The Washington herald., 1912-12-04
The Presidents Message.

To judge from the subjects treated
in the message transmitted by Mr..
Taft to Congress, the Chief Executive
contemplates making a number of rec
concentrations, dealing entirely with
questions arising out of our foreign
relations.
We agree fully with the President
that the fundamental foreign policies
of the United States should be raised
above the conflict of partisanship, for
only in such a manner can we expect
to increase still more the volume of
our exports to an extent to which Mr..
Taft would have reason to point with
pride. He says that it is due entirely
TO the efforts of the State Department,
as recognized under his administra-
ton, and to the merit system and spe-
cialized work now fully in vogue in
our diplomatic service that contracts
have been secured from foreign gov
eTnments alone involving an outlay of
at least fifty millions in the factories
of this country.
We also subscribe to his urgent de-
sire that efforts on our part ought not
TO be diminished to grasp every oppor-
tunity to appear advantageously in for
eign markets, as they soon will be in
dispensable to our continued prosper
ity, which needs expansion. There
are many fields" the President adds,
in which American products ought to
predominant. and would do 50. were
it not for the efforts on the part of
other commercial governments to pre-
empt such opportunity for their re-
spective nations"
In short, Mr.. Taft has developed
the idea that State Department
should not only be considered an or
nament," a diplomatic channel for po-
litical representation" but it ought to
be made to do actual service for the
benefit OF its country, especially so OF
a commercial and trading nation, and
he has worked out these ideas in reor-
ganizing it from top to bottom. What
follows was TO be expected, for it is
the necessary sequel to the above The
President once more breaks a lance
for large merchant marine. and from
the purely commercial point of view,
which he takes, he is absolutely JUST
fed when he says: America cannot
take its proper place in the most i'm
portant fields of commercial activity
and enterprise unless aided by strong
marine"
The President certainly has demon
strated that he is a peace-loving man.
All his undertakings have proved this
amply, especially his universal peace"
programme offered to European ma
tons, Taking this for granted. how
ever, is not there something that may
be read between the lines in his fol-
lowing statement:
We must not wait for events to
Overtake us unawares. With con-
tinuity of purpose we must deal with
the problems of our external relations
by a diplomacy, modern. resourceful,
magnanimous, and fittingly expressive
of high ideals
Leaving out the high ideals" this
would simply be made to express in
plain English: IF you desire peace,
if you wish to avoid war, be prepared
at all times
That Mr.. Taft should regret the fail
ure Of his two attempts at arbitration
and at reciprocity with Canada is not
surprising. He meant well, indeed,
and time alone will bear him out as a
man of broad, peaceful international
ideas, to whom war and slaughter is
abhorrent.
His rap to the Senate for not sane
tioning the so-called loan convention
by means of which might have been
averted useless loss of life and the
bombardment of defenseless cities in
Central America is merited, for it de-
prived this government of the chance
of executing its well-developed policy
of extending aid to our weak sister
republics, a policy which was fore
Swallowed by Mr.. Knox's trip last
summer.
And, in conclusion, we certainly ad-
nit that the United States has reason
to look with pride upon our great
work in Panama; that the opening of
the Canal is fated to ring in new
era in our international life, and that
the nation should meet the situation
fittingly by taking the commercial lead
of the world.
But whether, as a retiring Chief
Executive, Mr.. Taft will impress Con-
Cress to the extent that he evidently