South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-20
WAGES OF NEUTRALITY.

hell, sometimes 10 try TO keep out Of
.Far Belligerency. IL appears. TecOg-
nizSs only favoritism for itself as neu-
trality. 1t hasn't time 10 recognize
evenness Of anything. When. because
hampered by its own weakness, il is
unable TO get everything that il wants.
il insists that the neutral powers
ought 10 force a similar weakness up
on all antagonists.
Berlin's latest protest over the So
called violation of neutrality by the
United States ia permitting the ship
ment OK arms and munitions to the
warning nations, is accordingly not
well taken.
Germany cites as a case in point. the
embargo on arms TO Mexico at the
time OF the Carranza outbreak. This
Is by no means a parallel case. This
country had never recognized Huerta's
administration as being the de facto
government OF Mexico. nor could there
have been any violation of neutrality
by stopping the shipment Of arms.
even, IL so, for the Mexican war was
an internal affair. involving no other
country.
All nations involved in the European
struggle have an equal right to import
munitions from America or from any
other country, il they are able to do
so. and their ability or inability to do
so is governed only by the power OF
the enemy to prevent. Quite evil
IDENTIFY, TO place an embargo on war
munitions at the present time would
be but 20 deprive Britain Of the rights
OF wer secured by her by long prep
aration TO maintain her superiority on
the seas; precautions taken at the
same time Germany was attempting
10 make herself invincible on land.
by manufacturing AZ centimeter guns
and Zeppelins. 1t is 10 be regretted
that Germany is not disposed TO give
due recognition of the sincere at
tempt of the United States to be absO-
lutely fair and impartial. and pro-
testing that she is not getting a square
deal doesn't sound good. coming sim
ultaneously with the sinking Of a relief
ship flying the American flag and also
at a time when two of its most eff
fective privateers have voluntarily
sought refuge in an American port.
But this is not the worst OF il. We
have Il from George Sylvester Viereck,
writing in the Fatherland. seemingly
a German American organ of the Eu-
ropean war. that Germanys protest
is already playing. and Will continue
to play, an important part in Ameri-
can politics. Mr.. Viereck. whom we
understand 10 be a rabid stand-pat
republican. is WELDING his pen with a
vengeance in behalf Of the republican
party. and TO mollycOddle the Ger
man-Americans comedies 10 them.
with plenty of vinegary criticism Of
Pres't Wilson and Sec'y Bryan. that it
was they-the COMMUNICATIONS OF
Chicago.-who recently turned the
mayoralty election over TO Mr.. VIII
liam Hale Thompson.
And possibly it was. at least 10 an
extent II has been well-known for
some time that the republican party
has been doing everything possible to
exaggerate the administration attitude
toward Germany into an apparent I'M
friendliness, thus to play upon the
German prejudice. and capture the
German-American support. Mr.. Vie
reck tells us that the German
Amecican vote cannot be delivered;
that the German American cannot be
bribed." in which we agree with him,
but evidently he thinks it can be cap
tured by humbuggery. which, IL il
cannot, means that his efforts TO re-
publicanize all German America. will
prove woefully vain.
German Americans will eventually
see the light OF Pres't Wilson's fairness
toward the fatherland. They will not
always charge Germany's weakness on
the seas. and her inability 20 come
here and carry away arms and muni-
tons OF war as the allies are doing. up
against the United States. as a weak
ness that we should shoulder. If
Germany were in control OF the seas.
she would be buying munitions. etc,
the same as Britain is. while England
would be complaining. and Germany
would be accusing us Of unfairness
were we even 20 listen TO her. Ger
many has had a square deal from this
government and that is as much as
she has any right 10 expect. Neither
will the administration be bribed into
violating its neutrality 50 as 10 favor
Germany. by any threatened loss OF
the German American vote for the
democratic party next year.
II German trouble making continues,
Americans will begin 10 believe that
there is truth in the weird tales cur
rent in Europe about the methods OF
German diplomacy. There are a num-
Der OF things that might require ex-
PLANTATION. 1t would be interesting TO
know what are the secret activities OF
DR.. Dernburg He has so plainly
avowed his contempt for our inteli-
j gence that there is good reason for
snPposing him 10 be little less than
scrupulous. 10 would be interesting.
too 10 know tho full activities OF Cant