New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-08
WILSON REALIZES
PERIL,SAYSPRESS
Message Praised for Bold
Support of Defence, De-
spite Former Stand.
ATTITUDE ON SHIP
PURCHASE ATTACKED
German Editor Calls Attack
Poisonous Blossom from
HOtbed of Passion.
The World.

The World.
Not since the Civil War has any
other President given TO the Congress
such momentous Information 81 the
ssats of the Union" as President Will
son gave II in an address dealing al
most wholly with the issue Of national
defence In its various forms.
! No other part Of that address was so
momentous as those paragraphs IN
which the President asserted that "ths
grsvest threats against our peace anc
safety have been uttered within our
own borders"
Unless this session of Congress Is
alive with the inspiration OF America
First" unless il is willing to subordi,
nate everything else to that cardinal
principle OF patriotism. the future CT
this republic is darker than II has been
at any time since the Confederacy
reached It's high tide on Cemetery
Ridge az Gettysburg.
The Times.
There will, of course. be general re-
greet that the President persists in his
support of legislation for government
owned and operated merchant SHIPS.
The enactment of that ill-considered
measure is demanded neither by the
country's need nor by its wish The
policy has not been justified in the
argument. 1t will have evil results,
( it is not the right way to restore the
: independence of our sea-borne com
merce. But II there is dissent from
4 that recommendation, there will be
| cordial approval of the Presidents sug-
| gestion for study of the possibilities
of modelling our industries as a
/ logical part of our preparations for
national defence. And when he sug-
gests an inquiry into the question
whether our laws as at present framed
and administered are as serylceaDle
as they might be in aiding the rail
roads of the country in the vast ser
vice they are called upon to render,
there will be instant and general as
sent and response.
The Sun.
We congratulate the Hon. Woodrow
Wilson and likewise the country upon
the singularly felicitous circumstance
that the President has had the courage
and the patriotism 20 modify in a
marked degree his previous attitude
with respect to two of the greatest
questions now demanding the attention
Of the Sixty-fourth Congress, namely:
!. National preparation for military
and naval defence;
2. The governments relation 10 the
nations railway system, and other OPP
pressive and restrictive forms Of pa
ternalistic interference with matters
belonging to private initiative and en-
Geayor.
The Evening Post.
I No one can read President Wilson'S
message TO Congress without feeling
/ that into some parts Of IL he put a
great deal of heart, while in other por-
tons he is rather cold and perfunctory.
II we were TO judge by fervor Of ex-
preston. we should say that the sub
jects which most deeply interest the
President are peace. liberty, justice,
the rights Of man, the independence Of
nations, pride in America. In his pro-
posals for increasing our military
. strength, he displays no warmth. II is
rather as a disagreeable necessity, TO
his mind, that they seem TO be put for
ward. Perhaps at this point his pen
was hampered by remembering his
message
for retaining from doing anything
which might show that Eve had been
thrown off our balance by a war with
which we have nothing to do" There
spoke the instructive Wilson. undoubt-
eddy. In now accepting the plans Of
/ the War and Navy departments for en-
/ largement of our military power. he is
doing something alien TO his charac-
/ terstc impulse.
The Staats-Zeitung.
The late inimitable and lamented
/ Mark Twain once told the story of a
/ stage coach on a Western run, for pas
sage in which first, second and third
class tickets were sold A prospective
passenger, unacquainted with the
habits Of the line and quite Scotch in
his theories Of economy, purchased a
third class ticket, said nothing and
mounted the coach. When it ap-
preached the first hill on its route the
driver drew up and called out: FIRST
class passengers, keep your seats
Second class passengers, get out and
walk Third class passengers, get out
and push"
The Presidents address of yesterday
to the Congress leaves no doubt that he
is attempting to drive the American
coach of state on similar lines. The
third class Americans are theoretically
defined by Mr.. Wilson to be German
and Irish Americans. They can get out
and push and they probably will. The
second class includes such gentlemen
as Messrs. Roosevelt, Choate ct al, who
do not agree with Mr.. Wilson except IN
being sufficiently un-American TO be
pro-British. They may walk. The FIRST
class Americans those who swear by
the cross Of St George are Woodrow
Wilson and, If there is room left on
the seat, those who approve Of Wood
row Wilson as Chief Executive of the