New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-25
sELF.INTEREsTED NEUTRAL
Are Human Rights Unimportan
COMPARED with Commerce?
Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: The attitude of President Nllso
toward the warning nations Of Europe
very much the attitude OF a truck-drlve
toward q couple of brawlers fighting IN III
street. "Get out Of my way shouts u
truck-driver. go into some alley and fgh
it out, but don't block up the traffic or II
nave you jugged. Out of my way! Get 'ep
Damn you both"
Il is becoming increasingly apparent thai
this attitude Of the administration does not
represent the attitude Of the American peo-
pie. There is a growing demand that thu
administration shall represent the people
One may be a peace-dictator quite as vel
as a war-dictator What we want is repre-
.eutation. not dictation, whether the demand
of the people is for peace or for war.
This is not saying that the demand Of the
American people is for war. But II our ma
ton is to remain neutral we demand a ner-
trality which we can respect. We do no,
respect a purely commercial and self-inter-
ested neutrality.
In the note recently addressed to Great
Britain the United States is made to declare
that "the task of championing the integ-
rity of neutral rights, which have received
the sanction Of the civilized world, against
the lawless conduct Of belligerents arising
out of the bitterness OF the great conflict
which is now wasting the countries Of Eu-
rope the United States unhesitatingly as
sumes, and to the accomplishment OF that
task il will devote its energies
.La Unit ted tat a G
sumed tho task Of championins the In
tegrity of neutral rights to say nothing Of
the "unhesitatingly"? Did the United States
assume the task of championing the integ
rity of neutral rights" when the neutral
rights Of Belgium were violated! or when
the neutral rights of the passengers on the
Lusitania were violated? These are only
two of number of incidents in which neu-
trail rights have been openly fouted and
ruthlessly violated What has been the will
OF the American people in regard to these
matters? Has the will Of the people been
represented in governmental action?
It will be said that the United States Il
not in a position TO enforce demands regard
irg the humane rights of neutrals That
should not prevent our country from raising
its voice in protest and denunciation. More
over. this argument Of unpreparedness applies
equally TO the demands which the United
States has made regarding the commercial
rights of neutrals. The reply is made that
there is no thought of enforcing these de-
mands. that they are made solely for the
support they will give the United States in
IFS indemnity claims when the war is over
and these protested violations of our com
mercial rights as neutrals are settled b.
processes of international law. But will no.,
this other matter, of the humane rights OF
neutras, be a subject likewise for settlement,
by international law when the war is over?
Every argument which justiies our protest
against the violation of the commercial
rights of neutrals justifes also our protest
against the violation Of their humane rights.
Is there nothing of the heroic in our blood,
nothing of the chivalrous? Have we be-
come a nation Of hucksters and truck
drivers?
If our action as a neutral nation is TO be
confined to the sending of notes to the bel
ligerent nations let us send at least one
little note to Germany with one little word
of protest against her lawlessness and in
humanity. Until we do that, let US not
utter another syllable of protest against the
violation of our commercial rights. To do
this, however the nice, academic balance OF
our neutrality correspondence would have
to be disturbed a bit, for such note OF
protest could be sent to one group of the
belligerent nations only. f. VI. S
Worcester, Mass, Nov. 81, 1915.