Middletown transcript., 1917-04-07
PRESIDENT WILSON ASKS STATE
OF WAR Be DECLARED WITH GERMANY
A Terrific Arraignment of the German Gov
ernment, Whose Conduct Has Shown
1t Is Not a Friend of the
United States.

the seas against unlawful interference;
our right to keep our people safe
against unlawful violence. But armed
neutrality, it now appears, Is imprac-
ticable. Because submarines are in
effect outlaws when used as the Ger
man submarines have been used
against merchant shipping; it Is i'm
possible to defend ships against their
attacks, as the law Of nations has as
sumed that merchantmen would de-
fend themselves against privateers or
cruisers, visible craft giving chase
upon the open sea. It Is common pru-
dence in such circumstances, grim nee
essity indeed, to endeavor to destroy
them before they have shown their own
intention. They must be dealt with
upon sight, If dealt with at all.
Submission Out OF Question.
"The German Government denies the
right of neutrals to use arms at all
within the areas Of the sea which it
has prescribed, even in the defense of
rights which no modern publicist 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 pale Of law and
subject to be dealt with as pirates
would be. Armed neutrality is ineffec-
tual enough at best; In such circun1-
stances and in the face Of such pre-
tensions it Is worse than ineffectual;
1t is likely once to produce what it
was meant to prevent; 1t is practically
certain to draw us into the war with
out either the rights of the effective
ness Of belligerents.
"There is one choice we cannot make,
we are incapable Of making, we will
not choose the path Of submission 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 COM
mon wrongs, they cut to the very roots
of human life.
"Nothing Less Than War;"
with a profound sense Of the
solemn and even tragical character of
the step I am taking and Of the grave
responsibilities which it involves, but
in unhesitating obedience to what I
deem my constitutional duty. I ad-
wise that the Congress declare the re-
cent course Of the Imperial German
Government to be in fact nothing less
than war against the Government and
people of the United States; that 1t
formally accept the status Of belliger-
ent which has thus been thrust upon
1t 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 its
resources to bring the Government Of
the German empire to terms and end
the war.
Must Cooperate With Allies.
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 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 pos
sible, be added to theirs. It will in
volve the organization and mobiliza-
ton of all the material resources of
the country to supply the materials of
war and serve the incidental needs of
the nation in the most abundant and
yet the most economical and efficient
way possible. 1t will involve the i'm
mediate full equipment Of the navy in
all respects, but particularly in sup
plying it with the best means of deal
ing with the enemy's submarines. 1t
will 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 principle Of universal liability to
service, and also the authorization of
subsequent additional increments of
equal force so soon as they may be
needed and can be handled in train
ing.
To Help Armies In Field.
"In carrying out the measures by
which these things are to be accom-
plished we should keep constantly in
mind the wisdom of interfering as lit
f1o oc pocoih1o in o,,r oun propo 70 fion
and in the equipment of our own mill
tary forces with the duty-for it will
be a very practical duty-of supply
ing the nations already at war with
Germany with the materials which
they can obtain only from us or by
our assistance. They are in the field
and we should help them in every way
to be effective there.
II shall take the liberty of suggest
ing, through the several executive de-
partments Of the Government for the
consideration of your committees,
measures for the accomplishment of
the several objects l have mentioned
hope that it will be your pleasure to
deal with them as having been framed
after very careful thought by the
branch of the Government upon which
the responsibility Of conducting the
war and safeguarding the nation will
most directly fall.
Fighting Autocracy.
while we do these things, these
deeply momentous things, let us be