The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-01
The Administration and American
Opinion Of the German Note.

The Administration and American
Opinion Of the German Note.
The President and his Cabinet ad.
visers will he somewhat at a loss to.
day II, as the dispatches from Wash.
ington report. the Administration Is
depending primarily on the express
sion Of opinion by newspapers and
private persons for guidance In It's
next step.
Comment about the German note Is
ms various as the temper and tempera-
ture of the individual intelligence
commenting on it's terms. There Is
nnanimity as to the righteousness Of
the position which our Government
assumed in the communication to
which this Is a preliminary reply (:
but that sort Of unanimity on the
part Of the American people has to
he taken for granted. and 1t throws
no new light on the immediate ques.
ton Of procedure. There is also an
approach to unaniniity In the natnrnl
and general disappointment through
out the country that the document
from Berlin was no so conceived as
70 afford n speedy and sure relief Of
the present tension as to open Il short
cut TO a perfectly amicahle under
standing between two great nations
which have no rea son To war with
each other. Perhaps the hope or
expectation of such Il perception of
great opportunity Oh the part of the
German diplomatic department was
unreasonable. but such hope or ex-
pectation was nevertheless widely en-
tertained in many quarters here up
to the time Of the publication of the
note. In that respect II is u highly
unsatisfactory document. and there is
only n way Of looking at 1t.
In most other respects the Admin
~istration will be lost in the confusion
OF counsels II ii relies exclusively on
printed or written or telegraphed ex.
pressions Of public sentiment for it,
own estimate Of the character Of the
preliminary answer Of the German
Foreign Office. There Is no clearly
visible composite. There Is no known
formula for ascertaining the norm OF
average of views so widely divergent
rs to the tone and purpose Of DR.
WON JAGow's somewhat delayed an
swer to the communication Of May 1:
signed by Secretary BRYAN.
Following the published expression
OF newspaper or private opinion TIT
President would he warranted in re
garding the note from Berlin as j.,
deliberately provocative and crudel,
brutal invitation to war: or ms /.
piece OF elaborate irony veiliDs
In polite phrases Germany's absolute
and contemptuous Indifference as t.
what the United States may do: o
as a calculated evasion of our asser
tons and demands, put forth In orde
to gain time or to blur the real Issue
or as a legitimate proposal to estah
lish the facts In controversy befor
reaching conclusions rs to matters o
principle; or even rs Il friendly re
Spouse to friendly representations
preparing the way for the concessio'
Of all mat the President has asked, n
soon as the Imperial Government ca.
10 this with due consideration Of tn
heat Of public sentiment in Germany
such Is the gamut of yesterdays eA
preston OF American opinion cor
corning the note.
In what definite manner does 1t In
struct the Administration In wha
definite direction does it lead the Az
ministratiOn and the country?
What surprises THE SUN Ia thu
two Of the features Of Or. O j.
oOw's communication which seem I
us most important and signifcar
have been SO frequently overlooke
or ignored in discussing it's true fl
wardness,
The first is the plain marking
this particular communication as te