,illustrated by the comment Property can be paid for; the lives of peacefuland innocent people cannot be (Safire 111). The President went on to offer another definition in hopes ofjustifying his call to war. He labeled the conflict as a war against allnations exemplifying the distress that other countries have experienceddue to the unbiased and relentless bombing of their own neutral ships(Safire 111). By associating the United States with other friendly countrieswho are also at odds with Germany, Wilsons cry for war seemed moreconvincing. He went on to assert that the choice made by the U.S must bebefitting to the singular characteristics of the country and that they mustbe very clear what their motives upon entry into the war were: notvengeance or profession of physical might, but to defend the principles ofpeace and justice and to set up amongst the free people of the world anobservance of these ideals (Safire 113). We were entering the war not tobattle with the German people, but to combat a greater menace, the systemthat had impended these violations (Baker 512). The president proceeded with regard to his stance on neutrality.Aware of pacifists like Henry Cabot Lodge in the audience, Wilson appealedto those who had not forgotten his promises of keeping America out of war.He admitted that his assumption that armed neutrality would be adequate insafeguarding his people from unlawful violence was in fact impossible andhe had failed to assert our neutral rights with arms, our right to use theseas against unlawful interference, our right to keep our people safe againstunlawful violence (Safire 111). Wilson delivered this phrase with the use ofthe collective pronoun our which worked to give the illusion that thecountry was ununited on this war resolution (Safire 109). The presidentcontinued to refute his previous position by pointing out that it is nearlyimpossible for neutral ships to defend themselves on the open s...
