Evening journal., 1915-09-23

sacrificed to concerns of domestic
politics. II was to fight because the
war had become the one way now that
the administration could hope to es-
cape the consequences of its folly by
appealing to the patriotism of a ma,
tion actually at war.
Such a course seemed and seems to
The Tribune indefensible. true if
the Germans continue to sink ships
we shall get into a war. From this
there is no possible escape. But at
the present time the German govern
ment is showing an apparently hon.
est desire to meet the demands of
American sentiment. II rs disclosing
signs that It realizes that 1t is dealing
with the American people. who will
not endure further murder And up
to this time the German government
has had no reason to believe that
there would be any real protest, any
effective action by this country in any
event
The Tribune. has never for mo-
men: held any view of the German
action in sinking the Lusitania save
that which IT affirmed at the time. It's
horror. detestationl contempt. remain.
of your citizens for four months and
then suddenly lose your temper and
go to war The country has been hui
inflated in the eyes of the world and
| the Germans were justified after the
Lusitania in treating with utter con-
tempt a nation which would talk end.
lessly and act never. The fault for
/ the subsequent German incidents is
] oh, Al to
ton.
/ American history records 10 more
| humiliating no more contemplate af
fair, than that of the German-Ameri-
I can difference. The President boldly
affirmed his intention cf defending not
alone American rights but neutral
rights. not alone international law,
: but humanity. He never meant to
/ do il and when the necessity arose he
! fed the issue. he lodged the responsi-
bility. he ropudiated the pledge. The
American citizens who went on board
tile Lusitania went there armed with
the recent declaration of the President
holding Germany to strict accountable
ity for any wrong done to American
citizOs.
Four months after these men,.
women and children had been
scattered over the seas. helpless vio-
tins of German ruthlessness. Mr.. VIII
son was still ready to- write notes.
More lives had been lost. more Ameri-
can citizens had been placed in jeop-
ardy. but what was all this compared
with the political perils and the hos
tility of the pro-German propaganda
lists?
Our neighbor "The World" recently
pointed out with justice and admira-
BILE fitness, the fashion in which a
similar policy followed by Buchanan
had brought the Civil War upon the
nation. The North believed the South
was only talking, the South believed
the North was too proud to fight"
The end was inescapable. It is in
escapable now unless the Germans &C.
tCally desire to avoid a war with us.
If they do they will meet us on a
possible basis. We have no business
now to attempt to threaten them or
render still more difficult the task
they have with their own people. who
are fully and naturally convinced from
past incidents that there is no danger
of war with us. Yet last week exactly
this sort of provocative talk emanated
daily from the White House, not from
the President. but from those who
could speak for him and have their
words accepted
Mr.. Wilson's German policy has
been a sham from start to finish. II
has nearly involved us in a war be-
cause the American people believed
it was sincere while the Germans
knew it was utterly insincere. It may
yet involve us in a war because the
American people are now resolved, to
make it real and the German people
may still be convinced that it is as
insincere as it was when the Strict
accountability" note was written in
February. Believing it to be sincere,
The Tribune supported Mr.. Wilson's
policy until It discovered the fact. Now
it can only tell the truth as it sees IT,