Evening star., 1915-02-18
Sydney Telegraph Editorial.
The editorial continues:

The editorial continues:
But the American government.
through over-scrupulousness in regard
to the susceptibilites of Germany. has
put itself in such a poor position that
it apparently cannot allow its bona
fides to go without saying, other
countries can. With the unique oppor
tunity before it of acting the part of
the biggest white nation in the world
at time of uneXampled crisis. it has
chosen a role that would have reflected
no dignity upon the smallest. The gov
ernment has adviSedly refrained from
even discussing the question of
strengthening the country's own de-
fenses lest that might be construed by
Germany into a hint of American dis
approval for deeds that have brought
shame upon the white race. The great
republic has not dared to utter a word
of official remonstrance against the re-
peated German violations of the con-
ventionS drawn up to render war less
barbarous, which bear the signature of
the United States as well as of Ger
many, and of which the adoption by
The Hague conference was hailed as
a triumph of American ideas and
American diplomacy. Neither President
Wilson nor Mr.. Bryan finds anything
to say when a German fleet bonn ba rds
English watering places and murders
women and children. but they are quite
ready to raise difficulties whenever the
British government adopts any meas
ure. however legitimate, intended to
plies, which may interfere with Ameri-
can rnoneymaking.
''All this is noted here and elsewhere
throughout the empire.
Papers Denounce United States.
The Australian papers are filed with
reports of the hundreds of millions of
dollars the United States is making
out of the war. in sending supplies to
the struggling countries on the other
side of the world. These lists go into
the details of just what is being ship
ped abroad from this country.
Headlines in the Sydney Times call
America The Neverwaser," The Neu-
trail 60 Nation" etc. 1t is taken for
granted that the United States govern
ment has officially banned the singing
and playing of 'Tipperary." One paper
says:
That a pseudo-nation without a ma
tional anthem that you could recognize
in the street should find 1t necessary to
prohibit the singing of the much
abused '"Tipperary" is one of those sad
Jokes that even the god Of gloom must
chuckle over. Certainly we have had
hard struggle ourselves to make a
song about ourselves that was worth
singing, but that has been the case
largely because we have concluded
that while there is God Save the
King" about there is small need to
manufacture anything else. At any
rate, we have not yet gone the length
of banning a music hall favorite for
fear it would upset the feelings of our
cultured friend. Kaiser Wilhelm the
Second and Last.
|. 'sFor pure unconscious humor II vvould
be difficult to find anything better than
the present and immediate past Presi-
dents of the United States. What Mr.
Taft thinks of the Monroe doctrine, and
what Mr.. Wilson had to say ''unofficially"
to certain callers at the White House
gives one furiously to laugh. AS for Sec
retary of the Navy Daniels. the man who
created grape juice navy in one
night-well, 1t is a pity that we do not
hear more of his dongs. in these days
when laughter In sometimes 80 much at
a premium. America has played SO long
at being a real live nation that she has
become a victim to her own fmagin'nes
Having built certain number Of shtps
she ventured to call herself a 'frst-class
power Having further inflicted an in
weakest OF the old world nations she was
accepted as such. and from that day to
this has gone from outsize to outsize in
the way Of hats"
Letter Causes Trouble.
letter is printed in the Sunday
Times of Sydney Of January 10 from
Charles Harding, who describes HIM
self as an American. He criticises
1T. ,nA