The Farmington times., 1916-10-20
HUGHES ANSWERS A QUESTION

Hughes was interrupted by someone
asking what he would have done when
the Lusitania was sunk. The audi
ence grew indignant and tried to cry
down the questioner, but after con-
siderable hooting he was permitted to
put the question, which he said he
did with all respect. Judge Hughes,
contrary to his attitude throughout
the campaign, said he would answer
the question, and then said:
"I would have had the State De-
partment equipped so as to COM
mand the respect of the world at
the outset of the administration;
and next, | would have so con-
Quoted affairs in Mexico as to
show that our words meant peace
and good will, and the protection
at all events of the lives and pro-
perty of American citizens.
"And next, when | said strict
accountability every nation would
have known that that was meant,
and further, when notice was pub
lished with respect to the action
threatened, would have made it
known in terms unequivocal and
unmistakable that we should not
tolerate continuance of friendly
relations through the ordinary
diplomatic channels if that action
were taken. ..
""And the Lusitania, sir, would
never have been sunk"
The mountain labored and brought
forth a mouse, and mighty puny
and ridiculous looking little mouse at
that. Judge Hughes and his tutelary
campaign director, Colonel Roosevelt,
have been going up and down the
country bemeaning President Will
sons foreign policies and denouncing
his exchange of diplomatic notes with
and demands Of Germany as weak
words backed up by neither reason,
frmness nor force. Even with Ger
many concedihg the right and justice
of the demands made upon her in the
Lusitania and similar submarine out
RACES, and her promise to desist from
the course she was pursuing in viola
tion of the rules of international war
fare and the rights of neutrals, they
have done their best to discredit the
administration and make the country
believe that Mr.. Wilson did not go
far enough, that something more
drastic and spectacular-but what,
they have never said-should have
been done.
=. for the first time, fretting and
smarting under the pertinent ques-
tions that have been propounded to
him as to what he would have done or
purposes to do, if elected, in matters
on which the people have a right to
know his position as candidate, he
has broken his assumed complacent
poise of silence, and essayed to an
swer one of them. The foregoing quo
tation is the result. Words, words,
meaningless and inconsequential!
With pompous swelling of the chest he
declares that if he had stood in Mr..
Wilson's place, he would have told
Germany "in terms unequiyocal and
unmistakable" that if she laid vio-
lent hands on the Lusitania he would
discontinue friendly diplomatic rela-
tions with her, and "then, sir, the
Lusitania would never have been
sunkw
After all his aping of Teddy's blus-
ter, what a sorry spectacle the Judge
makes of himself, and what a concep-
ton of the situation as it existed at
that timel Let us review the situa-
tion just moment. The Lusitania
was the first victim of Germany's
ruthless submarine acts. On the
morning of the day that the Lusitania
left the port of New York some of the
papers published an anonymous warn
ing-supposedly from German sourc-
es-to voyagers not to take passage
on her, that destruction lay in the
pstJLI VI utI NoydESs II was .IdhSli 30
such rumorS are usually taken, ORly
a few hours elapsed after its appear
ance until the Lusitania weighed
anchor, and the passengers and Off
GERS -of the ship hooted and ,laughql
at the warning, which was not in any
way authoritative. There was tio reh!
son to believe or assume that any GeF1
man war ship or submarine would at
tempt to seize passenger ship with I
out complying with all the rules of
warfare as recognized and practiced
by civilized nations-that these would
be ruthlessly swept aside, and that
she would be torpedoed without Civ
ing passengers and crew safe con
duct. Yet Judge Hughes tells us &hat
he would have assumed all this on the
spur of the moment, in the few hours
elapsing between the appearance Of
the anonymous warning and the sail |