New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-06
"MuddIino Through"

IN d.savow.ng the Arabic attack and
agreeing TO pay indemnity for lives lost
and property injured is a complete demon
stration Of the fact that Germany never
desired way with the United States and
was al all times prepared 70 yield when
she was satisfied that American policy
was backed by determination and Ameri-
can words were more than empty words.
Had Germany believed Mr.. Wilson
meant his "strict accountability" note, the
Lusitania would not have been sunk. Had
Berlin felt that the "omit no word or act
message which followed the Lusitania
massacre was a declaration Of purpose,
that first crime would have been dis
avowed. Had Wilhelmstrasse been salts
fed that the deliberately unfriendly"
communication was an authentic ultima
tum. there would have been no Arabic
incident
The truth Of all this Is made perfectly
patent by what has happened since the
Arabic incident. On the morrow Of that
last outrage the voice Of a whole people
was heard. From one end Of the nation
TO the other the fact was recognized that
there could be no more notes, words, re-
monstrances-that, unless Germany should
now consent to change her course, break
was inevitable, and a break was but the
first step toward war.
This Count Won Bernstorf promptly
realized and with equal promptness
made clear to his own government. Com
pare his instant appeal to Washington for
a hearing. when he read the press Of the
hours following the Arabic, with his self
restraint at all other times. In effect he
asked for time TO make Berlin fully IN
derstand that the American people were
i'm charge Of their foreign affairs and
that the American people were no longer
"too proud to fight" Our last Lusitania
note had been treated by Berlin with
silent contempt, but the ominous official
silence that followed the Arabic incident
reused the German Ambassador to eager
protostation.
The best that can be said for the
present solution of the German-American
difficulties. if, as seems, there is q solu-
tion) is that we have "muddled through"
We have escaped the danger Of being
dragged into an ignominious war, because
Germany. having consulted her own inter
csts. has decided that there is more profit
i'm peace than in another war. But would
not the same result have been reached
without the perils Of the summer if our
government had taken in the spring the
position that public sentiment at last
forced it 70 assume in September?
There has been no such humiliating
chapter in Amcric history as that filled
by the German episode American pres
tige has been lowered at home and abroad
immeasufably. Henceforth American notes
will command neither respect nor atten-
ton, because always there will exist the
suspicion that they are but words. In
Europe, as in Mexico, there has been es-
tablished the belief that American citi-
zens may be murdered with impunity and
that the government which should protect
them is, in fact, "too proud TO fight"
We shall hear much now of the great
moral victory won by American diplomacy
and by pacific methods. All such talk
IS mere sham. Throughout the whole
debate we have been protected by Allied
fleets and we have but hurled high-sound
ing words at a nation assailed by half tn,
world in arms. And it was only wher
we laid aside high-sounding words and i'll
weighed ultimatums and faced the fact
recognized that recourse 70 other thar
pacific methods had become wellnigf
inevitable, that the real peril was averted
The bitterest thought Of all must be
that had Germany believed in February
that we meant what we said. had she then
pos esscd any reason for thinking that tie
American government and people were
actually prepared 20 hold TO "strict ac-
those who murdered Ameri-
can citizens, there would have been
neither killings nor German-American
incident. THE greatest permanent evil