r
-0
9
140 a Ymt In Advanoe
-FOR QOD, FOR COUNTRY AND FOR TRUTH."
Single Ooplcc, I dRtii
vol. xxvu.
PLYMOUTH, N. C, FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 1917
NO 40.
ONE OF THE MOST SOLEMN UTTERANCES
THAT EVER FELL FROM THE LIPS OF
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Asks That Army of Half Million
Be Raised On Basis Of Uni
versal Military Service
SUBMARINE SINKS AN
ARMED MERCHANT SHIP
President Appeared Before Joint Ses
sion of Congress to Make Fateful
Address Just as News Was Received
of Sinking of Armed American Ves
sel by German Submarine.
Washington. President Wilson ask
ed Congress to declare a state of war
existing between the United States
and Germany.
While, the news of the submarining
of the steamer Aztec the first Ameri
can armed ship to sail into the war
zone was being told from mouth to
mouth in the Capitol, the President,
appearing before House and Senate
in joint session, asked Congress to
jecognize and deal with Germany's
warfare on America.
The President stated that war with
Germany would involve practical co
operation with the governments now
at war with Germany, including lib
eral, financial credits.
The President made it clear that no
action was being taken against the
Austrian Government and the other
nations allied with Germany.
President Wilson spoke as follows:
"I have called the Congress into
extraordinary session because there
are serious, very serious, choices of
policy to be made, and made imme
diately, which it was neither right nor
constitutionally permissible that I
should assume, the responsibility of
making. '
"On the third of February, last, I
officially laid before you the extra
ordinary announcement of the Impe
rial German Government that on and
after the first day of February it was
its purpose to put aside all restraints
of law or humanity and use its sub
marines to sink every vessel that
sought to approach neither the ports
of Great Britain and Ireland or th-3
Western coast3 of Europe or any of
the ports controlled, by the enemien
of Germany within the Mediterranean.
That had seemed to be the object of
the German submarine warfare ear
lier in the war, but since April of last
year, the Imperial Government had
somewhat restrained the commanders
of its undersea craft in conformity
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 its submarines
cnight seek to destroy, when no re
sistance was offered or escape at
tempted and care taken that their
crews were given at least a fair
chance to save their lives in their
jpen boats.
German Ruthlessness.
"The precautions taken where meag
er and haphazard enough, as was prov
ed in distressing instance after in
stance in the progress of the cruel and
unmanly business, but a certain degree
of restraint was observed. The new
policy has swept every restriction
aside. Vessels of every kind, what
ever their flag, their character, their
;argo, their destination, their errand,
iiave been ruthlessly sent to the bot
tom without warning' and without
thought of help or mercy for those on
board, the vessels of friendly neutrals
s'.ong with those of belligerents. Hos
pital ships and ships carrying relief
to the sorely bereaved and stricken
people of Belgium, though the latter
were provided with safe conduct
through the prescribed areas by the
German Government itself and were
distinguished by unmistakable marks
jf identity, have been sunk with the
same reckless lack of compassion or
3f principle.
"I was for a little while unable to
believe that such things would in 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 up
on the seas where no nation had
right of dominion, and where lay the
free highways o fthe world. By pain
ful stage after stage has that law
been built up with meager enough re
sults, indeed, after all was accom
niiahd that could be accomDlished.
but always with a clear view, at least,
of what the heart and conscience of
mankind would demand. This mini
mum of right the German Government
has swept aside Under the plea of re
taliation 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 employing them
without throwing to the winds all
scruples of humanity or of respect
for the understandings that were sup
posed to underlie the intercourse of
the world.
"I am not now thinking of the loss
of property involvedv immense and se
rious as that is, but only of the wan
ton and wholesale destruction of the
lives of non-combatants, men, women
and children, engaged in pursuits '
which have always, even in the dark
est 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 a war
fare against mankind.
"It is war against all Nations.
