New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-23
WHY HE VOTED FOR Will SON
Not - Coward, but to Keep Amerie, Or,
of Europe's Quarrel
To the Editor Of The Tribune


Sir: letter In Tuesdays Tribu,.
Mr. Henry ID. Sedgwick Is the las. g.
During the period Of doubt regarding a..
election, and with the gradual conArn.,,..
Of Mr.. Wilson's reelection, those who $500
for him have found themselve, s,..u.,
abused and belittled By some OF vou,
teemed correspondents. Pilloried "a v...
ling,, towards, clsssed with hogs and dollar,
berated as selfish, ignoble, shortsivs,.,,
Casting aside the aspersions Of the res,
would ask leave to give expression "a
views regarding Mr.. Sedgwicks letter.
Shorn OF its singing phrases. barred a, Il.
clever fatuities, the letter has for all g,
length, but one point, all the rest Of /, b.,..
but words, fanciful, caustic, nsgging bu, :.
important. The point Of Mr.. Sedgwiek. =,
ter: That Americans voted for man WIZ,
fused to aid the cause Of the righteou, fp,.
land, of course) in 1914 or az any time -
OF course, IL was an outrageous pi,c. :,
business for Austria 10 seize Bosnia som.
years ago. Had she not done so the Au,.r;,,
Archduke would never have been In s.r,,.-.
on June %, 1914; the murders would a.,
have occurred. War would not have a..
just when 1t did had this pretext for "a,
not occurred. But, under any and all eireur.
stances, war was inevitable. Som. NAY r..
fuse to admit that the Germans and Am.
trisns have a right 10 live on this earth
Granting, however, that they have, we "a,
evolve out Of the tangled skein Of happen.
ings antedating the Great War a real r...
son for it. Russia Is big, but she Ia. =.
windows on ice free oceans She tried "a
get some in the Far East and was def,,tsd
by Japan for her attempt Then to the IVES,
she turned her wistful eye. She hoped IN
the years to come to let the Slay march for.
ward, slowly, surely, mercilessly crushing
Teutonic races.
The Kaiser had not failed 10 see the nen,e.
to his race. The alliance OF traditional foe,
Britain and France, with the mighty Sl.y
meant one purpose, one result. Quick as l..
thunderbolt came Sarajevo. Seeing n,
chance to feel out Russia's purpose, the uti.
matum came. The rest is history.
Thus it would seem that the Kaiser pr,.
cipitated the war. Russia's ambition caused
it, Germany would fight before succumb,ns
peaceably to the inroads of the onrushinf
Slav. Who can blame her?
Who nursed Russias ambition? England.
by her alliances. She nurses the ambitions
of Japan, and some day we will have TO pay
the price in blood or national subjuga.ion,
but in blood first!
England did not spring to arms to right.
eously avenge the Belgian invasion. She
sprang to arms because the invasion showed
her that Germany's goal was not Belgium
not France, but England. And ] do not
blame her for doing so. However, she should
not be so hypocritical as to claim that she
did spring to arms to avenge Belgium.
Wherein, then, do the Allies have any mo-
nopoly of righteousness? England has acted
on the plan Of make everybody ambitious
to own Europe and grab the remainder Of
the world for yourself"
Therefore, there is no particularly right
cous cause in Europe to-day-Teuton or Ally.
Our own Monroe Doctrine tells Europe to
keep its hands out Of American quarrels
Common decency would therefore dictate
that we keep out Of European quarrels
Butt in" there, and Europe will claim the
right to butt in" here.
am not "too proud to fight but would
draw the line at fighting for British suprem.
acy or beside Slavs who seek control. have
no interest in Germany's battles seeking s
German place in the sun.
If "upholding of national honor" means
fighting to help England, or Russia, japan or
Germany TO be king of the rubbish heap,
would say haul down the Stars and Stripes
and raise the red flag of anarchy.
No, Mr.. Sedgwick, we did not vote for Mr.
Wilson because We are towards, ignoble vot.
ers and weaklings. We favored him because
of the opposition of Wall Street, the Old
Guard the Kaiser, the more bitter element
of the Roman Church, Murphy, Taggart Sui.
livan and the host of rabble crying for blood
of our American manhood to be split for
England or Germany. We voted for Mr.
Wilson because of his eight-hour law, child
labor law. rural credits act, Federal reserve
act, and his other progressive legislation.
DANIEL SNIVELY.
New York, Nov. 81, 1916.