actice the right of a great people who are at peace and who are
desirous of exercising none but the rights of peace to follow the
pursuit of peace in quietness and good will--rights recognized time
out of mind by all the civilized nations of the world.

"I believe that the people will be willing to trust me to act with
restraint, with prudence, and in the true spirit of amity and good
faith that they have themselves displayed throughout these trying
months, and it is in that belief that I request that you will
authorize me to supply our merchant ships with defensive arms should
that become necessary, and with the means of using them, and to employ
any other instrumentalities or methods that may be necessary and
adequate to protect our ships and our people in their legitimate and
peaceful pursuits on the seas."

Even before the President addressed Congress the "overt act" had been
committed by Germany. News of the sinking of the _Laconia_, already
mentioned, was published synchronously with the delivery of his
message and subjected to correction his allusion to the noncommittal
of any overt act by German submarines. The President, in fact, decided
later that the destruction of the Cunarder without warning and at
night, in rough seas, with the loss of American lives, constituted a
"clear-cut" violation of the pledge the German Government gave to the
United States after the _Lusitania_ and _Sussex_ sinkings. But it was
felt that the next step in meeting the situation now rested with
Congress.

The Senate and House immediately set about framing bills conforming,
as far as the President's opponents permitted, to his request. There
was no time to be lost. Congress expired on March 4, 1917, by
constitutional limitation and the President had delayed submitting his
message until the last moment, so that Congress had only eight days to
debate and agree to a measure that excited the pacifists' bitter
animosity in both Houses, as well as the opposition of other
legislators who feared that the authority the President sought would
encroach on Congress's war-making prerogative.

In the House of Representatives the opposition dwindled to negligible
proportions. Public sentiment had been stirred by the sinking of the
_Laconia_ and by certain revelations the Administration published
disclosing German overtures to Mexico in the event of war, the
character of which will be chronicled later. Sensitive to the public
pulse, the House was