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OCR
ISSUES AND EVENTS
are made and sent to be immediatel
tion of property and ‘killing as many
sible, sending their souls screaching a
and the only excuse given is, that there is money in it, it
is “business;" the ‘same excuse given by the bandits, the
assassins, the enemies of society, and demons of the world;
CALLING DOWN THE WRATH OF THE ALMIGHTY,
sooner or later, on such people and nations.
XIII. Duty of Congress to Place Embargo.-An em-
bargo on arms and ammunition is legally right; it is MOR-
ALLY RIGHT; UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES IT IS
NECESSARY IN ORDER FOR US TO BE NEUTRAL;
it is the ONLY PEACEFUL WEAPON WE CAN USE
TO ENFORCE OUR OWN RIGHTS AS A NEUTRAL
NATION, AND STOP THE OUTRAGES COMMITTED
3' used in the destruc-
human beings as pos-
nd screaming to God;
0 .
AGREES THAT IT WILL STOP
THE WAR WITHIN
TWO MONTHS. .
145
IF WE ARE WHAT WE PRETEND TO BE, LOVERS
OF HUMANITY, PEACE, CIVILIZATION, AND PRO-
GRESS, AN EMBARGO WILL BE PLACED ON ARMS
AND AMMUNITION WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY.
Daniel Webster said that the greatest thought that could
occupy any man's mind was his INDIVIDUAL responsibil-
ity to God, and this frightful state of affairs is PRESENTED
TO THE CONSCIENCE OF EACH AND EVERY
MEMBER OF CONGRESS, and THE PEOPLE OF THE
COUNTRY AND THE ALMIGHTY ARE WATCHING
TO SEE how each member will ACT.
Petition.-This American Neutrality and Peace Conven-
tiou, representing the people of California in particular
and all the Western States in general, most earnestly peti-
tion you to at once place an embargo on all arms and
ammunition.-American Neutrality and Peace Convention.
To HIS EXCELLENCY WOODROW WILSON,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Dear Sir: ,
E, THE UNDERSIGNED Citizens of the United
States, Men and VVomen, unite in earnest protest
against the exportation from this country of arms
and ammunition for the use of nations engaged in the pres-
ent conflict, and-for humanitarian reasons-respectfully pe-
tition you in the cause of humanity and justice to call an
extra session of Congress at once to invest you with the
power to place an embargo on all arms and ammunition-
basing our petition on International Law, precedent and
public opinion. .
On August 1st you issued a noble document setting forth
the government’s views on neutrality. This splendid state-
ment met with the full approval of all American citizens who
would like to see this country live up to the words of this
declaration. We, the undersigned, are led by a wish to ‘be
of assistance to you in indicating what the people of America
want, namely, in your own words, We must be neutral in
fact as well as in name and we must put a curb on every
transaction which might give a preference to one party in
the struggle over another." . ' ,
Our further reasons for this petition are: (1) Wqolseys
Book on International Law says: “If the ‘neutral, instead
NAME
ADDRESS
of wheat, should send powder or balls, cannon or rifles, this
would be a direct encouragement of the war, and so a depar-
ture from the neutral position”; (2) President Taft in 1912
issued a proclamation forbidding the export of arms and
munitions to Mexico; (3) in l9l3 you placed an embargo
on ammunition shipments, proclaiming that “we should not
extend or withhold aid to or from either if actual circum-
stances were such that both parties were not equally be-
friended"; (4) the British government has a law on its
statute books conferring discretionary power on the King
of England to forbid the export of arms and ammunitions,
and on April 23, 1898, at the time of the Spanish-American
War, that government warned British subjects against un-
neutral acts, among which were enumerated the supplying
of arms, ammunition, military stores or materials; (5) during
the Spanish-American War the German Government, upon
the mere protest of our Ambassador, Andrew hite,
stopped the sale of arms and munitions of war to Spain;
(6) at this time every neutral country, except the United
States, has placed an embargo on munitions of war.
For humane reasons we trust that you will exert your
great influence to stop useless killing by ammunitions shipped
from this country. The sooner an embargo is enforced, the
sooner it will save our reputation for fairness. It will shorten
the war and will bring us real, not false, prosperity, together
with the happiness of knowing that we have rendered a
noble service to humanity.
CITY