Evening journal., 1915-09-23
From the New York Tribune)

stT1ces would he take drastic steps,
and she was prepared to endure YER
bal castigations as the price of de-
stroying British ships
Unhappily for Mr.. Wilson popular
sentiment continued TO rise until the
Arabic incident brought him face to
face with a real home crisis. He
could not write more notes because
he was now aware TIL the people
would not stand for them. The poll
ticans and the pro-Ge man propagan-
dists we're just as insistent upon peace
as ever, but as influential a fraction
of public sentiment now insisted that
there be an end to a policy which
permitted Germany to murder Ameri-
cans with impuhity. II was at this
poirt that Count Won BernstoTff inter
vened with his promise.
The German ambassador interviewed
because he perceived that the decision
no longer rested with Mr.. Wilson.
that public sentiment had reached
such a pitch that Mr. Wilson would
have to break off with Germany and
was preparing to do IT, He saw that
which Berlin could not see, that the
time had passed when it was possible
( to bank upon Mr.. Wilson's weakness
and the influence of the politicians. He
saw that the only hope of avoiding a
break now was concession by Ger
many. The Tribune believes that IL
was the recognition of this situation
that determined his action and that it
was sincere. not sincere because of
any liking for America, but because he
believed his own government was
headed for war it did not desire.
That is the German affair, as The
Tribune sees it. A weak, shifty, evas-
4 i've, timOrous course. begun with
brave words that were without the
smallest meaning in fact continued
by wabbling and procrastination be-
cause the brave words had led to a
crisis that only courage could face, fin
7 ally the drifting into a situation in
which the only desire of the German
/ government to avoid war with us
could make peace possible.
BY this policy Mr. Wilson deceived
the German government, not into the
belief that he meant to defend inter
national law or American lives, but in
the belief that no outrage, no invasion
of American rights would lead to any
more serious consequences than fur.
ther drafts upon the dictionary. But
at the same time he deceived his own
people. who in part, at least. believed
/ his first note had been sincere and
that with patience but with persis-
tence Mr. Wilson was laboring to
maintain American rights and interna.
tional law.
] Thus at one time the Germans be-
came utterly contemptuous of the
whole American government and peo-
pie and were convinced that there was
complete immunity in any course. and
/ the American people, Increasingly an.
Z gered by each incident, moved equal
ly surely toward the point where they
believed it was impossible to. do bust.
ness with Germany. that Germany was
determined to trample on American
/ rights. insult American officials and
wantonly murder American citizens.
I The crisis came when the Arabic in.
cident fired American public anger to
the demand that all futile negotiations
end. Patience among the ,itizens II
not. in the administration has been ex-
hausted. We we're now on the point
of being dragged into war not because
of any honorable consideration but be
cause an administration swayed by
fear, politics and ignorance OF diplo
matte procedure had involved the
country in a hopeless mess.
To have gone to war after the Lusi
tania was to have gone to war honor
ably. Those who believe war wicked
at all times would not have approved
Of such a course. But they would not
be more reconciled now. On the other
hand. some thousands or millions oi
Americans would have borne theiI
part willingly at the thought that
their country was to taks the field in
defence Of international law and fol
the protection of humanity.
But 10 go to war after the Arabic
was to fight like a rat in a corner, af
ter six months of trying had failed tC
disclose a way of escape. II was tC
fight after all the respect of the world
German and anti-German, had beer