The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-01-02
NEUTRAL NATIONS MAY DEMAND PEACE

IIh DLInhllD HLhOL
to me last week: 1.-THE rights of BEL
ligerents must stop when the rights
Of neutrals are interfered with" This
may mean revision of international
law, but if so international law must
be revised. Moreover, 1t should be
done at once. 80
1t is shame for these ships longer
to be tied up at our piers, to the detri-
ment of hundreds of thousands Of
people on both sides of the ocean. II
during the remainder of the war the
nations cannot be made to agree to
permit these ships to transport cot
ton from the United States to Ger.
many and dyes from Germany to the
United States they should be willing
that we use the ships of any nation
to transport goods between North and
South America.
Although we may have no love for
the Germans and may not wish to see
them victorious in this conflict, vet
we must not forget that it is the Eng.
lish navy that has held up American
commerce and stopped the wheels Of
industry in this country. 1t has not
been the German navy nor the Aus.
trian navy; no, not even the French
or Russian navy. The English navy
alone is responsible for the business
depression in this country today with
Its accompanying unemployment, fail
ures and general ruin. And yet, ac-
cording to international law as now
written. the English are fully justified
in their acts.
If our Government will, however,
unite with the other neutrals, as sus.
gested by this neutrality commission,
and guarantee the shipments of cop
per, cotton and every thing else, ex-
cepting the munitions of war, and send
a few warships over with the first
ships, there will be no more holdups.
If the United States and all the other
nations of this western hemisphere
unanimously ask England to permit
the ships of every nation peacefully
to carry on their commerce between
North and South America l believe
that England is broad-minded enough
to grant such a request.
l do not believe it would be neces.
sary for us to accompany such ships
with an escort of battleships. There
is no doubt that England would grace.
fully agree to this plan, to which the
other nations are already agreed. Our
people would then be able to continue
to make an honest living, our navy
would be justified in its existence, and
our Government could separate itself
from Anglomaniacism and the Oft
repeated taunt that it interferes only
with weak nations.
British Statesmen Favorable.
Personally, I have great confidence
In the English, and I believe that they
would agree with the other belliger-
ents in the adoption of the suggestion
Of this neutrality commission. Al
though England controls the seas to-
day, she must realize that she cannot
always hope to do so. The wheel
keeps going around, and this control
Will be taken away from her some
day, as it has been from France,
Spain, Venice and other nations, each,
in Its turn. From talks which have
had with English statesmen, am con-
WINGED that a large number of them
are far-seeing enough to urge the
adoption Of this naturalization plan
If they can be assured that it will pro-
vide for England's security in the gem
erations to come and prevent any
other nation from securing control of
the seas at England's expense.
On the other hand, some even suo.
aest that If England requires some
pressure to bring about such change
the nations Of North and South Amer.
lea, together with certain Of the neu-
trail nations Of Europe, should unite at
once and apply this pressure while
England is engaged In this war.
They say that England has been
careful during the past dozen years
not to declare war against Germany
until enough other countries had done
20 to make the defeat Of the Germans
reasonably certain from EnsIand's
point Of view. Would it be unfair,
they ask, to employ the same tactics
and have this great question settled
now while it is reasonably certain
that none of these great nations would
fight us, knowing that we stand only
for justice and equality?
Certainly there is some reason to
think that by some means the United
States can at this time help on CIV
ilization In a great big way.
President Wilson has made It known
that he is emphatically against the
literacy test in the immigration Bill
pending in the Senate. This feature
of the bill is practically everywhere
regarded as exceptionally vicious.