New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-11
MR.. WILSON ON PREPAREDNESS
Consistency Not the Real Failing OF
the Administration Policy.
ro the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Your persistent editorial criticism OF
President Wilson has the effect on me that
agnostic attacks or Christianity had on Gill
bert X. Chesterton-n namely, conversion TO
the opposite side Chesterton said that after
reading agnostic literature he declared, al
most thou persuadest me to be a Christian
So as | rise from a reading of your edi-
torals ! feel myself saying, almost thou
persuadest ne 10 be Wilsonite.' | did not
vote for him, but am increasingly glad that
Theodore Roosevelt, for whom | did vote,
was not elected
Your latest editorial, "Mr Wilson on Pre-
paredness," in to-day's Tribune, criticises the
President for moving slightly in the direction
in which you have criticised him during the
entire year for not moving. Now when he
favors increased military and naval strength,
you condemn him Tor Inconsistency on the
ground that he argued against it year ago.
Such criticism is 50 viciously partisan that
it brings party paper criticism generally into
contempt As a matter Of fact, your charge
Of inconsistency is not quite correct by your
own quotation. You quote the President as
saying a year ago that our dependence must
not be on a standing army but on "a citi-
zenry trained and accustomed 10 arms and
then proceed to charge him with inconsis-
tency because now he pleads for greater
strength in trained citizenry than IN a stand
ing army. Because he asks for 100000
trained citizens instead of 100000 soldiers in
a standing army you condemn him because he
does not believe, as you do, in a standing
army But if he had asked for large stand
ing army he would have been inconsistent
with his message of year ago, and you
would have had reason to charge inconsis-
tency, as you have not now. Your only
ground for the charge of Inconsistency Is that
he did not present specific plans for prepar-
edness in 1914 and he does present such
plans now
Yet all through the year you have been
declaring that new occasions" have taught
"new duties" which Mr.. Wilson has not per-
formed. Now, when he seeks to perform such
duties, consistently with the principle laid
down a year ago, you blame him still.
II looks 10 me, Mr.. Editor. as a constant
reader Of your editorials that the Republi-
can bent is so strong that you cannot see
any good in Democrat. You have never
ceased 20 condemn American citizens of for
eign birth who are not loyal to our govern
ment-which IS proper enough Would it
not be we'll 70 practise a little editorial 10y
altv 10 the authorized head of our govern
ment instead of practising hyper-criticsm
with a view TO discrediting the President in
the ewes Of all who read your paper?
WV. T. DUNCAN,
Pastor James VI. L. Church.
Brooklyn, Dec. s, 1915.
The editorial in question was not written
as a condemnation of President Wilson for
inconsistency 1t said distinctly in the open
ing sentence: THE chief interest in Presi-
dent wilson's message to Congress lies in
he evidence or lack of evidence il offers Of
progress and education on his part Ed