The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-09-09
DID ROOSEVELT BETRAY WOOD:

LET it be remembered" exclaim-
ed Col. Roosevelt, that my whole
speech was a speech in favor Of pre-
paredness and against any division
in our allegiance to our common
flag"
How much Col. Roosevelt's speech
was speech in favor of prepared
ness and against divided allegiance
may be determined from the follow
ing passages:
Under The Hague convention it
was our bounden duty to take what
ever action was necessary to prevent,
and, if not to prevent, then to undo,
the hideous wrong that was done to
Belgium We have shirked this duty.
We have shown spirit SO abject that
Germany has deemed it safe to kill
our women and children on the high
seas. AS for the export of NUM-
tons of war, is would be base
abandonment of morality to refuse
to make these shipments. Such a
refusal is proposed only to favor the
nation that sank the Lusitania and
the Arabic and committed the crime
against Belgium, the greatest inter-
national crime since the close of the
Napoleonic contests century ago. 1t
it not lofty thing, on the contrary
it is an evil thing, to practice timid
and selfish neutrality between right
and wrong. 1t is wrong for an indi-
vidual. 1t is still more wrong for a
nation. But it is worse in the name
of neutrality to favor the nation that
has done evil.
GAS regards the export Of NUM-
tons of war, morality of the act de-
ponds upon the use to which the mu-
nitions are to be put. It was wrong
to subjugate Belgium. 1t is wrong
to keep her in subjugation. 1t is an
utterly contemplate thing not to
help in every possible way to undo
the wrong. The manufacturers of
cannon, rifles, cartridges, automo-
biles or saddlery who refuse to ship
them for use by the armies that are
striving to restore Belgium to it's own
honor.
Exactly the same morality should
obtain internationally that obtains
nationally. 1t is right for private
firm to furnish arms to the police
man who puts down the thug, the
burglar, the white SLAYER and the
blackhander. 1t is wrong to furnish
the blackhander, the burglar and the
white SLAYER with weapons to be used
against the policeman. The analogy
holds true in International life.
Germany has herself been the
greatest manufacturer Of NUM-
tons of war to be supplied to
belligerents. She supplied NUM-
tons to England to subjugate
the Beers and to the Turk to keep
the Christians in subsection. Let us
furnish munitions to the men who,
showing courage which We have not
shown, wish to rescue Belgium from
and spoliation and degra-
dation."
Let is be observed that some of
the most Objectionable parts of this
speech were in no sense criticism
of the administration. On the con-
trary, they were a defense of the
presidents attitude toward the ex-
portation of munitions OF war. But
that makes the case no better. The
speech in its most important aspects
was demand for war upon Germany
and an attack upon the President for
keeping the United States out of war
with Germany. The making OF such
a speech at a military encampment
held under the auspices of high COM
officers of the United States
army was an offense against the gov
eminent of the United States which
the war department could not over
look unless the orders issued to the
army at the beginning OF the war
were to be treated as a scrap OF
paper.
Col. Roosevelt could not be held
personally responsible Cor his def
anee of military discipline and de-
cency, so the responsibility naturally
devolved upon the officer who was in
command of the camp and who in
vited Col. Roosevelt to speak.
The Plattsburg correspondent OF
the Times is authority for the asser-
ton that before the speech was de-
livered Gen Wood told Col. Roose-
Welt that he hoped that in his speech
he would not utter any criticism OF
the government or of President Will
son." II this is true Col. Roosevelt's
betrayal of Gen. Woods confidence
was an act of personal treachery be-
meath the contempt OF honorable
York World.