New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-03
A CANADIAN IMPRESSION
Our Foreign Policies as Estimated
by a Friendly Critic.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Il has been with more than passing
interest that | have followed the discussion
through the medium OF your columns, oc-
casioned by your striking editorials on the
merits or dement's of Dir. Wilson's foreign
policies.
Now. when there is little family quarrel
going on it is usually the wisest policy for
a friendly neghbor to climb up tree and
view the carnage from safe distance
rather than to intercede with an idea Of
bringing superior wisdom TO bear on the
controversy; the least that is likely TO hap
pen TO him is to be told to mind his own
business, so that from the more or less
neutral position in the tall timbcrs" ! will
not attempt to offer any advice, but sim
ply to express what | consider the prevalent
feeling in this city anent the United States
administrations foreign policies.
There is no desire to take away from
Mr.. Wilson any need of praise due him for
what we believe were his conscientious Ell
forts to maintain peace without entirely
sacrificing the dignity and honor of the
great nation he has been chosen TO serve
but there is a pronounced feeling that
those endeayors on his part have been en-
tirely misunderstood by Imperial Germany.
His "too proud TO fight" prOnouncement at
PHILADELPHIA seemed to offer such nice
suggestion that, although it was dsclaimed
as an official utterance, 1t carried to the
German ears the idea that the inference
vas for the jury even if the evidence was
rot 10 be allowed on the records this. with
sundry other incidents and the policy OF
watchfu waiting in Mexico has given the
IMPRESSION that the possession OF an aca-
demic temperament such as he has seriously
handicaps him in his dealings with the
Teutonic hosts as well as the Mexican
revolutionists.
From our own point of view we are can
didlv of the opinion that Roosevelt, with
all his impusveness, would have saved you
from what to say the least, is not an en-
viable position. His that in the ring pol
icy may have sounded boastful, but 1t Is the
only kind of policy the Germans can under
stand. They should have felt that II was
tantamount to a declaration OF war to have
sunk the Lusitania, and, therefore, she
would not have been sunk. For Germany
has no desire 10 commit suicide in order to
lash the British Empire into fury The
United States may not have been ready at
he time 10 DO mucn IN an aCL'e way, DuS
he would not have been needed for year,
and within that time with her tremendous
sources she would have had such an army
a. 10 have decided the issue beyond doubt.
The German are not exactly fools, although
the actions of some Of their representatives
may lead one 50 10 think
have travelled considerably in the States
since the Lusitania tragedy and find con-
siderable effort has been made to befog that
issue. especially by the line Of argument
that the United States should not embroil
itself in this war because number Of its
citizens chose 10 travel on board an English
shin which should have been under convoy.
That is not and never can be a legitimate
argument in the light of the stand taken
previously by the American administration,
which. by It's stand, assured its citizens
il was their sovereign right 10 travel un-
moested in peaceful pursuits by the ac-
cepted methods OF transportation 10 all
parts Of the globe. II they had not this
right. or the United States did not feel it.
self in a position to enforce this privilege,
then President Wilson's def Of "strict ac-
countability" should never have been made.
n they had. then there was only one course,
and in sizing up the situation il would ap-
pear 10 the outsider that Germany had
ruessed right; so, therefore, may we not be
pardoned if we feel that from past per
formanccs had Roosevelt been President
Germany would not have added this horrible
blot upon the escutcheon Of Christian civil
ikation9
As to the Administrations Mexican policy.