The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-12
OF COURSE COUNTRY
LOOKS To |. R. FOR
ITS LEADERSHIP %
Says Wilson Policy Would
Place United States In Cate
CORY With China
Hero Of San Juan
L.usts For Gore
Bull-Moose Demands Immed-
late Action By America In
Lusitania Matter-Fine OPP
portunity to Advertise Self

Syracuse. N. Y, May 11.--Theodore
Roosevelt demands of the government
OF the United States that 1t forthwith
forbid all commerce with Germany
and permit and encourage commerce
OF any sort with the allies.
He gave out a statement tonight
which virtually ridiculed the attitude
OF President Wilson, as the presidents
attitude seemed implied to him by the
Presidents Philadelphia speech. He
asserted that a blood and iron policy
cannot be met by milk and water
policy. and that such theories as were
enunicated by the President would
make the United States as impotent
as China.
Colonel Roosevelt insisted that the
Arm assertion of our national rights
would not mean war with Germany,
but he promptly added
There are things worse than war. :"
Murder On Large Scale.
He repeated his charge that Ger
many is numbering on an enormous
scale and that the time has come for
Of American men, women and babies.
When his attention was called to the
text Of President Wilson's speech in
Philadelphia last night Colonel Roose-
welt put his finger on one paragraph
of the speech and read ii aloud:
There is such a thing as a man pe-
Ing too proud to fight. There liz such
q think as a nation being so right that
II does not need to convince others by
force that 1t is right
And now continued the ex~presi-
dent, II want TO say exactly this, I
think that China Is entitled to draw
all the comfort she can from this
statement. And 1t would be we'll for
the United States to ponder seriously
what the effect upon China has been
OF managing her foreign affairs during
the last fifteen years under the theory
thus enunciated. II the United States
is satisfied with occupying some time
in the future precisely the interna-
tional position China now occupies,
then the United States can afford TO
act on this theory. But It cannot act
on this theory II IL desires TO retain or
regain the position won for ii by the
men who fought under Washington
and by the men in the days of Abe
Lincoln. who wore the blue under
Grant and the gray under Lee.
Wants Prompt Action.
II very earnestly, hope that we will
act promptly. The proper time for de-
message that our government would
hold Germany to "A strict accountable
ity' II Germany did the thing which
she has now actually done. The 1850
babaies drowned on the Lusitania, the
hundreds OF women drowned with them,
scores of those women and children
being Americans and the American
ship, the Gulflight. which was torpe-
doed and sunk with her American cap
tain and some of her American crew.
offer an eloquent commentary on the
actual working of the theory that force
il not necessary to assert rights and
that q policy of blood and iron can with
efficacy be met by a policy of milk and
water.
Il see IL stated In the press dis
patches from Washington that Ger
many now offers to stop the practice
of murder on the high seas. committed
In violation OF the neutral rights she
was pledged to observe. IL we will
now abandon further neutral rights
which by her treaty she has solemnly
pledged herself to see that we exer-
else without molestation. Such a pro-
posal 10 not even entitled to an answer.
The manufacture and shipment of arms
and ammunition to any belligerent is
moral or immoral. according to the
use to which the arms and munitions
are to be put. II they are to be used
to prevent the redress of the hideous
wrongs inflicted on Belgium. then 1t Is
Immoral to ship them II they are TO
be used for the redress of these wrongs
and for the restoration of Belgium to