PRESIDENT WILSON'S ADDRESS

TO THE CONGRESS

President Wilson spoke as follows: "Gentlemen of the Congress:

"I have called the Congress into extraordinary session because there are serious, very serious choices of policy to be made, and made immediately, which it was neither right nor constitutionally permissible that I should assume the responsibiltity of making.

"On the 3rd of February last I officially laid before you the extraordinary announcement of the Imperial German Government that on and after the 1st day of February it was its purpose to put aside all restraints of law or of humanity and use its 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 Mediterrranean.

"That had seemed to be the object of the German submarine warfare earlier in the war, but since April of last year the Imperial Government had somewhat restrained the commanders of its under-sea craft in comformity 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 subma

Η ΑΓΟΡΕΥΣΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΠΡΟΕΔΡΟΥ ΟΥ ΙΑΣΩΝΟΣ
ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟ ΚΟΓΚΡΕΣΣΟΝ

Ο Πρόεδρος Ουίλσων ὡμίλησεν ὡς ἑξῆς ·
Κύριοι του Κογκρέσσου,

Συνεκάλεσα τὸ Κογκρέσσον εἰς ἔκτακτον συνεδρίασιν διότι πρόκειται να γείνῃ σοβαρά, πολύ σοβαρὰ ἐκλογὴ πολιτικῆς, καὶ νὰ γείνῃ ἀμέσως, τῆς ὁποίας δὲν εἶναι οὔ τε ὀρθόν, οὔτε συνταγματικῶς ἐπιτετραμμένον ἐγὼ ν' ἀναλάβω τὴν εὐθύνην.

Κατὰ τὴν 3ην παρελθόντος Φεβρουαρίου ἐπισήμως κατέθηκα ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν τὴν ἔκτακτον ἀνακοίνωσιν τῆς Αὐτοκρατορικῆς Γερμανικῆς Κυβερνήσεως, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἡμέρας τοῦ μηνός Φεβρουαρίου εἶχε σκοπὸν νὰ παραγκωνίσῃ πάντας τοὺς περιορισμοὺς τοῦ νόμου ἢ τοῦ ἀνθρωπισμοῦ καὶ νὰ μεταχειρισθῇ τὰ ὑποβρύχια της, ἵνα βυθίζῃ πάν πλοῖον, τὸ ὁποῖον ἐζήτει νὰ πλησιάσῃ εἴτε τοὺς λιμένας τῆς Μεγάλης Βρεττανίας καὶ Ἰρλανδίας, εἴτε τὰ δυτικά παράλια τῆς Εὐρώπης, ἢ οιονδήποτε ἐκ τῶν λιμένων, τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν κυριαρχίαν τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῆς Γερμα νίας ἐν τῇ Μεσογείῳ.

Οὗτος ἐφαίνετο νὰ ἦτο ὁ σκοπός τῆς διὰ τῶν ὑποβρυ χίων πολεμικῆς τῆς Γερμανίας ἀπό τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ που λέμου, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ μηνός Απριλίου τοῦ παρελθόντος ἔτους, ἡ Αὐτοκρατορική Κυβέρνησις εἶχε κάπως περιορίσῃ τοὺς Κυβερνήτας τῶν ὑποβρυχίων σκαφῶν της, συμμορφουμένη πρὸς τὴν ὑπόσχεσίν της τότε δοθεῖσαν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅτι δηλαδὴ ἐπιβατικά πλοῖα δὲν θὰ ἐβυθίζοντο καὶ ὅτι ἡ δέουσα προειδοποίησις θὰ ἐδίδετο εἰς

rines might seek to destroy when no resistance was offered or escape 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 meagre and haphazard enough, as proved in distressing instance after instance in the progress of the cruel and unmanly business, but a certain degree of restraint was observed.

NO COMPASSION OR MERCY SHOWN

BY U-BOATS.