American ships have been sunk,
American lives taken, in ways which
it has stirred us very deeply to learn
of, but the ships and people of other
neutral and friendly nations have
been sunk and overwhelmed in the
waters in the same way. There has
been no discrimination. The challenge
is to all mankind.' Each nation must
decide for itself how it will meet it.
"The choice we make for ourselves
must be made with a moderation of
counsel and a temperateness of judg
ment befitting our character and our
motives as a nation. "We must put
excited feelings away. Our . motive
will not be revenge or the victorious
assertion of the physical right of th
nation, but only the vindication of
right of human right of which we are
a single champion-
"When I 'addressed the Congress on
the 26th of February last, I thought
that it would be suffice to assert our
neutrality rights.; with arms, our right I
to use the seas against unlawful inter
ference; our right to keep our people
safe against unlawful violence. But
armed neutrality, it now appears, is
impracticable. Because submarines
are in effect outlaws when used as
the German submarines have been
used against merchant shipping, it is
impossible to defend ships against
their attacks as the law of nations
has assured that merchantmen
would defend themselves against
privateers or cruisers, visible craft
giving chase upon the high seas. It
is common prudence in such circum
stances, grim necessity indeed, to en
deavor to destroy them before they
have shown their own intention. Thefc
must be dealt with upon sight, if
dealt with at all.
Rights of Neutrals.
"The German government denies
the rights 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 convey
ey that the armed guards which wo
have placed on our merchant ships be
treated as beyond the pale of law and
subject to be dealt with as pirates
would be. . .
"Armed neutrality " Ms ' ineffectual
enough at best; in such circum
stances and in the face of such pre
tensions, it is wors than ineffectual:
it is likely only to produce what;M
was meant to preve-it; it Is practically
certain to draw us into the war with
out either the rights or the effective
ness of belligerents. There is one
choice we cannot make we'are Incapa
ble of making. We will not choosa
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 ar
ray ourselves are no common wrong3:
they cut to the very roots of human
life.
"With a profound sense of the sol
emn 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
vise that the Congress declare the re
cent course of the Imperial govern
ment to be in fact nothing less than
war against the government and peo
ple of the United States; that it form
ally accept the status of belligerent
which lias thus been thrust upon it
and that it take immediate steps not
only to put the country in a more thor
ough state of. defense, but also to ex
ert all its power and employ all its
resources to bring the government of
the G- man empire to terms and end
the war.
"What this will involve is clear. It
will involve the utmost practicable
co-operation In counsel of and action
with the governments now at war with
Germany, and as incidendt to that, th3
extension 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
tion of all the material resources of
the country to supply the materials
of war and serve the incidental needs
and yet the most economical and
of the nation in the most abundant
efficient way possible.
Army of Half Million.
"It will involve the immediate full
equipment of the navy in all respects,
but particularly in supplying it with
the best means of dealing with the
enemy's submarines. It will involve
the immediate addition to the armed
forces of the United States, already
provided for by law in case , of war,
at least 500,000 men, who should, in
my opinion be chose; upon the prin
ciple of universal liability to senric'
and also the authorization of sub
sequent additional increments of equal
force so soon as they may be needed
and can be handled in training.
"It will involve also," of course, the
granting of adequate credits to the
government .sustained, I hope, so far
as they can equitably be 'sustained by
the present generations., by well con
ceived taxation.
"I say sustained so far as may be
equitable by taxation because it seems
to me that it would be' most unwise
to base the credits which will now be
necessary entirely on money borrow
ed. It is our duty, I most respectfully
urge to protect our people so far as wV j
may against the very seri.ous hardships
and evils which would,' be. l;kely to
arise out of the inflationwhich would
be produced by vast loans.
