The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1916-10-26

lection Of the Federal Government
over his life, liberty and property
when on the high seas or within the
jurisdiction Of foreign government"
This applied TO our citizens on the Lu-
sitania and the Arabic who lost their
lives from German submarines. II
applied to our citizens in Mexico and
Chihuahua, who lost their lives at
the hands OF the Mexican soldiers of
Carranza. II applied TO the Ameri-
cans whose property was taken In vio-
lation of the principles OF information
al law by the English feet. The right
to life comes ahead Of the right TO
property, and unless we first deal
with the offenses against the lives
OF our citizens, we have no jus
LITIGATION for dealing with Of
lenses against the property rights
OF our citizens. But II we had done
our duty in the first case, II would
then have become incumbent upon ms
to do our duty in the latter case. At
this moment our first duty should be
to see that American citizens, es-
pecially women and children, shall not
be set afioat in row boats miles of our
coast on the October seas, as a result
of submarine attacks on merchant YES
sells. The German U-boats in effect
established a pacific" blockade OF our
coast. The guarantee" Of the safety
of noncombants aboard the vessels re-
Gently torpedoed off our coast was car
ried out by American destroyers, not
by re German submarines; IL the
Germans had themselves made good
and intended to make good, their guar
antee, there would have been no neces-
sity for American destroyers to be
present.
This case of Belgium was the first
of Mr.. Wilson's international sins. II
combined lofty promise and com
plete failure in performance. II
consisted Of words which were nulli-
fed by deeds. In these respects he
made 1t the precedent which he fol
lowed ever afterwards. He followed
1t when he wrote his "strict account
ability" note to Germany and then
for a year held Germany to no ac-
countability, either strict or loose,
while 1t sunk ship after ship with
thousands of non-combatants including
hundreds of Americans; and no atone
ment has been made for the lives thus
lost to this day I
Thanks to President Wilson we have
shown ourselves too craven to stand
up for our own rights, or for the
rights of weaker peoples. II we had
done as we ought to have done. our
neutrality would have been a badge
of honor and not one of shame. II
we had shown emphatically that we
intended to give square deal TO
everyone, and to demand a square
deal for and from everyone. II We
had done for Mexico what under Presi-
dent Mckinley we did for Cuba, II we
had protested against the invasion Of
Belgium, IL we had summarily stopped
the murder of our men, women and
had then effectively asserted the free
dom of the seas against the British.
we would certainly have brought about
the recognition of our rights. and very
possibly would have inspired sufficient
confidence and respect in the belliger-
ents to have enabled us to secure
peace before this time. Had we so
acted, we would have proved ourselves
loyal Americans In the first place, and
in the next place we would have shown
a veritable. instead of a sham, loyalty
to humanity. We would have proved
that our devotion to humanity was
more than mere lip worship. But let
1t be understood from the beginning
that never can we or any other nation
take such a position unless there IS
both preparation in advance, and also
the willingness to sacrifice something
in order to compel the observance of
the nations own sovereign rights. and
In addition to enable 1t to perform it,
duty to the rest of mankind.