"The new policy has swept every restriction 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 without thought of help or mercy for those on board, the vessels of friendly neutrals along with those of belligerents. Even hospital ships and ships carrying relief to the sorely bereaved and stricken people of Belgium, though the latter were provided with safe conduct through the proscribed 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.

.....

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"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.

"International law had its origin in the at

ὅλα τὰ ἄλλα πλοῖα, τὰ ὁποῖα τὰ ὑποβρύχια αὐτῆς θὰ ἐπεζήτουν νὰ καταστρέψωσιν, ἐὰν ταῦτα οὐδεμίαν ἀντίστασιν προέβαλλον καὶ ἐὰν δὲν ἀπεπειρῶντο νὰ διαφύ γουν, καὶ ὅτι θὰ ἐλαμβάνετο μέριμνα ὅπως εἰς τὰ πληρώματά των δίδηται ἀρκετή ευκαιρία να σώζουν τὴν ζω ήν των εἰς τὰς ἀνοιχτὰς λέμβους των. Αἱ ληφθεῖσαι προφυλάξεις ἦσαν πενιχραὶ καὶ συμπτωματικαὶ ἀρκετά, καθὼς ἀπεδείχθη εἰς ἀλλεπαλλήλους λυπηράς περιπτώ σεις κατὰ τὴν διάρκειαν τοῦ σκληροῦ καὶ ἀνάνδρου ἔργου, καίτοι βαθμός τις περιορισμοῦ διετηρήθη.

ΟΥΔΕΜΙΑ ΣΥΜΠΑΘΕΙΑ Η ΟΙΚΤΟΣ ΕΔΕΙΧΘΗ ΥΠΟ ΤΩΝ ΥΠΟΒΡΥΧΙΩΝ

Ἡ νέα πολιτικὴ ἐσάρωσε πάντα περιορισμόν. Πλοία παντὸς εἴδους, ἀνεξαρτήτως τῆς σημαίας των, τοῦ χαρακτῆρός των, τοῦ φορτίου των, τοῦ προορισμού των, τῆς ἀποστολῆς των, ἔχουν ἀνηλεῶς σταλῇ εἰς τὸν βυθὸν τῆς θαλάσσης ἄνευ προειδοποιήσεως, καὶ ἄνευ σκέψεως βοηθείας ή οίκτου διὰ τοὺς ἐπιβαίνοντας καὶ πλοῖα φιλικῶς διακειμένων οὐδετέρων ὁμοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἐμπολέμων. Ακόμη καὶ πλωτὰ νοσοκομεῖα, καὶ πλοῖα φέροντα ἀνακούφισιν εἰς τοὺς ἀλγεινῶς ἐστερημένους καὶ πληχθέντας πληθυσμοὺς τοῦ Βελγίου, καίτοι τὰ τελευταῖα ἦσαν ἐφω διασμένα μέ ἀσφαλεῖς ἀδείας διά μέσου τῶν προγρα φεισῶν περιφερειῶν ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς Γερμανικῆς Κυβερνήσεως καὶ διεκρίνοντο δι' ἀλανθάστων σημείων ταυτότητος, ἔχουσι βυθισθῇ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀκαταλογίστου ἐλλείψεως συμπαθείας ἢ ἀρχῶν.

Επί τινα καιρὸν δὲν ἠδυνάμην νὰ πιστεύσω, ὅτι τοιαὗται πράξεις θὰ ἐξετελοῦντο πράγματι ὑπὸ οιασδήποτε Κυβερνήσεως ἡ ὁποία μέχρι τοῦδε συνεισέφερεν εἰς τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας προσπαθείας τῶν πεπολιτισμένων ἐθνῶν.

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 highways of the world. By painful stage after stage has that law been built up with meagre 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 plea of retaliation and necessity, and because it had no weapcns which it could use at sea except those, 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 supposed to underlie the intercourse of the world.

WANTON AND WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION OF LIVES.

"I 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 children, 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 warfare against commerce is a warfare against mankind. It is a war