New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-09
Let Him Go.

II DR.. Dumba acted upon his own mi
tative in planning TO tie up American
plants bv strikes. he was guilty Of an
affront to this nation passing the bounds
Of any minor indiscretion, and he should
be sent home without delay.
II the Austrian Ambassador acted IN
obedience 10 the instructions Of his gov
eminent in deliberately undertaking 10
fonent civil disorder in friendly nation,
then the responsibility for the affront and
the injury 10 this country rests with Aus
tria-Hungary. not with its representative
But not less patiently DR.. Dumba should
receive his passports. And, IN ADDITION
the Austrian Government should be asked
for an explanation.
No nation can tolerate the thing that
the Austrian Ambassador was prepared
10 do. No nation can tolerate the ATTITUDE
that is disclosed as the attitude Of Aus
tria. if the country, not the ambassador
was the guilty party The smallest evl-
dence this country can give Of its view OF
sucb an outrageous and indefensible
course is to dismiss Dumba.
There comes from Washington the IN
nleasaDt suggestion that the adminlstra-
ton feels that it must 60 slow because
the Austrian Government, not the Aus
trian Ambassador, was conceivably re
snonsible for the outrageous proposal
Why? Are we less bound to resent the IN
vasion Of American rights as the delioer-
ate act of a nation than as the individual
indiscretion of an ambassador?
There is also the intimation that the
dismissal of Dumba might provoke the
similar dismissal Of Ambassador Penheld
in Vienna. What if it does? Are we
hound to hesitate in the defence OF our
RIGHTS and the determination not to sub
NIT 70 insufTerable wrongs merely because
the consequences may be serious? II Aus
tria desires to assert that she possesses
,he right to interfere in the internal
sTairs of the United States and maintain
her assertion by dismissing Mr.. Peniield'
tbcn the sooner such a contention IS
placed squarely in daylight the better.
The Tribune agrees with its neighbor
"The sun" that it is an incomprehenslble
thing that the administration should pro-
nose TO wait until it is satisfied Of what
the country desired before it acted IN the
Dumba case. As well might the police
man on his beat await the decision OF the
residents in the block before he arrested
man for disturbing the peace or other
wise transgressing the law.
There is limit to all this eagerness
10 avoid war and escape a break be-
tween nations. No nation has ever given
more convincing proof Of its honest desire
10 reach a peaceful solution of its differ
ences than we have in the case of Ger
many and Austria. But the desire and
the effort cannot always be solely on one
side. We cannot forever seek to ex-
cuse what the Teutonic powers con-
tirue TO do TO our detriment without
losing the right to defend ourselves and
repulse intolerable injury.
The atmosphere Of Washington is get
ting bit unwholesome, it would seem.
There is an unpleasant hint in recent in
cidents that the main concern is not TO
see a way through difficulties, but a road
to run away from them. More Americans
every day are becoming suspicious, FESTIVE
and dissatisfied with the situation at the
capital There is an earnest desire to
support the President, but there is grow
ing wish that there might be a better de-
fined programme 20 support.
After all. it cannot be that the American
people have utterly changed their char
acter in half a century. North and South
we fought long and desperate war for
the things that we on either side of the
Mason and Dixon line believed were right.
No one wants 10 fight now; not any con-
siderable fraction of the nation wished TO
fight then. But in 1861 there were mill
ions Of Americans who believed that war,
civil war at that, was more tolerable than
the peace that was possible. Dishonor
was not tolerable even after three years
Of war had turned larger area Of this
country into a desert than has yet been
swept by the great war in Europe.
We want nothing from Germany and
Austria but those things which are guar
anteed TO us by all the laws that nations
have accepted in their dealings with each
other. We ask no favor, concession, u
special privilege. But if, despite this,
Germany continues 20 murder our citi-
zens on the high seas and Austria pro-
claims her right TO foment strikes and
disorder within our boundaries, what is
there left to do but TO take those steps 10
protect our lives and our own peace which
are required by the circumstances Ger
man end Austrian acts create?
There is not an ounce Of chauvinism, Of
passion, Of violence, in American feelings
today. But the patient man is proven.