"In carrying out the measures by
which these things af! to' be accom
plished, we should' (keep constantly in
mind the wisdom of interfering as lit
tle as possible inap'own'preparation,
and in the equipment of our own miliq
tary rorces, witfi tne auty ror it wuj as it had stood and terrible as was
be a very practical duty of; supplying the reality of its power, was not in
the nations', already at war with Ger- j fact Russian in orgin, character or pur
many with rtie materials which they i pose, and now it has been shaken ott'
can obtain only from us o by our as-; and the great, generous Russian peo
sistanco. They are in the field and we 'pie have been added in-all -their native
should help them in every way to be j majesty 'and might to the forces that
effective there. j are fighting for freedom in the world
"I shall, take the liberty of sug-j for justice and for peace,
gesting, through the several executive I "Here is a fit partner for a league
departments pof the Government for of honor.
the consideration of your committees, j German Spy System-
measures for the accomplishment of j one of the things that has served
the several objects I have mentioned, j to convince us that the Prussian au
I hope that it will , be your pleasure I tocracy was not and could never be
to deal with them as having' been j our friend is that from the very out
framed after very careful thought by J set of the present war it has filled our
the branch -Of the 'Government upon j unsuspecting communities and even
which the resVsibility of conduct- our 'offices of government with spies
ing the war " and safeguarding the
nationsjwill most directly fall.
"While we do", these things, these
deeply momentous things, let us be
very clear and make very clear, to' all
the world what our motives and our
objects are. My own thought has hot
been driven from'iti' habitual and nor-
mal course by fie unhappveents
of .the last, two- moi(i$v and J..4.0 n,ot
believe that vthe thought of ttMMa
tion has. been, 'altered or ',clouud by
them. '' ;':.' '';
"I have exactly the same thutgs. in
mind now that I had in mind -.when I
addressed the Senate on the-:22d of
January, last; the same that I had in
mind when I addressed the C6ngres
on the 3rd of February and'pn the
26th of . February. . Our obje.ct now,
as .then,;isj tcjMndicate'"-the. principle
01 yedc.au.u usuce 1 me ,iue ul me
world as against selfish 'and auto
cratic power and to get up amongst
the really free and self-govefried ' peo
ples of the world such a concert of
purpose and action as will henceforth
ensure the observance of those prin
ciples. '
( jitjIeutraHty 'N,ot Feasible.
"Neutrality hH-nojlonger feasible or
desirable where the peace , of the
world is involved and the freedom of
its peoples and the menace to that
peace and freedom lies in the exist
ence of autocratic Governments back
ed by organized force which is con
trolled wholly (by their will, not by the
will of their people. We have se.n
the last-of neutrality in such circum
stances. 11
"We are at the beginning of an age
in which it will be insisted that the
same standards of conduct and of re
sponsibility for wrong done shall be
observed among Nations and their
governments that are observed among
the individual citizens of civilized
states.
"We have no quarrel with the Gar
man people. We hae no feeling to
wards them but one of sympathy and
friendship'. It was not upon their im
pulse that their government acted in
entering this war. It was not with
their previous knowledge or approval.
It was a war determined upon as
was used to be determined upon in
the old, unhappy days when people
were nowhere "consulted by their rul
ers and wars were provoked and wag
ed in the interest of dynasties or of
little groups of ambitions men. who
were accustomed to use their fellow-
men as pawns and tools.
"Self-governed nations do not fill
their neighbor states with spies or set
the course of intrigue to bring about
some critical posture of affairs which
will give them " an opportunity to
strike and make conquest. Such de
signs can be successfully worked only
under cover and where no one has the
right to ask questions.
"Cunningly contrived plans of de
ception or aggression, carried, it may
be, from generation to generation, can
be worked out and kept from the light
only within the privacy of courts or
behind the carefully guarded confi
dences of a narrow and privifeged
class. They are happily impossible
where public opinion commands and
insists upon full information concern
ing all the nation's affairs.
League of Democracies.
"A steadfast concert for peace can
never be maintained except by a part
nership of demonciattc nations. No
autocratic government could be trust
ed to keep faith within it or observe
its covenants. It must be a league of
honor, a partnership of opinion. In
trigue would eat its vitals away; the
plottings of inner circles who could
plan what they would and render ac
count to no one would be a corruption
seat at its very heart. Only free peo
ples can hold their purpose and their
honor steady to a common end and
prefer the interests of mankind to any
narrow interest of their own.
