The Benson signal., 1917-11-10
PRESIDENTS WAR
MESSAGE GARBLED
Full Text Withheld From People
of Germany by Kaiser's
Government.
PASSAGES were SUPPRESSED
Report of Wolff Telegraph Bureau,
Unofficial Mouthpiece of Kaiser,
Shows Wilson's Address
Distorted.

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-
mitted to be published in Germany,
many passages were suppressed, ac
cOrding to the committee on public
information of the United States gov
ernment. The passages suppressed in
cluded 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
entity employed by the German govern
ment for the prOmulgation of it's Off
clai opinions. The following is an of
hclal copy of the presidents address
with the passages suppressed by the
Wolff Telegraph bureau shown in bold
faced type:
Gentlemen of the Congress:
l have called the congress into extra
ordinary session because there are Sc
rious very. serious, choices of policy to
De made. and made Immediately, which
1t is neither right nor constitutionallv
permissible that 1 should assume the re-
sponsibility of making.
On the Sd of February last I officially
laid before you the extraordinary an
nouncement of the Imperial German
government that on and after the 1st
day of February it was it's purpose to
put aside all restraints of law or of hu-
manlty 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 Europe
or any of the ports controlled by the
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
or last year the Imperial government
had somewhat restrained the comman-
ders of it's undersea craft. in conform
ity with its promise, then given to us,
that passenger boats should not be
sunk, and that due warning would be
given to all other vessels which it's
submarines might seek to destroy,
when resistance was offered or es-
cape attempted, and care taken that
their crews were given at least a fair
chance to save their lives in their open
boats. The precautions taken were
meager and haphazard enough, as was
proved In distressing instance after
instance In the progress of the cruel
and unmanIy 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 flag, their character
their cargo, their destination, their
errand, 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
I was for little while unable to
believe that such things would i'm fact
be done by any government that had
hitherto subscribed to the humane
practices Of civilized nations. Inter-
national law had its 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 n
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
plea of retaliation and necessity and
because it had no weapons which 1T
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 q warfare against mankind.
It is war against all nations. Amer
lcan shiDs have been sunk, American
lives taken, i'm 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