New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-11
INACTION is wIsDoMs HEIGHT
The Only Meaning Of Applause for
Presidents Policy.
o the Editor of The Tribune

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: Having read ancient and modern his.
tory, studied Plutarch and Tactus, Montaigns
and La Rochefoucauld, for the first time in
the annals of the world find policy Of In.
action, do-nothing, non-resstance, lack Of mi.
tistive, proclaimed in the American PRESS AZ
the height of wisdom, the ne plus ultra Of
craftsmanship, the last word in government
According to this the Lotus Eaters were Ii.
wisest men who adorn the legends Of an
tiquity and President Buchanan was The
greatest of all possible Presidents, not even
Excepting that marvel Of genius, that suprem.
expression Of intelligence, the present oees.
pant of the White House
have been astonshed to discover that
great diplomatic triumph has been achieved
by the United States at the expense Of Ger.
many. So it is proclaimed in all the news.
papers with few exceptions. Having lived in
Europe, having studied the German character
it is my candid opinion that what is pro-
claimed as an American triumph Is very dis
tlnctly a German triumph.
In the war which Prussia made on Austris
IN 1866 she secured the neutrality OF France
by dangling Luxembourg before her eyes
France never got Luxembourg, and she paid
for her neutrality by the loss OF Alsace and
Lorraine and huge indemnity.
| In 1870 England was induced TO remain neu'
trail by guarantee that Belgium should Be
respected, and she is paying for that neutral
| ity to-day the most terrible price which sH
has been called on to pay in all her history.
Let America profit by the example o.
France and England!
The German thugs struck US a blow full Z.
the face when they sank the Lusitania. No
nation and no individual ever received suca
an gnominious, cowardly. rotten insult be-
fore. Our patriotism famed up for day o.
TWO and you would really have thought tnh
there was something of our traditional CHAR
acter left in the American people. But the
newspapers cooled down and now we are re-
duced to the humiliating position Of accept
| ing any old excuse the German Foreign Once
and their interpreter Herr Bernstorf, care 70
! offer us.
Why do they offer US any excuse or ma"
any promises? German promises count !"
as much as the ultimatums OF the present az
ministration. She can give them freely lu"
now to keep us from declaring war on &C,
count of the effect it might have on neutis'
opinion in Europe All that Germany wsnu
is not to have Holland or any OF the neutni
Balkan States arrayed against her. But mars
how different her attitude when the war
over!
She will then demand a huge indemhlH
based on our shipment Of munitions 70 w
Allies. Refused, war; And in this war sh'
counts on the United States being helpless %
account of internal enemies cooperating WV. Wv.
external enemies-civil war cnce more w.
internecine war, but something worse.
History is never certain TO follow along y.
lines Of those who prophesy. But Just D .'sI
this prophecy in your mind. IL viii be ~,
this: Ours will be the fate Of France ss
England. We stood aside at the critical nv
ment when we might have struck blow m'.
would have cleared our Shole future wi'h0s'
the tremendous risks which we assume Nhs'
we attempt to deal alone with the most ~
scrupulous monster TO whom government h'
been intrusted in civilized or sen.i-eyln'-
countries. WILLIAM HALE
New York City, Sept. 7, 1915.