The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1917-04-03

for those ON board the vessels OF
| friends and neutrala along with
those OF bclligorCnts.
Even hospital ships and ships
carrying relief To the sorely-bercav'
cd and stricken OF Belgium. tho the
Halter were provided with safe con.
duet thru the prescribed areas by
the German government and were
distinguished by marks OF identity.
have been sunk with the same reck-
less lack OF compassion or OF prin.
ciple.
Awful. Past Belief
WAS for a little while unable 90
believe that such things would in
fact be done BY any government
which had hitherto subscribed To
tho humane practices of civilized
nations. International law had It's
origin In the attempt TO set mp some
Law which would be respected and
observed upon the seas. where no
nation had right Of domain and
where lay the free highways OF the
world. by painful stage after
stage has that law been built up
With meager enough results
This minimum OF right the Ger
man government has swept aside
under the plea OF retaliation and
niece sslty and because IL had no
Weapon which IL could use M sea
except those which Il is impossible
Ia employ as u Is employing them
T IA. q attss 4 A.
scruplos OF humanity or OF respect
Tor the understandings that we're
supposed tn underlie the inter.
course OF tho world.
Wanton Murders
| am not now thinking OF
property. Immense as that H., but
only OF tho wnnton and Wholesale
destruction OF the lives OF noneom.
hatantH, men. women and children
engaged In pursuits which have al.
ways. even In the darkest periods
% modern history. been deemed in
nocent and legitimate
Property can be paid for; the
lives Of peaceful and innocent
people cannot be. The present
German submarine warfare
against commerce ls a warfare
against mankind.
War on All Nations
| II IL war against all nations
American ships have been sunk.
American lives taken in ways
which have stirred US. but the ships
and people ot other neutral and
friendly nations have been sunk ana
overwhelmed In the waters in the
same way There has been no dis.
elimination The challenge is 10
all mankind, Each nation must do.
eide for Itself how IL will meet Il.
The choice We make for ourselves
must be- made with a moderation OF
counsel aud temperatures OF
judgment befittibg our character as
g nation We must put feeling
away. Our motive will not be 70
vengc or the victorious assertion
OF the physical might OF the nation
ut only the yindlcation OF tight. OF
human right OF which We are only a
champion. When | addressed the
congress on the Goth uf February
thought u would suffice to assert
cur neutral rights with arms. our
RICH. 10 sail tho seas against un.
lawful Interference. our right to
keep our people safe against unlaw-
full violence.
But armed neutrality. Il now ap.
pears, IL impraetleahlc.
German Outlaws
Because submarines are I'm effect
outlaws when used aa the German
submarines have been used against
merchant shipping. II Is impossible
10 defend shits against their attacks
as tho laS q nations has assumed
that merchantmen would defend
themselves against privatccrs--yis.
lbls craft giving chase upon the
open sea.
Il Is common prudence in such
cases. grim necessity indeed. TO
endeayor TO destroy them before
they have shown their open inten.
ton They must be dealt with on
sight II dealt with at all. The
German government denies the
right OF neutrais TO use arms at all
within the areas OF tho sea which IL
has prescribed even In the defense
OF rights which no modern publlcis,
has ever before questioned their
right to defend.
Armed Neutrality Intellectual
VI The intlmation is convcyed that
| the armed guards which We have
| placed on our merchant ships vii
be treated as beyond the pale OF
/ law and subtect TO be dealt with
as pirates would be. Armed neu.
ttality Is Intellectual at best: in
the face OF such pretcnsious IL ia
worse than Intellectual. II is prac.
tIcally certain to draw us into the
war without either tho rights or
the effectiveness OF belilgarents
Asks War Acceptance
There is one choice we can
not make. We are incapable
Of making u. We will not choose
the path Of submission and SUI.
fer the most sacred rights Of
our nation and our people to
II be Ignored or violated. The
II wronge against which we will
II now array ourselves are no
common wrongs; they cut 10
Il the very roots OF human life.
With a profound sense of the
solemn and even tragical charac.
ter OF the step ! am taking and OF
the grave responsibility which IL
involves but in Undertaking obedl.
ence to what ! deem my constltn.
tional duty advise that the con.
gress declare the recent course OF
the imperial German government TO
be In fact nothing less than war