The Washington herald., 1915-12-11
me Tr,llA & 4.

1
controlling voice in the council chamber Of tn.
nations. Today, after many years Of careful prep
aration, young. vigorous a9d rapidly growing
lempre is challenging her supremacy Britain hal
many allies in the struggle because her power ha,
nearly always been enlisted. sincerely if not al
ways intelligenty, the side of freedom and jus
ltce Germany on the other hand has few friend.
because her power has always spelled the rigor
ous exploitation of everything German and the
destruction of everything that does not bear the
hallmark of kutur. Therefore she has been able
ito rally to her side only Austria that inner sane
tuary of the divine rights of kings and mobiles; Bull
garia, betrayed by Hohenzollern King and Tur-
key, nation whose name has stunk in the nostrils
jof civilization for six Hundred years.
Col. Roosevelt believes that when the war
broke out we should have taken stand in the
ranks of the allies. Morally he is right Politi-
eally he is right only the theory that the des-
tinies of the Anglo-Saxon nations are insepara-
bic, theory that rightly wrongly but quite
naturally the majority of Americans who have
hardly any trace of the Anglo-Saxon about them
have repudiated. The struggle, however it may
have commenced, is one between Britain and Ger
many for the leadership of the pack Britain fight
ing to keep what she has, Germany to get what
she believes is her right. That leadership which
in the hands of English statesmen has been any
thing but aggressive or irksome, the other nations
of Europe do not dispute. One day Russia may
dispute it but the time is not yet ripe What then
of the United States?
We shall dispute this leadership either with
Britain Germany as the case may be when the
opportunity presents itself. That is why we have
kept out of the struggle 1t is to advantage
that potential rivals shall weaken each other
as much as possible This is what all of our apos-
ties of preparedness have in their hearts and all
the talk that post-prandia orators and states
men put forth about our objects being purely de-
fensive and our having no interests in the Eastern
hemisphere. and on. is just much hypocriti-
cal balderdash We desire to be great nation
and to have place in the sun" which is just
a synonym for "bossing the show" and though we
are not so truculent so Objectionable about it
Our aspirations in this respect not whit diff
ferent from those that Germany has published
broadcast to the world.
In living up to these aspirations we acting
naturally, legitmately and saney, and therefore it
is ridiculous to be dishonest about it and to at
tempt to conceal ambitions which we rather
scared of because we do not fully understand that
they inevitable.
At the present moment the American people
is struggling between two conflicting emotions.
We do not want Germany to win because we arc
opposed mentally and morally to her philosophy
and politics. We do not want Britain to win on
the other hand because if she does it means good
by to our immediate chances of lifting consid-
cradle, much less dominant voice in the affairs
OF the worlds democracies. If we had been lit
tie franker in stating this to be positon-and
it is one that history evolution, ethnography or
what you will must account for and not a thing
of immediate choosing-our apparently surly
neutrality would have lost the esteem of our
neighbors. Selfshness-and all nations are and
must be sclhsh-may not be admirable but it is
not sign OF weakness. At the close of the present
struggle shall be in position, in all respects
but and the will to arm, to control the des-
tlnies of the terrestrial globe On the other hand
the European nations impoverished financially and
with their resources OF cannon food materially
depleted, will only be armed to the teeth, but
will have the immense reserves of spiritual vigor
that war always begets. We shall look to them
very much fat white caterpillar does to a
party of hungry ants.
We must arm-f the poison engendered when !
wealth accumulates and men decay" has not eaten
so deeply info our system that we are no longer
capable of arming and arm well and lastingly. No
m-politcal outburst of enthusiasm that produces
nothing but extra pair of Dreadnoughts and a
world of sound and fury is going to suffice. The
stand aside may not and probably will not come
for fifty years. But it will come, and fifty years is
little time in which to prepare for it.
But above all let us not undertake this thing |
and imagine fondly that the other nations will ac-
cept our pacific protestations will not realize
exactly what we are about. Recently Lord Rose
berry deprecated the proposed enlargement of our
navy and stated that it simply meant continual
ton of the burden of ornaments since Britain ,
would never consent to lose to lessen the mar
gin of her maritime supremacy. We regret that |
that is true, but unable to oblige Lord Rose
berry. He doubt thinks that the so-called Anglo
Saxon races should exhibit some kind of give-and-
ake or harmony in this matter. To that we reply !
simply that not Anglo-Saxon race as
he English understand the term and the sooner
hey realize it the better for them though perhaps l
he worse for We have fought with Great Brit
lin before. We shall exhibit no blushing reluc-
ance to do again. Then why not be frank
,bout it, |,
There are many Americans who will deny the |
,iews here expressed Let them realize that they
ire in a rapidly dwndling minority. Great Britain
md the United States going hand in hand to lead