Evening star., 1915-09-12
SAYS PUBLIC DEMAND
IS NATIONAL DEFENSE
Correspondent Praises the Presi'
dents Policy and Commends The
Stars Attitude.
To the Editor of The Star:

SL6I oIL1GuuV.
To the Editor of The Star:
The sound and conservative yet force
full and patriotic editorials appearing
from day to day in The Star, upon
pending national issues. have the un-
qualified approval of all thoughtful
readers having at heart the supreme
welfare of our country.
The trend of public opinion as voiced
in The Star editorials and evidenced
in the patriotic press of the country
is expressive of the fixed determine
tion of the great body of true and loyal
Americans that our country's dignity
integrity and safety shall be upheld
and defended, and that to such end
ample provision and preparation shall
be made.
On a recent professional trip to New
York and Connecticut, ana IN otnel
localities. / heard. eVerwhere. strohS
commentator of the administrator ;
standpoint and utterance upon these
issues Professional and business men,
travellers, trainmen, and hotel empioIes
,without German-American accenO, If
respective of party animation, appear {"
unanimous in these sentiments.
Especially pronounced was the IN
dorsement of President Wilson's S reply
to Austria and of his last note 10 Ger
many relating to the Lusltanla atroei'S
and horror.
And these sentiments and feeilnSS
have become intensified because OF the
more recent cowardly and muroel ous
destruction of the Arabic ana are III honp nv
measure allayed by the eleventh-hour
promise of Germany-eNtorted pE tte
exjgencies of the moment-to nnouils
in some degree its violation OIL 'he
laws of nations and OF humahilS'
Tragedy Which Horrified.
The people still remember with hor-
ror and resentment that the dead
bodies of notable men, of babes and
their mothers, of brides and of young
maidens- innocent of offenses. many OF
them our own citizens, are still floating
in the national highway through
these acts of unexampled atroclty, un-
repented unexpiated and unaVenset
Had an officer in the United STATES
navy perpetrated such wanton, lnhums'n
and cowardly murder of non-comoatant
men women and children cltiZehs ot
neutral and friendly nations as III en
destruction of the Lusitanla ana Ala1t. ri
he would have been court-Hidi 'i'.i.I
and execrated-not commended ana
decorated. ,.r,x,
merchant vessel on the hish mgr sea seas ~
..enemy territory under the rule Q,
civilized warfare by civilized nations
the bombardment of an enemy city OF
town is preceded by sufficient notlce
TO enable non-combata atants~inetuo. - Iafe1x
neutrals-to reach place OF sa1et!;
But no such notice was ACCORDED tne
unarmed. unescorted. undefenoeo en-
emy territory"-the Lusitania-
Not single instance wherein Ger
MANY has ever practiced the doctrine
of neutrality it now preaches 10 the
United States, either in olockade, sless
or commerce, has been clteo pE any oi
cations: and to any unbiased observer
its contrary procedure is seif-evident;
It's submarine warfare was conceived
in hypocrisy and has been executed IN
ferocity.
In the Germanic blockade and siege
of Paris the n-combatant men,
women and children were reduced to
the starvation point. Butchers were
supplying dog cat and rat meat to the
starving civilians. No neutral conveys
of provisions for the Starving popula-
ton" of Paris were permitted to enter
it's gates by the blOckadlng TeutonS-
And so the city was won.
The cautious, if not timid. policy of
Germany and Austria has penned up
their navy and merchant marine where
they are safe but useless, and the Unit
ed States is in no wise responsible for
this safety first procedure.
The great merchant fleets of Germany
and Austria now riding securely with
in our harbors. protected by our neu-
trality, can be loaded to the water
line with arms and ammunition, cot
ton, copper and provisions and cleared
for any port in the world.
Blockade of Enemy's Ports.
England and France have established
world recognized blockade of their enemy's
ports. 1t is effectual, and within the in
ternational rules of warfare. In the en-
forcement of this blockade, and in exer-
cising the right Of search for and seizure
of contraband, not neutral vessel or
human life has been destroyed, and full
value has been or Will be paid for every
honest cargo. The German exports now
held up should be, and l have no doubt
will be, released under reasonable stipula-
tions.
Our complaints, if any, would be
properly directed against our own dis
honest shippers and the insincere "neu-
trails" who combine for greed and gain
TO nullify the lawfully established eff
fectual blockade of friendly powers. cal
culated to bring to an earlier end this
suffering and loss. We should dis
countenance the one. and require guaran-
tees from the other against reshipments
Of inportations to belligerents.
Every pound Of supplies that goes from
and reaches Germany. Austria and
Turkey for their civil populations means
just SO much aid to their armies. Even
our donations TO the starving Belgians
made to serve the purposes of the Ger
man military governors in disregard of
established rules of civilized warfare
honesty and humanity.
The war lord demands everything
comedies nothing.
In adopting any Teutonc proposition
so far advanced directly or Indirectly ,
fear that We should be harboring d
trojan horse and we should we'll hesi-
tate to create precedents in order to
placate and pleasure the war lord and
his Gernan-American adherents
No war with Germany need be feared
at this time as "A consequence of the firm
adherence Of the executive to the stand
already taken for disavowal of and
reparation for the past submarine out
RACES, and their absolute discontinuance
Germany cannot afford it at the present
time when she cannot send a ship or land
soldier on our shores, and when she has
millions of dollars in her war and mer-
chant vessels lying in our harbors sub
ject to seizure in reprisal
Suggests Solution.
The problem of submarine warfare
appears TO me very easy of solution, if
terrorizing by bloodshed and vandalism
is not it's prime object.
7 suggest that the belligerents and
our government (and eventually all
whereby merchantmen, when fore