"prohibited zone" arbitrarily proclaimed by
Germany).
_Aztec_, April 1, 1917.

Perhaps in this list should also be included the sinking of the _William
P. Frye_, January 28, 1915, by the German raider, _Prinz Eitel
Friedrich_. The very acme of impudence seems to have been reached when
this raider, after having unlawfully sunk American vessels, sought
refuge in the American port of Newport News, Virginia. No clearer
testimony has ever been given of the state of mind among the Germans,
unless it is the actions of the German crew of this vessel after they
had been interned.

Preceding the declaration of war by the United States, two hundred and
twenty-six of her citizens had lost their lives by the unlawful acts of
German submarines. Among those who perished in this manner were many
women and children. In nearly every instance there was not even the
form of an excuse that Germany was acting in accord with the laws of
nations. Outside the American vessels the official estimate made at that
time by the Government of the United States was that six hundred and
sixty-eight vessels of neutral nations had been sunk by the piratical
German submarines. It appeared almost as if the rulers of Germany either
were insane or were so bent on their wild dreams of subduing the world
to their will that they deliberately said to themselves, "evil, be thou
our good." They had thrown down the gauntlet to the civilized parts of
the entire world. Even after Brazil, China, Bolivia, Guatemala and other
nations broke off diplomatic relations with Germany and almost all the
civilized nations of the earth had protested against the brutal policy
boldly followed by her, she whiningly complained that the world was
jealous of her greatness and had combined to overthrow the "kultur" she
was so eager to share with all mankind.

In addition to the frightfulness of Germany on the seas (a term she
herself had invented and blatantly advocated), the activity of German
spies and the dangerous "propaganda" she was putting forth in the United
States were even more insulting and quite as threatening to American
lives and property as was her dastardly work with her submarines. Many
of the intrigues were not made known by the Government of the United
States.

When the message of President Wilson was presented, the committee on
Foreign Affairs in the House of Representatives went on formal record,
after presenting its resolutio