decreed that "the state of war between the United States and the Imperial German Government which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formally declared."

The historical documents make plain how slowly, how deliberately, how unwillingly we were pushed into war and for what reasons. Principles were involved and they were, to be sure, the highest principles known to free men. But in the face of the record it is a mistake for any one to believe that we went into this war to fight any other nation's battles. If ever we were threatened in our own existence it was in the years 1914-1917. No cause was ever more truly or directly our own, or involved more completely the fundamental basis of our government than the cause in which we are now engaged. If for the Germans, with their philosophy of aggression, it was a question of "world power or downfall," for us, with our traditions of independence, it was a case of victory or annihilation as a free people.

What tolerance and a love of peace could do to prevent this calamity had been done. So long as we had the poor security of "a scrap

of paper" between ourselves and Germany we treated her as a friend. Never until our entry into the war did our government in a single instance deviate from the course of strict neutrality as interpreted by intelligent, conscientious and impartial judges. We had closed our eyes to Germany's deliberate violation of treaties, to her brutal and inhuman disregard of all the laws of war on land. We had refrained from protesting her offenses against The Hague Conventions which we ourselves had signed with her; we had overlooked her attacks on our rights on the seas, and accepted settlements and a promise for the deaths of over two hundred of our citizens. Our President worked loyally for a peace of principle at a time when Germany proclaimed it was her desire to make peace, and yet even while she said it, she was conspiring against us in secret, until for the sake of our existence and our honor we replied at last and declared upon her an honest war in the open.

APPENDIX I

DOCUMENTS CONCERNING THE VIOLATION OF THE NEUTRALITY OF BELGIUM

I. TEXT OF TREATIES. ESTABLISHING THE NEUTRALITY OF BELGIUM

"Belgium . . . shall form a perpetually neutral State. "The five powers. . . guarantee to it this perpetual neutrality, as also the integrity and inviolability of its territory...."

(Article 5 of the Treaty of 18 Articles signed on the 26th June, 1831, by the representatives of the five Great Powers, including Prussia, and approved by the National Congress of the 9th July, 1831.)

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'Belgium, within the limits specified in Articles 1, 2 and 4 shall form an independent and perpetually neutral State. It shall be bound to observe such neutrality towards all other States."

(Article VII of the Treaty of 19th April, 1839, between Belgium and the Netherlands.)

"H.M. the Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia, H.M. the King of the French, H.M. the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, H.M. the King of Prussia and H.M. the Emperor of all the Russias, declare that the Articles hereunto annexed, and forming the tenour of the Treaty concluded this day

between His Majesty the King of the Belgians and H.M. the King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, are considered as having the same force and validity as if they were textually inserted in the present Act, and that they are thus placed under the guarantee of their said Majesties."

(Article I of the Treaty signed at London on the 19th of April, 1839.)

"SIR,

II. CONFIRMATION BY BISMARCK

"In confirmation of my oral assurances, I have the honour to give you in writing the declaration-superfluous in view of the treaties in force that the North German Confederation and its allies will respect the neutrality of Belgium, provided of course that it is respected by the other belligerent."

(Letter from Herr von Bismarck to Baron Northomb, Belgian Minister at Berlin, dated 22nd July, 1870.)

III. STATUS OF NEUTRALS. ARTICLES OF THE HAGUE CONVENTION (V) OF 1907

"ARTICLE I.-THE TERRITORY OF NEUTRAL POWERS IS INVIOLABLE.

"ARTICLE II.-BELLIGERENTS ARE FORBIDDEN TO MOVE ACROSS THE TERRITORY OF A NEUTRAL POWER TROOPS AND CONVOYS, EITHER OF MUNITIONS OF WAR OR OF SUPPLIES.

'ARTICLE X.-THE FACT OF A NEUTRAL POWER REPELLING, EVEN BY FORCE, ATTACKS ON ITS NEUTRALITY CANNOT BE CONSIDERED AS A HOSTILE ACT."

Signed by 44 States, including Germany and the United States.