New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-19
MR.. WILSON ON WORLD WAR
Two Violently Contradictory Opinions
Uttered Without a Grimace
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: Twenty-one months after the
outbreak Of the European war Mr.. Will
son, in an important and carefully pre-
pared address, made this statement:
with its causes and Its objects we
are not concerned. The obscure foun-
tains from which its stupendous food
has burst forth we are not interested 10
search for or explore"
Now, four months later, in hi. speech
at Omaha he proclaims tC the world an
entirely different doctrine: America
has held off from the present conflict
with which the rest Of the world is
ablaze, not because she was not in
terested, not because she was indif
ferent The singularity of the
present war is that its origin and OBJ
jects have never been disclosed. They
have obscure European roots which we
do not know how to trace E. Europe
ought not to misunderstood Us. We are
holding off not because we do not feel
concerned, but because when We exert
the force Of this nation we want TO
know what we are exerting il for"
In these two statements Of our Presi-
dent there is food for serious thought
on the part of every American. That
the first statement should ever have
been made by the leader Of great
nation about the most stupendous con-
fict Of history seems wellnigh incredi-
Bile. Never was a nation more vitality
concerned than is America with a strug-
gle which is being waged to preserve
the very ideals Of democracy and lib
erty for which our fathers died; a
struggle which repeatedly has brought
the horrors OF war to our own shores
and into our own homes.
The Presidents statement that we
were not concerned with the objects
and causes of the war, nor interested
to search for and explore its origins
wofully misrepresented the real at
/ titude Of the American people, griev-
ously wounded the high spirit OF France
and her allies engaged in life struggle
| TO preserve ideals dear TO every Amerl-
can heart, and revealed the President
as man devoid of real craftsmanship,
unable to comprehend the significance
of the great events transpirng around
him or to take far-sighted view Of
| his country's duty in world crisis.
Scarcely less incredible is the Presi-
dents new position. Now we are told
/ that America is not Indifferent, that
she is interested in the origin and
/ objects of the war, but that the present
war is peculiar in that its origin and
objects have never been disclosed, and
that we do not know how TO trace
them. This remarkable statement
! ignores the we'll known truth that new
or before in the history Of the world
were the circumstances Of a war more
deliberately set forth by the different
belligerents in official documents; that
seldom, il ever, was the guilt OF the
offending party so clearly established
by documentary evidence and so strik-
ingly confirmed through confession OF
wrong-doing by the offender himself;
and that never was the verdict OF the
whole world so nearly unanimous as 10
the cause OF the aggression and the
object Of the aggressor.
But more remarkable than either
statement alone is the fact that both
statements were made by the same man
in important public addresses within
the space Of few months. The same
man who told the world that we were
not concerned with "the causes and OBJ
! jects" Of the war also tells the world
/ that we feel concerned with ats origin
and objects" The same man who said
we were mot interested" to search for
or explore the obscure fountains from
which the stupendous flood burst forth
now assures Europe that we are "in-
/ terested." that We are mot indifferent"
/ What shall we think OF n leader who
in the face of great world crisis has
no definite convictions, no steadfast
policy TO pursue. but who in vital mat
ters Of international concern talks pref
| tily but aimlessly first on one side.
then on the other. as the emotion OF
the moment may inspire himf
DOUGLAS W. JOHNSON.
New York, Oct II. lsl6