Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1916-04-28
weak against the aggression Of the

@AO
strong.
10 this people the invasion of Bel
GUM brought a shock of amazement
and horror. If the public opinion of the
world was to remain silent upon that.
neutral upon that, then all talk about
peace and justice and international law
and the rights of man. the progress OF
humanity and the spread of liberty is
ole patter, mere weak se~ntimentality;
then opinion is powerless and brute
force rules and will rule the world. If
no difference Is recognized between
right and wrong then there are no
moral standards. There come times in
the lives Of nations as Of men when to
treat wrong as IF 1t were right is trea
son to the right.
The Wrong Done to Belgium.
The American people were entitled
no merely to feel. but TO speak con
corning the wrong done to Belgium
1t was not like interference In the in
terilal affairs of Mexico or any other
nation. for this was an International
wrong. The law protecting Belgium
which was violated was our law and
the law of every other civilized coun
Try That law was the protection of
pur peace and security 1t was our
safeguard against the necessity Of
maintaining great ornaments and
wasting our substance In continual
readiness for war Moreover. that law
was written into a solemn and forma'
convention, signed and ratified by Ger
many and Belgium and France and the
United States in which those other
countries agreed with MS that the law
should he observed.
! There was no question here of inter
fering In the quarrels of Europe We
had a right to be neutral. and we were
neutral as to the quarrel between Ger
many and France. bur when as an In
'ident to the prosecution OF thai
quarrel Germany broke the law which
we were entitled to have preserved
and which she had agreed with lis to
preserve we were entitled to he heard
In the assertion of our OWL nationa
| right
Neutral Between Right and Wrongl
Yet the American government nc
| luicSced in the treatment of Belgium
md the destruction OF the law Of mn
tions. Without one word Of objection
N dissent to the reputation of law
Dr the breach of III treaty Or the vic
lation of justice and humanity In the
treatment of Belgium our government
enioined upon The people of the Unite
States an undiscriminnting and all EN-
bricing neutrality, and the president
admonislled the people that they must
ne neutral In all respects In act and
word and thought and sentiment We
were to be not merely neutral as to the
luirrels of Europe, but neutral as to
the treatment of Belgium, neutral be
tween right and wrong. neutral be
tween justice and injustice. neutral be
tween humanity and cruelty. neutral
bet tween liberty and oppression Our
government did more than acquiesce
for in the first I.usitania note. with the
unsneakahle horrors of the conquest
of Belgium still fresh In our minds. on
the very day after the report of the
Bryce commission on Belgian atroci
lies, 1t wrote these words to the gov
eminent of Germany:
Recalling the humane and enlightened
attitude hitherto assumed by the imperial
| German government in matters of inter
national right and particularly with re.
gard to the freedom OF the seas, having
learned TO recognize the German views
and the German influence In the field OF
international obligation as always engaged
upon the side of justice and humanity. etc
And SO the government of the United
States appeared MS approving the treat
ment of Belgium. 1t mlsrepresented
| the people of the United States In that
acquiescence and apparent approval
1t was not necessary that the United
States should go to war In defense
Of the violated law A single official
expression by the government of the
United States. a single sentence deny
ing assent and recording disapproval
Of what Germany did In Belgium.
would have given to the people Of
America that leadership to which they
were entitled in their earnest cropping
for the light 1t would have ranged
behind American leadership the con
science and morality of the neutral
world
1t was not to be. The American
government failed to rise to the de
mands of the great occasion Gone
were the old love of justice, the old
passion for liberty, the old sympathy
with the oppressed. the old ideals Of
nm America helping the world toward
Il better future. and there remained In
the eyes of mankind only solicitude for
trade and profit and prosperity
Shrank From the Truth.
The American government could not
really have approved the treatment OF
Belgium. but under a mistaken polio,
il slrank from speaking the truth
Such policies as ! have described ure
LOUDLY dangerous in their effect upon
foreign nations and In their effect a,
nome II il n matter of universal ex