New Britain herald., 1915-02-25
The Policy Was Washington s.
 (Springfield Republican.)

In several of the observances of Washington's birthday appropriate ref erence was made to the difficult task of the first president of the United States in preserving neutrality during the wars of the French revolution. It is not a strained comparison to say that President Wilson's present task is more like Washington's than that of any of his predecessors. In the eff fort to keep this country out of the European struggle, Washington lost very much of the universal popularity he had won as a general in the Rev. olutionary war. By French sympa- thizers he was abused and vilified But in the century that followed the crisis, there was steady increasing volume of praise from students of his tory for the first presidents wise poi icy in avoiding participation in Eu- ropes wars
 The popular sympathy with the French revolution was at first exceed ingly strong in America; and Jeffer son, who had been witness in Paris of the revolutions early stages, came home a keen supporter of the move ment. It's essential democracy ap pealed to him and to his followers. When England declared war on rev olutionary France, in 1792, the anti English sentiment of the American people, already inf1amed so bitterly in our own revolution, intensified the feeling favorable to France. Under those circumstances, President Wash ington's position became all the more difficult on account of the treaty of alliance between the United States and France concluded in TITS. It was open to the construction of still be- ing in force, for the treaty provided for no definite limitation upon it's own life, and one article declared that the two countries guaranteed ''forever' each others territorial integrity or in
 dependence against all other powers" In refusing to go to the aid of France
 President Washington was accused of
 treaty breaking as we'll as of base in gratitude toward the nation whose as- sistance had been instrum ental in es- tablishing American sovereignty.
 The lesson Washington taught the American people, by his answering resolution to maintain his own gov ernments position of neutrality, was to make American interests the con- trolling principle of American foreign policy. America was first, in his view It was most emphatically at that time to the advantage of the feeble young republic of the new world to remain at peace. The role of sat elite to a great European belligerent would have been most disastrous to the developing American nationality. [ The principle Washington tablished by his course applies no less pointedly today, and ex-President Taft merits the most cordial praise for so warm ly approving the present policy of President Wilson, which is based squarely upon that of George Wash 1 ington.
 President Wilson has been attacked i on the absurdest grounds. He has | been violently assailed. on the one 1 side, for not protesting against the
 violation of certain Hague treaties 1 which were actually not in force, ac- l cording to their own explicit pro- | visions. He has been condemned, on | the other side, for permitting his own 1 country to make use of it's acknowl- l edged commercial rights under inter- 1 national law. He has encountered 1 bitter complaints from one side or
 the other for having demanded re-
 spect for his country's neutral rights 1 when they seemed to be menaced by
 belligerent operations. The answer 1 to all these critics is precisely the i answer President Washington vould
 have made. Let this country mind
 it's own business and safeguard it's
 own interests, whether or not this pol-
 icy is popular abroad or is approved
 bv the sympathizers here at home of 1 belligerent nations.