South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-06-10
EFFECT OF MIR. BRYAN's REsIG
NATION HERE AND ABROAD.


pected. Chronic enemies Of the re
firing secretary are making use OF I
Ito a FRAGILE" in venting their lates
spleen upon him, but he too has hi
friends willing TO overlook what +
generally termed his "indiscretion.
for the sake OF his conscience on,
voice, coming from Washington. how
ever. dissents from all others. by
while criticising him for his act. be
lieves that IL will serve TO assure Ger
many OF the intense determination o.
the administration to stand by il
original note and admit Of no further
equivocation. The dispatch quotes i
as being the major opinion OF otricia
Washington:
Mr.. Bryan's resignation will in
tensify the seriousness Of the note
which the president will dispatch
TO Berlin. II will give that note
In spite Of the friendly terms in
which IL is couched. the charac-
ter OF an ultimatum.
Germany will realize that the
president would not permit the
retirement OF his secretary OF
state unless he meant to secure
compliance with the demands the
United States has presented. IL
will realize further that the day
of the pacificist in the American
administration has gone. that
what in fact exists in Washing
ton is a cabinet which is pre-
pared 20 go to war.
Having accepted Mr.. Bryan's
resignation. Pres't Wilson must
vindicate his judgment, must
carry out 10 the end, in fact the
poIfqy rvhfph fuanpurafnH
Any backdown from the position
assumed, and which has cost him
the services and support of the
powerful politician, Bryan, would
cause the president TO lose the
backing of that section Of the
people who are for strong and de-
termined action.
In other words. Br. Bryans action,
IL is expected. will convince the Ger
man imperial government that the
United States government is not
blufing. and that no single member
of its cabinet will be permitted to con-
vert its representations into a bluff.
Whether this will be Of more service
10 the United States than for Germany
10 recognize in us a thoroughly united
country is another question. The Ger
man ministers have asserted all along
that they cared less for the admins
tratiOn disposition than for the dis
position of the American people, and
If the German press and the German
people. likewise the German govern
ment. are to regard Mr.. Bryan's move
as the German-American press seems
to be regarding il, the compensation
to be derived from establishing a con-
viction over there that Pres't Wilson
really means all that he says. may
help some. but doubtful if it will be of
the value that a united administration
might have been.
Paul r Mueller. the editor of the
Abendpost. an evening German paper,
says that sec'y Bryans resignation
had TO come in view Of his views on
arbitration:
Since Bryan has always been
the aTCh-champiOn of arbitration,
don't see how he could do any
thing else When the other mem
bers OF the cabinet refused 10
listen to him he had TO resign.
II the cause of Mr. Bryan's
resignation is because that the
rev note 10 Germany makes no
concessions and does not sug-
gest arbitration as a possible sOlu-
ton OF the difficulty. as was init
mated in Germanys note, and
takes the same stand maintained
by the president in his former
note that Germany must give up
submarine warfare against all
neutral ships, it means that the
president is insisting upon this
point In his new note.
Il 81 "A hos
been upholding peace and Justice.
and his resignation is therefore
10 be deplOred.
The Stats Zeitung, a German morn
ing newspaper. comments editorially
on Bryan's resignation as follows:
II was generally said that
BRYAN was the evil spirit who in
huenCed the president I'm a derog-
atory manner. and that Bryan's
pro-British feelings since the be
ginning of the European war had
especially prevented the president
from being neutral in words as
I'm spirit
During the last few weeks. and
in particular since the relations
between this republic and Ger
many had become dangerously
strained and the president in his d.
note TO Germany had used an
harsh tone. the world has discov-
cred that Bryan has been accused
unjustly OF unneutTal enmity-
toward Germany.
And there you have 1T. doubtless fair
representations OF German and Ger
man-American opinion. with much OF
the old hyphenated Americanism re-
vived. by one from whom the country
has had every reason TO expect the
most We doubt IL anything that Mr..
Bryan can say in defense Of mis- action
will go far toward removing the curse.
We all concede that he is a good dem
ocrat: that he held the party together
for more than decade with millions
OF other democrats practically with
out hope. that he was largely instru-
mental In making Woodrow Wilson
the nations present chief executive,
but mat oniy gave W reason 20 expect
the more Of Mir IN time OF such i'm
pendfng perfl