America in World War 1 (1)

In the meantime, two months had elapsed from the time when the German
ambassador, Count Von Bernstorff, had been sent home by the United
States. The Germans, true to their word, had begun their campaign of
attacking and sinking without warning ships of all kinds in the waters
surrounding Great Britain and France. Even the hospital ships, marked
plainly with the red cross, and boats carrying food to the starving
people of Belgium, were torpedoed without mercy. The curious state of
public feeling in Germany is well illustrated by an incident which
happened at this time. It so happened that an English hospital ship,
crossing the channel, was laden with about as many German wounded as
British. These men had been left helpless on the field of battle after
the Germans had retreated, and had been picked up and cared for by the
British, along with their own troops. A German submarine with its
deadly torpedo sent this vessel to the bottom. The wounded men, German
and British alike, sank without the slightest chance for their lives.
A burst of indignation came from all over Germany against the
"unspeakable brutality" of the British who dared to expose German
wounded men to the danger of travel on the open sea! The British were
warned that if this happened again the Germans would make reprisals
upon British prisoners in their hands.

Week followed week and still there was no declaration of war between
the United States and Germany. But in the latter part of February, the
United States government made public a note which its secret agents
had stopped from being delivered to the German ambassador in Mexico.
It was signed by Dr. Zimmermann, German minister of foreign affairs,
and it requested the ambassador as soon as it was certain that there
would be an outbreak of war with the United States as a result of the
sinking of ships without warning, to propose to Mexico that she ally
herself with Germany. "Together we will make war on the United
States," said Dr. Zimmermann, "and together we will make peace. Mexico
will receive as her reward her lost provinces of Arizona, Texas, and
New Mexico." "Ask the Mexican government," said Dr. Zimmermann, "to
propose to the Japanese that Japan break away from her alliance with
England and join Mexico and Germany in an attack upon the United
States."

The publication of this note made a tremendous change in feeling in
the United States. Up to this time a great portion of the people had
felt that perhaps we were hasty in breaking off relations with
Germany, and in their earnest desire for peace had been willing to put
up with injury and even insults on the part of the Germans, excusing
them on the grounds of their military necessity. The publication of
Dr. Zimmermann's note, however, showed the people of the United States
the true temper of the government at Berlin. It showed them that the
German war lords had no respect for anything but brute force, that the
language of cannon was the only language which they could understand,
and that any further patience on the part of this country would be
looked upon as weakness and treated with scorn and contempt.

On the sixth of April, 1917, Congress, called into session by the
President, by an overwhelming vote declared that a state of war
existed between the United States of America and the Imperial
Government of Germany.

At this point it may be well to sum up the causes that brought the
United States into the great war. These causes may be given under two
heads: (1) the war waged upon us by submarines; and (2) the German
plots and threats against our country at a time when we were at peace
with them. The latter, as given in pages to follow, comprise: (a) The
Kaiser's threat, (b) Admiral Von Tirpitz's threat, (c) the blowing up
of American factories and death of American workingmen, (d) the
attempt to get us into war with Japan and Mexico, and (e) the spending
of the German government's money in an attempt to make our congressmen
vote as Germany wished.