The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-01

teri5ify, to denouuce her.
Tho American paciflcists- the Aneri-
can men and woman OF the peace at
any price type who join in meetings
70 "denounce war or with empty
words protest on behalf Of the Ar
menians or other tortured and ruined
peoples. carry precisely the weight that
an equal number Of Chinese pacihcists
would carry If Ar similar meeting
they went through similar entities They
do harm instead Of good. and they
/ deeply discredit the nation to which
they belong.
As to Jews.
/ It was announced the other day
by certain politicians interested in Sc
curing votes that az the end Of the
war this government would insist"
on Russia and Rumania doing justice
to all Jews. The conduct Of this gov
eminent during the present war and
it's utter refusal TO back words with
deeds, has made r utterly unable TO
insist on anything Of the kind,
whether rs regards, Russia, or any
other power. A nation too timid 10
/ protect its own men. women and chill
dren from murder and outrage, and too
tinid even to speak on behalf of Bel
GUM, will not carry much weight by
| protest" or "insistence," on behalf
OF the suffering Jews In Europe, For
eign powers will attribute such pro
= Test" or 'insistence," coupled with our
failure to act in cases Of other nation
alities, merely TO the fact that there
ie in this country neither Russian
nor a Turkish vote--and Will in con-
sequence despise our actions.
All the terrible niquitiees OF the
past year and half, Including This
browning intquity of tho wholesale
slaughter Of the Armenans. can be
traced directly to the initial wrongs
committed on Belgium by her invasion
and k0bjugation; and the criminal re-
sponsihlity of Germany must be shared
by the neutral powers headed by the
United States for their failure to pro-
test when this initial wrong was com
mitted. In the case OF the United
States an additional responsibility
rests upon 1t because of its lack OF
influence for justice and peace dur
ing the last sixteen months has been
} largely due to the course Of tinlid and
unworthy abandonment OF duty which
it followed for nearly five years as
regard Mexico.
, Scores of our soldiers have been
killed and wounded, hundreds of our
civilians both men and women, have
been murdered or outraged In person
or property by the Mexcans. and We
have not only taken no action, but
+
to the bandits who are cutting one
anothers throats In Mexico. and who
use these arms to kill Americans. and
I although we have refused to help our
- own citizens against any OF these
chiefs OF these bandits who have now
= and then improperly helped one chief
! against another.
, Has Greater Contempt.
The failure to do our duty in MexI-
tod no Yrot do
Germany rightfully think 1t safe TO
20 into the wholesale murders that
; accompanied the sinking of the Lusi-
= tania, and the failure to do our duty
, in the case of the Lusitania made Ger
many. acting through Austria, right
fully think II safe 10 go into the whole
= sale murder that marked the sinking
Of the Ancona
The invasion of Belgium was fol-
: lowed by 4 policy OF terrorism toward
the Belgian population the shooting
of men. women and children. the de =
= struction OF pinant ard Louvain, and
= many other places; the bombardment
of unfortided places, not only by ships
, and by land forces, but by aircraft re-
: sulting in the killing of many hundreds
tof civilians. men. women and children,
: in England France. Belgium and italy:
, in the destruction of mighty temples
3, and great monuments of art; In
Rheims, in Venice. In Verona
The devastation Of Poland and of
Serbia has been awful beyond descrip
ttion, and has been associated with In
? famies surprising those of the dread J.
- full religious and racial wars of the
seventeenth century In Europe. Such
J deeds have been done By the nomi =
? na1iY Christian powers In Europe. from
the invasion of Belgium by Germany
TO the killing OF Miss Cavel by the
German government things done
wholesale. things done retail have been
such as we had hoped would never
2 again occur In civilized warfare They
are far worse than ANYTHING that has
occurred In such warfare since the
close Of rs1e Napoleonic contests a
century ago, Such a deed as the exc
cution OF Miss Cavel for instance.
would have been utterly impossible
. In the days Of the worst excitement
during our civil war For all OF this
the pacificlsts, who dare not speak for
righteousness and who possess such an
unpleasant and evil prominence in the
: United States, must share the re-
sponsIhility with the most brutal tyne
: of militarists. The meek and timid.
milk and water policy of the profess
sionai pacifctst. is just as responsible
| rs the blood and iron policy Of the
worthless and INSCRIPTIONS militarists
Tor the terrible recrudescence of evil
on gigantic scale in the civilized
world.
: The Growing Outrage.
The browning outrage has been
committed by the Turks on the AR
menians. They have suffered
atrocities so hideous that II is diai-
cult 10 name them. atrocities such as
those inflicted upon conquered ma
tons by the followers Of Attiia and
FGenGhis Khan, 1t Is dreadful to thin.s
r. that these things can be done, and
that this nation. nevertheless. remains
neutral not only in deed, but in
thought between right and the most
I hldeous wrong. neutral between de-
spairing and hunted people, people
whose little children are murdered
and their women raped by victorious
: and evil wrongdoers.
There are many sincere and wise
VII -.