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218
A1;
MR. WILSON MAKES A WAR SPEECH .
E have said that it is the intention of Mr. Wilson
to precipitate our country into war, if possible by
the 7th of May. . Mr. VViIson’s speech before the National
Service School clearly foreshadows his course of action.
‘ "The President dwells enthusiastically on the blessings of
war. He points to the awakening in "Germany and in
France of the national consciousness on the appeallof pa-
triotism. Would not, so his argument runs, America re-
spond in a similar way, if the United ‘States issued a call of
Mr. VVilson tells us that the number of persons of really
divided allegiance in this country is very small, and that
there is no reason to doubt the loyalty of American citizens
born inother countries. Mr. Wilson merely expresses a
truism. There are no citizens of divided allegiance outside
of Mr. Wilson’s own camp. The men who desire war are
not even-hyphenated Americans.
motherland above the interests, of the United States.
The German Americans and thevlrish have rallied to the
flag in every great crisis. They will fight for the country
to defend its independence, as they have fought before; they
will not light to make it a satellite of Great Britain: They
will enlist in a just cause as the records of the Spanish-
American war eloquently proclaim; but they will not enlist ‘
in a war deliberately engineered by unscrupulous politicians .
in order to perpetuate themselvesin ofiice. They will rally
to the flag: they will not fight Mr. Wilson’s personal battles.
If Mr. Wilson has any illusions on that score, he is living in
a fool’s paradise. ' ’ ' x V
SIR EDWARD QREY’S LITTLE JOKE
HE Allies have repaid President VVilson in his own
‘ coin. In response to his various protests, they have;
given him rhetoric. Whereas the Central‘Powers have made
concession after concession to XVilson’s demands, the Allies I
‘ politely refuse to yield anything except thirteen thousand
words of excellent English. A vein of quiet English humor:
runs through the entire document. One can easily imagine
4 . how Sir Edward must havechuckled to himself as he ap-
x
. pended his signature to the reply. In one instance the fun
becomes almost rollicking. We refer to the passage where
‘His Majesty’s Government “notes withsincere satisfaction
the intimation contained in the concluding passages of the,
United States to undertake the task of champipning the"in-
tegrity of neutral rights.” I Then, fearful that the subtlety of
his wit may escape Mr. Lansing’s intellect, the writer ex- ,
patiates as follows: I ,
“His,Majesty’s Government would welcome any combination of
neutral 1zation.r, under the lead of the United States, which would
‘exert an effective inliuence to prevent the violation of neutral rights,
and they cannot believe that they or their allies have much to fear -
‘ from any combination for the protection of‘those rights which
takes an impartial and comprehensive‘ view of the conduct of this
war and judges it by a reasonable interpretation of the generally‘
accepted provisions of international law and by the rules of human-
ity that have hitherto been approved by the civilized world.” .
Here Sir Edward Grey is rolling his tongue" in his cheek.
He does not think that the public at large will .“catch on,”
but he evidently expects’ the American Government to ap-
preciate the delicious quality of his humor. Of course, Eng-
land “cannot believe," in view of.the attitude of the Ad-
ministration, that they orltheir allies have ‘-‘much”, "to “fear”
.4
1i‘ATHER.LAND.'
To Ill A L s"
NEW YORK,
They are Britons pure 2
and simple. They place the interests of President Wilson’s ‘
MAY’ 10, i916
from any combination of neutral nations headed by Presi-
dent Wilson. And yet this proposition offers to Mr. Wilson
the opportunity of his life. If he takes the suggestion
seriously, the joke may yet be on Sir Edward Grey. ,
, ‘“THE DAY”
HIS is England’s black week. Ireland rises in revolt
against English misrule. For the first time in several
hundr’ed years the Irish have held their own capital. The
German navy twice raids the coast of England. Three-times
the Zeppelins swoop down from the skies. An English bat-
tleship goes down in the Mediterranean. An English tor-
pedo boat is blown up in the channel. The would-be con-
querors of Bagdad surrender unconditionally to the Sultan?
Heavy defeats meet the British arms in Egypt. Is it sur-
prising that England should exert herself. to the utmost to
embroil the United States with the Central Powers? Every
Englishman in the United States is torturing his brain how
to come to the rescue of “Anglo-Saxon civilization.” The
“American” Rights Committee is at its wit’s end. England
is desperate. ,. The Englishmenwho participate in our Gov-
ernment are even more desperate. '
A Now, if ever, let us exercise the utmost vigilance, lest
harm befall the republic. For England knows that this
black week is only the beginning of still blacker weeks.‘ ‘ She '
may hang Sir Roger.Casement, she may set fire to‘Dublin,
but she cannot quell the spirit of independence. The news
of her disasters will travel fast to India and to Egypt. Eng-
land knows that “The Day” has come. She must either gain
a new ally or give up the struggle, if she would save the
crumbling edifice of her empire. If the United States re-
fuses to fight their battles, the Allies will sue for peace.
MR. LANSING'S SECOND NOTE 0N ARMED
. MERCHANTMEN I ‘ '
OILED down, this lengthy document means that every
armed merchantman must receive the benefitiof the
‘doubt from the captain of a submarine until it has sunk the
submarine. Then the State Department will decide that the
Sinking was unjustified, except as a measure of self-defense. ’
It Seems strange that the same pen which signed the first
note on armed merchantmen should also havewritten this
hodge-podge of absurdities, dishonest evasions and contra-
dictions. It is a document typical ‘of the state of mind of
:he Wilson Administration on the subject of international
aw.
THE TELEGRAPHIC BOMBARDMENT, oF
CAPITOL HILL ' s ‘
THE'te1egraphic bombardment of Capital Hill by the e
American Embargo Conference has aroused the ire of
58113591’ Hllsting ffdm Wisconsin. With his speech against
the right of petition Senator:Husting has pronounced his
own Political doom. The old type of politicians made
“deals” in the dark corners of club houses and of cloak
rooms withouteconsulting the people. This type, to which
hHnsting evidently belongs, will the swept away by the new
wave of democracy. W'e elect Senators to represent us, not
,’,
X