Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-20
A MATTER OF PLANES.

| stanford university, California, mas
! summed up the Panama tolls contro
versy as "A Matter Of Planes" Wheth
peal. he says, seems TO depend largely
on his idea OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. he
determines to support his country
right or wrong. or whether he takes
| into account the foreign as well as the
home nation. The controversy is be-
tween the national and the interna;
tionaI mind.
The international mind, says PROBES
sor Krehbiel, 'perceives that a selfish
policy may in the long run prove dis
astrous. 1t recognizes the fact that ma
tional honor is determined not only
by what a nation thinks of itself. but
also by what others think of it. The
man with the international mind is pa
triotic. but nationally instead Of emo
tionally. Patriotism according to his
light, requires him to keep his country
from doing wrong. instead OF biindly
supporting il when it has done wrong;
and national honor consists, not in self
satisfied resisting of claims of other
powers, but in the square deal. He
seeks what with all the sincerity of mis-
heart he believes to be the nations
highest interest in the light of the
common ideals and conscience OF hu-
manity. Can there be any truer pa
triotism?
ITO the American with the national
way OF thinking it matters little. If at
all, whether the exemption of Ameri-
canal is economically desirable or Ie-
gally justiiable; whether a treaty has
been contravened or not; whether for
eign people regard our action in vot-
ing the exemption as honorable or
no. He asks merely what would be OF
advantage to the United |
States, and finding that exemption |
from tolls is supposed TO be advantag |
eous, he asks no more. The nation has |
spoken; the nat:oh must be right, and |
he calmly identifies national honor |
with this supposed material advan-
tage. To him needing the protest of |
Great Britain would he trucking" or |
'surrendering control of our own af-
fairs" Indeed, he may think that we !
ought to ignore the protest merely be-
cause a foreign power has dared to
make it.
This course OF reasoning does not
impress the man with the international
way of thinking. He wants to know
whether a treaty has been violated or
whether foreigners think it has. He
5 concerned about our fair name and
equation for square dealing among
'ther peoples. To refuse to give i'm
Mediate and serious attention 10 pro-
est merely to vindicate our independ-
nee in the face OF the nation making
he protest does not to his mind be-
ray a sense OF NATIONAL or any other
Ind OF honor. but rather childishness,
Tor does he regard ii as trucking to
lquire whether we have kept our
ord; on the contrary. he considers it
onsonant with the highest nonor 20
rove beyond question our determine
lon TO keep faith with all the world.
TITS unintelligible to the national
lind how President Wilson can in the
ame breath ask for a repeal of the !
ause granting toll exemption and |
-opose that We do il without raising
lie question whether We are right or
irong. For to that mind there is no
UGH thing as the nation being wrong,
nd no reason for the repeal But the
mind can understand
lat there is nothing inconsistent in the
residents position. For IT perceives
nat what seems right from the view
oint OF a nations selfish interests
lay be wrong in the light OF its broad
interests; that, even if there were
D doubt among ourselves of the sound
sss OF our position on the tolls ques-
0n, II may still be in accordance with
IT larger interests in the present and
IT influence for the right in the fu-
re 10 subject our national sense of
ght 10 our International duty and rep
alton.
President Wilson has the interna-
nal mind; no wonder that he is so
tie understood by those who see
rough the spectacles OF nationalism.
II the national mind Is traditional
d moves in well-worn grooves:
lereas the international mind is new
ID moves on a broad altruistic level
: removed from the level OF narrow
d self-centred nstionalism. Presi-
II Wilson is not unpatriotic, but is
Tiotic according TO his broader Wis
He stands not for immediate ad-
1tage. but for the ultimate good. ma
aai honor. His policy is not 'un-
erican,' as some have asserted, but
He seeks 10 give a
are deal II Is all a matter OF the
,e on which one stands" 4.