Evening journal., 1915-05-12
Thinking
CFrom the New York Tribune

The official statement of the Ger
man government that the Lusitania
was sunk by a German submarine dis
poses Of half of all the information
the President of the United States can
desire before resolving upon his ac-
ton.
He knows now from the German
government that the Americans mas
sacred on the Lusitania we're the VIC
tins not of the individual wantonness
OF a subordinate, but Of the policy of
assassination adopted by those who
direct the German Empire.
ID remains to be discovered whether
the German government purposes to
pursue this policy of murder-wheth-
err il has committed itself irrevocably
to the slaughter of American neutrals
travelling upon the seas under The pro-
lection and guarantee OF our own gov
eminent II remains to be disclosed
whether the German government in
tends to continue the practices reveal
ed in the cases of the Frye, the Fala-
ba, the Gulfight, the Lusitania.
If such is the purpose of the Ger
man government neither the Presi-
dent of the United States nor the col
lective influences working to avoid
American entrance into the Great
War can avert the inevitable conse-
quences of German policy Germany's
act was an act of war, an aggression
| indefensible in international law, not
to be justified by any appeal TO COM
mon humanity. If she intends TO con-
! d "a "a rtuf nm Of NE
will be the inevitable consequence.
If IL be necessary to protect Ameri-
can citizens. TO defend our women and
children from the sayagery of ma
ton now given over to barbarism, the
American people will not shrink from
the work To strike at France Ger
many assailed Belgium, slew the men
dishonored the women, murdered the
children. To strike at Great Britain
she murdered American men, women
and children. We shall not be less
ready to defend our rights than Bel
GUM. less jealous of our honor and
Of the lives of our citizens than the
little state that dared all agones ra-
Their than submit to easy dishonor.
Let no German mistake the temper
of the American people. Let no Ger
man, high or low, misunderstood the
| new vision that has come TO the citi-
zens OF the United States in the days
in which they have stood beside their
murdered fellow citizens. Whether We
now join in the war. whether we now
draw our own sword, henceforth, un-
til the destruction of those who today
dominate Germany and shape her poll
cies the American people will lOol
upon the nations who are fighting Tho
Germans in Champagne and Flanders
as their allies. They will hope and
pray for their success; they will
many millions of them. feel only re.
greet that no American soldiers are in
those lines doing Americas part il
the battle to defend civilization.
For let no one mistake the fact.
wild beast is loose in the world. {
creature combining the ferocity of the
animal with the lust of the degener
ate human. The struggle is not {
struggle between nations; il is a bat
tie between civilization and barbar
ism. German victory would mean tn
destruction of all that We in Americ;
hold to be the best and the mobiles
in our own national life. What Ger
many strikes at is the right of mel
to lead their own lines, live ACCORDING
TO their own will and in the pursui