The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-04-15

| munitions OF war with Delligerent
governments is clear.
Equally clear is the legal right Of
the United States to check or pro-
hibit such commerce.
Which right It will exercise is a
question that lies entirely within the
DOMAIN of policy.
Upon the outbreak of the present
war our government adopted the
policy OF neutrality, and neutrality
implies that the government shall
take no action which will disturb the
normal relations between this coun.
try and any beligerent. The most
important of these relations is that
OF Tree commerce, and strict neutral.
ity demands that whatever the alb.
normal conditions produced BY the
belligerents themselves, our govern
ment shall not interfere with such
commerce as can be carried on with
any or all of them. The practical
consequences of this normal passive
policy are created by the acts of
belligerents and lie outside our legal
responsibility.
whether we maintain this position
must depend upon considerations not
OF legality but Of duty and interest.
1t is becoming increasingly evident
that our exercise of or even our dip
lomatic insistence upon our neutral
rights is causing resentment both in
England and In Germany. In The
former country there is a natural dis.
position to identify the English cause
with that of human progress, civiliz.
alton, independence, freedom, and
international good faith, and United
States is blamed for not accepting
this identity and coming actively TO
the defense Of so much that we prize.
even in its more moderate official
form We are made conscious of the
expectation that a moral support of
them should take the form of permit
ting the allies a free hand even at
our own cost and the dlsparagement
OF our neutral policy toward Ger
many.
On the other hand, German feeling,
assuming Germany to be the victim
OF British perfidy and Russian ambi.
ton and identifying the German cause
with all that is good in modern civ
ilization, resents the practical as
distance to the allies which our gov
ernment's neutrality and our citizens
commercial interest bring about
The actual result, whatever the le-
gal theory of right may be, is that
the allies are able to obtain in Am.
erica arms and munitions for the
destruction OF German lives. and
German feeling has more and more
openly resented this.
In short, We are begetting the en-
nifty of both England and Germany
With this unfortunate fact fully
recognized, it is for us gravely to
consider our position and our policy
We are not ready to accept the
idealized views of their espective
parts IN the war held by the various
combatants. Without denying the
idealistic element In the cause main
tanned by any of them, we are fully
aware that self interest has been and
Is a controlling factor in all of their
policies. England is fighting for
England, and Germany for Germany,
and Russia for Russia, and France
for France-yes. and Belgium for
Belgium.
That is human and right and nee.
essary.
And 1t Is human and right and nee
essary for the United States to work
for its own interest.
This may be an offensive consider
alton to the utopian, the theoretical
altruist. Nevertheless It is a reality
OF international relations and of hui
man nature, and the people which
ignore 1t because its own necessities
are not at the moment pressing and
because 1t is pleasant to indulge in
theoretical altruism without apparent
expense is de.eiving itself and pre-.
pairing for its own costly dlsillusion-
ment.
The world Is shaking with the ire
mendous combat of armed national
egotisms. II we are not bemused
with utopian dreams We know that
this combat will not usher in the mil.
lennium and We shall realize from
the spectacle of so much violence
and destruction that the time has not
yet come when a nation can afford
to stand naked In the world without
other defense than the good will OF
It's neighbors. While interests clash
we prefer our own to those OF other
nations. The man who does not Is
NOT 4,