The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-10-22
WHAT WILSON HAS DONE
 TO KEEP NATION AT PEACE
By W. q. M'ADOO Secretary of Treasury

before going to war. whereas MT. Roose- welt and MT. Hughes seem to believe that they should appeal to force, or make display of force to settle international controversies.
 Both MT. Roosevelt and Mir. Hughes | have spoken with contempt of the Presi- dents truly great diplomatic victories victories which have been won through the force of intellect and not through the destruction of human life. They seem to resent peaceful and honorable adjustments of international controver- 1 sies; they appear to want settlemeats of | such controversies written in the blood of Americans young manhood. It is well | for the American people to realize the grave peril to the nation which will re- suit from putting in the presidential chair any man who will deal with critical in- ! ternational situations in a high-handed, ! tactless and violent manner. Those who | advocate these methods in diplomacy will l plunge the United States into needless, | senseless and criminal war. That MT.
 Roosevelt and MT, Hughes contemplate war cannot be doubted, since they are persistently and unsparingIy condemning | the Presidents policy of maintaining peace with honor as "cowardly'' and l "humiliating." What is the alternative
 but war?
 | ROOSEVELT REAL DIRECTOR | Who can doubt that if Mir Hughes IS 1 made President, MT. Roosevelt will be the dominating influence and will direct 1 our foreign and domestic policies. MT.
 Roosevelt is clearly the leader-in-chief of 1 the republican party. He it is upon whom ! the national committee calls for aid and sends on stumping tours when the coun- | try has sinking spells from the effects | of MT. Hughes trite generalties and an- | cient platitudes, and he it is who makes I .l0Fi x-frr l ton of the republican side of the case. Every explicit utterance of MT. Roosevelt and every implicit utterance of MT. 1 Hughes shows that if elected, America | will be forced into war with some nation. | These gentlemen are not candid or cour- | ageous enough to tell us before the cleo 1 ton what nation will be our antagonist. 1 This is one of those delightful gambles
 or leaps in the dark that American voters
 are asked to take in order that MT. | Roosevelt and MT. Hughes may experi-
 ment upon them with a dual Kilkenny l type of government for the next four years.
 | For the past two years we have been l facing the gravest kind of perils. The sit
 nations have been delicate and difficult beyond the grasp of the mind of any man who has not been in the higher 1 councils of the government and familiar with their every phase and aspect It IS | obvious that a whole people cannot suc- 1 cessfully conduct delicate foreign nego- l tia ations, or handle complex international l relations except through their chief spokesman, the chief executive. For this very reason the constitution has wisely 1 put the conduct of foreign affairs in the ] hands of the President of the United | States. The President has it in his power l to plunge the country, at any moment,
 into war. with all of It's unspeakable l horrors and fatal consequences. single l nisstep, or rash act, or blunder on his
 part. Is all that Is necessary. It does not | require courage or statesmanship to pro- yoke war. Any wild man, or blunderer,
 such a calamity and the people would be
 powerless to avert it, except at a cost 1 which might be more disastrous than | war itself. But it does take statesman 1 ship and courage of the highest order to maintain the honor and the rights of the
 nation and yet keep 1t out of war, in | these perilous times when civilization has lost its equilibrium and nations their
 power of reckoning.
 Of transcendent importance to the
 American people is the continuance in
 the office of President of a man of cour-
 age, boise, experience and statesmanship.
 We do not gamble upon the future, We
 do not trifle with destiny, we do not
 imperil honorable peace if we keep at Its
 | head the great man who has guided this
 nation's destinies during the past three
 years If 1t had not been for President
 /, Wilson's courage and calmness, intelli-
 gence and judgment. exaltede patriotism, passionate love of humanity and justice, and stern insistence upon the mainte-