinary session because there are a.
rlous' very serious choices of policy r.
De made, and made immediately. which
~ Is neither right nor constitutiona11v
permissible that should assume the re-
spons1bility Of making
IN the 80 OF February last officially
nouncement Of the Imperial Gsrman
government that on and after the lat
Jay or February it was its purnoso ~
put aside all restraints of law or Of hu
mainly and use it's submarines to sink
every vessel that sought to approach
either the ports Of Great Britain and
ireland or the western coasts of Eurone
or any of the ports controlled hv 10
enemies OF Germany within the Medi-
terranean. That had seemed to be the
OBJECT OF the German submarine war
fare earlier in the war, but since April
OF last year the Imperial government
nad somewhat restrained the comman-
GERS OF Its undersea craft, in conform
lty with its promise, then given to ND.
that passenger boats should not he
sunk, and that due warning would be
given to all other vessels which IT.
submarines might seek to DESTROY.
when no resistance was offered or e.
cape attempted, and care taken that
their crews were given at least a fair
chance to save their lives in their omen
boats. The precautions taken were
meager and haphazard enough, as was
proved In distressing instance after
instance In the progress of the cruel
and unmanly business, but a certain de-
gree of restraint was observed.
The new policy has swept every re-
strictiOn aside. Vessels Of every kind.
whatever their nag, their character
their cargo, their destination, their
GRAND, have been ruthlessly sent to
the bottom without warning and with
out thought Of help or mercy for those
on board, the vessels of friendly neu-
trails along with those of belligerents.
Even hospital ships and ships carrying
relief to the sorely bereaved and strick-
en- people of Belgium, though the lat
ter were provided with safe conduct
through the prescribed areas by the
German government itself and were
distinguished by unmistakable marks
of identity, have been sunk with the
same reckless lack of compassion or
of principle.
was for a little while unable to
believe that such things would In fact
he done by any government that had
hitherto subscribed to the humane
practices of civilized nations. Inter-
national law had it's origin In the at
tempt to set up some law which would
be respected and observed upon the.
seas, where NO nation had right of
dominion and where lay the free high
ways of the world. BY painful stage
after stage has that law been built up
with meager enough results, indeed
after all was accomplished that could
be accomplished, but always with a
clear view, at least, of what the heart
and conscience of mankind demanded.
This minimum Of right the German
government has swept aside under the
p1eas of retaliation and necessity and
because it had no weapons which it
could use at sea except these, which
it is impossible to employ as it is en-
ploying them, without throwing to the
wind all scruples of humanity or of
respect for the understandings that
were supposed to underlie the inter-
course of the world.
am not now thinking Of the loss of
property involved. immense and serious
as that is. but only of the wanton and
wholesale destruction of the lives of
non-cOmbatants. men, women, and chill
dren, engaged In pursuits which have
always, even In the darkest periods of
modern history, been deemed innocent
and legitimate. Property can be paid
for; the lives Of peaceful and innocent
people cannot be. The present German
submarine warfare against commerce
is warfare against mankind.
It Is a war against all nations. Amer
lean ships have been sunk, American
lives taken, In ways which 1T has
stirred us very deeply to learn Of, but
the ships mad people Of other neutral
and friendly nations have been sunk