"Does not every American feel that
assurance has been added to our hope
for the future peace of the world by
the wonderful and heartrending things
that have been happening within the
! last few weeks in Russia? Russia
was known by those who knew it
best to have been always in fact
democratic at heart, in all the vital
habits of her thought, in all the inti
mate relationships of her people that
spoke their natural instinct, their hab
itual towards life.
"The autocracy that crowned the
summit of her political structure. Ion
and set criminal intrigues everywhere
afoot against our national unity of
council, our peace within and without,
our industries and our commerce.
'"Indeed, it is now evident that its
spies were here even before tha war
began, and it is unhappily not a matter
of conjecture,' but a fact proved Jn
i.p'ur.'courts of justice that the intrigue?
,which . have more than onCe' -come
perilously near to disturbug live peace
and dislocating the' industries of the
country have been carried on at the
instigation with the support and even
under the personal direction of official
agents' 'of the Imperial government
accredited to the Government of the
United States. . ' ' .
"Even in checking these things and
trying to extirpate them, we have
sought to put the most generous inter
pretation possible upon them because
we know that their source lay. not hr
any hostile feeling or purpose of tTie
German people towards us (who were
no doubt as ignorant of them as we.
ourselves were), but only in the selfish
designs of a government that did whaf
it pleased and told its people nothing.
"But they have played their part in
serving to convince us at last that
that government entertains no real
friendship for us and means to ac
against our peac e and security at it"
convenience. That it means to sti"
up enemies against us at our very
doors that intercepted note to the
German minister at Mexico City is
eloquent evidence.
"We are accepting this challenge of
hostile purpose because we know that
in such a government, following such
methods, we can never have a friend;
and that in the presence of its organ
ized power always lying in wait to
accomplish, we know not what pur
pose, there can be no assured security
for the democratic governments of
the world.
The Gauge of Battle.
"We are now about to accept gauge
of battli with this natural foe t
liberty and shall, if necessary, spend
the whole force of the nation to check
and nullify its pert ens ion 3 and its
power. We are glad, now that we see
the facts, with no veil of false pre
tense about them, to fight thus for the
ultimate peace of the world and fo
the liberation of its peoples, the Ger
man peoples included; for the rights
of nations great and small and the
privilege of men everywhere to choose
their way of life and of obedience.
The world must be made safe for
democracy. Its peace must be planted
upon the trusted foundations of politi
cal liberty.
"We have no selfish ends to servo.
We desire no conquest, no dominion.
We seek no indemnities for ourselves,
no material compensation fo rthe sac
rifices we shall freely make. We are
but one of the champions of the
rights of mankind. We shall be sat
isfied when those rights have been as
secure as the faith and the freedom
of the nations can make them.
. "Just because we fight without ran
cor and without selfish objects," seek
ing nothing for ourselves, but what
we shall wish to share with all free
people, we shall, I feel confident, con
duct our operations as belligerents
without passion and ourselves observe
with proud punctilio the principles of
right and of fair play we profess to be
fighting for.
"I have said nothing of the gov
ernments allied with the Imperial
government of Germany because they
have not made war upon or challenged
us to defend our rights and our honor.
The Austro-Hungarlan government
has, indeed, avowed its unqualified en
dorsement and acceptance of the
reckless and lawless submarine war
fare adopted now without disguise
bv the Imperial German government
find it has, therefore, not been possi
ble for this government to receive
Count Tarnowski, the ambassador re
cently accredited to this government,
by the imperial and royal government
of Austria-Hungary, but that govern
ment has not actually engaged in war
fare against citizens of the United
States on the seas, and I take the lib
erty, for the present at least, of post
poning a discussion of our relations
with the authorities at Vienna. We en
ter this waf only where we are clearly
forced into it because there are no
other means of defending our rights.
Act Without Animus.
