AND COOK INLET PIONEER
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5,1917.
VOL. 2. NO. 82.
PRICE TEN CENTS.
I
PRESIDENT'S SPEECH 'TO CONGRESS
' EXPLAINS ADMINISTRATION ATTITUDE
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.—President Wilson addressed a
i joint session of the senate and bouse Saturday afternoon.
" Promptly at 1 o’clock the chief executive ascended the rostrum,
and after a brief introduction by .Vice-President Marshall began
tit ,ad from a carefully prepared paper. He reviewed at great
length the situation between the United States and Germany
with respect to the submarine campaign, resulting in the break
ing off of diplomatic relations, and laid before the congress all
the correspondence relative to this subje -1 that had passed
between the two countries. He declared that Germany’s delib
erate withdrawal pi solemn assurances given the United States
May 16, 1916, left' this country no alternative consistent with
the dignity and honor of this nation, but that which it an
nounced it would do in its note of April 18 if Germany did not
abandon its methods of submarine warfare. Continuing, he
said, “Nothwithstanding this unexpected action on the part of
the German government, this sudden and deeply deplored re
l nunciation of' its assignees given this government at one of
the rgost critical mo*6e^s of tention in the relations ot the re
spective governmental refuse to believe that it is the intention
of the German author:;,i-.t■■■• 'j fact what they have notified
the United States government feel at liberty to do. I can
not bring myself t(j believe that they will indeed pay no regard
to the ancient friendship between their people and our own, or
to the solemn obligations which have been exchanged between,
them, and destroy American ships and take the lives of Ameri
can citizens in a wilful prosecution of the ruthless naval pro
gram they have announced their intention to adopt. Only ac
^ tual overt acts on their part can make me believe it, even now.
“We don’t desire any hostile conflict with the imperial gov
ernment. We ipc sincere friends of the German people and ear
nestly desire to remain at peace with the government that
speaks for them. We shall not believe that they are hostile to
us, unless and until we are obliged to believe it, and we pro
pose nothing more than a reasonable defense of the undoubted
rights of our people. We wish to serve no selfish ends.
“If American ships and American lives should in fact be
sacrificed in a heedless contravention of the just and reasonable
understanding of international law and obvious dictates of
aimanity, I shall take the liberty of coming again before the
ngress to ask that authority be given me to use any means that
may be necessary for the protection of our people in the prose
cution of their peaceful and legitimate errands on the high seas.
I can do nothing less. I take it for granted that all neutral gov
y ernments will take a similar course.”
VICE PRESIDENT EXPRESSES OPINION.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.—When Vice-President Marshall
was notified to arrange for a joint session of the two houses of
congress, to hear the president’s speech, he said: “It is sin
cerely to he hoped that this necessary break in diplomatic re
lations will not drag the United States into a war with Germany
and her allies. There are limits, however, to endurance, be
yond which no self-respecting nation can go. This government
cannot permit defiance of all laws of civilization by any nation
f to go unchallenged.”
SENATOR TILLMAN SPEAKS RIGHT OUT.
>. WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.—Senator Benjamin F. Tillman, of
South Carolina, chairman of the senate naval committee, com
monly known among his colleagues as “Old Pitchfork,” said*
when he heard of the breaking off of diplomatic relations, “I
son mighty glad of it. I was in favor, when I first heard of
the German note, of telling Mr. Bernstorff to pack up his duds
and go home to his barbarian country'. We will do the best we
can, and I have no doubt that we will live up to our past record
of taking care of ourselves. We don’t take passes from any
body to go anywhere we please on the high seas. Congress
ought to unanimously agree to back up the president to the
limit, just like we did when the Spanish-American war broke
out.”
ACCEDES TO DEMANDS.
£ BERLIN, Feb. 5.—Acceding to the demands of the United
gr^ States the German government has ordered the release of the
72 Americans taken from ships sunk by Grman sea raiders in
south Atlantic waters and brought to Gernv&ny on board the
seized British steamer Yarrowdale. ,
EXCITEMENT INTENSE IN GERMANY
OVER BREAK WITH UNITED STATES
BERLIN, Feb. 5.—The news Hu t diplomatic, relations had
been broken between the United Stat *s and Germany, on the
initiation of President Wilson, cans d intense excitement in
Berlin and throughout Germany. It is stated in semiofficial cir
cles that the government will do its utmost to prevent the rup
ture going any further. Guards have been established around
the American embassy and around all consulates in Germany.
Ambassador Gerard will leave Germany via Switzerland.
Many of the 4,000 American residents of Germany are prepar
ing to leave this country, fearing the worst may happen.
According to information obtained from official sources,
there is no prospect of any modification of orders to command
ers of German submarines.
WILSON MAKES BOLD STROKE TO
| HAVE NEUTRAL NATIONS FOLLOW LEAD
I
j WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.—President Wilson bus made a
bold stroke to range -the moral force of all other neutral na
tions along with that of tin* United States in the mutter of
the German naval warfare. Me lias instructed American dip
lomats to the other neutral nations to report immediately how
his suggestions are received. Opinion at diplomatic headquar
ters in Washington is that Fit ro pea a neutrals, at the very door
step of Germany and threatened by her military power, will
hesitate to take decisive steps. The hope is expressed that Ger
jmanv will not ruthlssly sacrifice American lives or rights. The
administration is awaiting developments, but is leaving noth
ing undone to prepare the country for eventualities.