"It will be all the easier for us to
conduct ourselves as belligerents in a
high spirit of right and fairness be
cause we act without animus, not in
enmity towards a people or with the
desire to bring any injury or disa'd
vantage upon them but only in 'arm
ed opposition to an irresponsible gov
ernment, which has thrown aside all
considerations cf humanity ahd of
right and is running amuck.'
"We are, let me say, again the
sincere friends of the German people,
and shall desire nothing so much as
the early reestablishment. pf intimate
relations of mutual advantage be
tween us however hard it may be for
them, for the time being, to believe
that this is spoken from our hearts.
We have borne with their present gov
ernment through all the bitter month3
because of that friendship exercising
a patience and forbearance which
would otherwise have been impossi
ble. We shall, happily, still have an
opportunity to prove that friendship
in our daily attitude and actions to-
v?rd the millions of men and women
of German birMi and native sympathy,
who live amongst us and share o
life and we shall be proud to pro
it towards all who are in fact loya
'their neghbors and to the govern
in the hour, of test. They are
of them, as true and loyal Am
as if they had never known ah
-fealty or allegiance. They
Dromnt to stand with us in r
and restraining the few who
of -a different mind and purpos
"If there should be-disloya
will be dealt with with a fir
of stern repression, but if it
head at all. it will lift it o
.and there and without cou
except from a lawless and m
few. . 2
"It is a distressing and opf
duty, gentlemen of the U
which I have performed in"
dressing you. There are, if
many months of fiery trial f
flee ahead of us. It is a feJ
to lead this great peaceful
war, into the most terrib
astrous of all wars, civiliz
seeming to be in the balan
"But the' right is more.
than peace, and we shall fl
things which we have al
nearest our hearts for
for the right of those
to authority to. have a -
own government, for th
liberties of small natioi
versal dominion of rig
VUilv ci : i;i 11 c r. jzj y Li
peace J safety to tf
make the world itself
"To such a task w
our lives and our
thing that we are am
we have, with the pr
knew that the day 1
America is privileged
blood and her might f.
that gave her birth an
the peace which she
God helping her, she cai
Washington. Immedii
President left the Capit,
md House reconvened and
joint resolution was introducd
houses, declaring the existence
state of war and directing the
dent to employ all the resources 01
( ;u 11 try
1
y
7
i
r
1
1
PRESIDEFJT ASKS
JOINT CONGRESS
TO DECLARE WAR
C0UR8E OF GERMAN GOVERN
MENT NOTHING LESS THAN
WAR AGAINST U. S.
RECOMMEND FULL NAVY
AND ARMY OF 500,000
Oeelaree President in Dispassionate
But Unmeasured Denunciation of
Course of That Government, Which
He Characterized as a Challenge to
Mankind and a Warfare Against All
Nations, Making Neutrality Neither
Feasible Nor Desirable.
Washington. President Wilson ask
ed Congress, assembled in joint ses
sion, to declare a state of war exist
ing between the United States and
Germany.
In a dispassionate but unmeasured
denuncation of the course of the Im
perial Government, which he charact
erized as a challenge to all mankind
and a warfare against all nations, the
President declared that neutrality no
longer was feasible or desirable where
the peace of the world was involved;
that armed neutrality had become Mn
effectual enough at best, and was like
ly to produce what it was meant to
prevent, and urged that Congress ac
cept the gauge of battle with all the
resources of the nation.
"I advise that the Congress declare
the recent course, of the Imperial Ger
man Government, to be in fact nothing s
less than War against the Government
and people of the United States," said
the President, "that it formally ac
cept the status of belligerent, which
has thus been thrust upon it, and that
it take steps not only to put the coun
try in a more thorough state of de
fense, 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." When
the President had finished'-speaking,
resolutions tiy'Wlare a state of war
existi r 0g3-itth hous
es or -'4LlaL'
COff
is
jiersai
500.
il or can
miy for the
jAent so far as
.i6wing and on the
taxation."
a7iw aliens, the President
V ( . L n .
urged, ay ' e maae in ucu wajr.os
not to cl-k the flow of war eupplle
t- the nations already in the flell
izainst Germany
Y