BRAZIL SENDS NOTE.
UK) JANEIRO, Feb. 5.—The note of protest that Brazil
will send to Germany, in answer to her proclamation of indis
criminate warfare, has been completed and will be forwarded
after an exchange of views between American governments.
SPAIN WILL REPLY.
LONDON, Feb. 5.—Spain will reply to the German note,
making energetic and definite protest, says the London Daily
Telegraph today. Among other things, Spain will declare she
cannot paralyze her national life and is not disposed to inter
rupt it, and that, on the contrary, she will adopt all measures
and make all sacrifices necessary' to assure it. The Telegraph’s
Copenhagen correspondent wires that he understands that ne
gotiations are in progress between the Danish, Swiss and Nor
wegian governments concerning the German submarine war
fare.
18,000,000 MEN COULD BE CALLED.
, NEW YORK, Feb. 5.—Mayor Mitchell, of New York city, a
member of the committee on National defense, estimates that
the.United States could call to the colors 18,000,000 men, in case
of need. Ten and a half million of these would be between the
ages of 18 and 45 years.
SPANISH STEAMER BOMBARDED.
PARIS, Feb. 5.—The Spanish steamer Pairra, en route to
Vigo, Spain, was bombarded by a German submarine but es
caped serious damage. The vessel was loaded with cement. A
report from Madrid says the Spanish steamer Due de Noviem
bre was sunk by a German submarine, and one member of the
crew lost. Details are lacking and the report is from an unof
ficial source.
DIFFICULT QUESTION CONFRONTS GOVERNMENT.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.—What steps to take with regard
to American merchant ships sailing for the war zone is proving
one of the most difficult problems for the state department to
solve. Whether to arm them; provide them with convoys in the
form of American warships, or let them go unattended and un
armed, or to hold them in port for a few days, is the question
involved. The state department is standing on its announced
opinion that it would be wise? to postpone sailings for a few
days.
ATTEMPT MADE TO BLOW OP
NEW YORK, Feb. 5.—An attempt to blow up the New
\ork customs house and perhaps assassinate Dudley Field Ma
lone, the collector of customs, was revealed by the chance find
ing, by two employes late last night, of a burning fuse attached
to an infernal machine. The machine was planted in a room
directly under that occupied by Malone. The collector was at
work at his desk when the bomb was found.
PHILADELPHIA ARRIVES SAFELY.
NEW YORK, Feb. 5.—The American liner Philadelphia,
reported as sunk by a German submarine, arrived safely at
Liverpool at 11:30 o’clock last night.
SINKING OF PHILADELPHIA ONLY RUMOR.
NEW YORK, Feb. 5.—Excitement of burning intensity,
caused by a wild report that the American liner Philadelphia
had been sunk by a German submarine and that some 200 pas
sengers had been lost, was somewhat modified when it was
learned definitely that the report was founded wholly upon
i umor. An effort to confirm the rumor failed. Liverpool, the
European destination of the big liner, reported that the vessel
was expected there at 10 o’clock last night.
HOUSATONIC GIVEN FULL WARNING.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 0.—The steamer Housatonie wtis
given full warning by the German submarine and opportunity
was given for the safety of the crew, according to a dispatch
revived by the state department today from U. S. Consul Steph
ens at Plymouth, England. The consul’s dispatch reads:
“ Housatonie, loaded with wheat for a British government ves
sel, received warning before being sunk. Submarine towed
steamer for 90 minutes toward the land, when it fired signal
to British patrol boat, which came to rescue of crew. Steamer
then torpedoed and sunk. Patrol boat landed entire crew, num
bering 37, at Penzance.”
ADDITIONAL DETAILS.
LONDON, Feb. 5.—The crew of the steamer Housatonie,
who have arrived at Penzance, report the commander of the
German submarine as declaring to them, “I have orders t<y
sink every vessel coming to England.” Previous to sinking the
vessel, Germans came aboard and searched the ship, taking a
quantity of soap, saying it was a scarce article with them.
CREW ARRIVE AT PENZANCE.
LONDON, Feb. 5.—The crew of the American steamer
Honsatonic was landed yesterday, by a British patrol boat, at
Penzance.
TO SEIZE GERMAN VESSELS.
NEW YORK, Feb. 5.—There is reason to believe that ac
tion will, or has already been taken with respect to German
ships tied up in this country. It is understood that German
ships at Hoboken and in New York, numbering more than a
score, will be seized, or have been seized, by the customs au
thorities.
GOMPERS APPEALS TO GERMAN WORKERS.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.—Samuel Gompers, president of
the American Federation of j^abor, has wired an appeal to or
ganized labor in Germany to throw its influence against any
widening of the break between the United States and Germany.
LINER SAILS FROM LIVERPOOL.
NEW YORK, Feb. 5.—An American line has received a
cablegram saying that the steamship New York, carrying pas
sengers, left Liverpool Saturday. She is the first American
passenerer ship to sail from Europe since the German proclama
tion with respect to its future naval warfare.
EXTRA WATCH ON CROOK AND BURNSIDE.
SEATTLE, Feb. 5.—The authorities have placed special
watches on the government transport Crook and the cableship
Burnside, to guard against activities of German sympathizers.
SPAIN TAKES OVER AMERICAN EMBASSY.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.—Spain has taken over the diplo
matic interests of the United States in Berlin.
t