The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-06-20
Preparedness VS.. Pacifism.

Genuine devotion to the spirit of pre-
paredness and fervor for paeifism are
irreconcilable principles of political &C
ton. The Democrats, therefore, will be
hard put to it to reconcile the position of
President Wilson on the former subject
with their own record in Congress and
with their spectacular demonstrations
in approval of peace-at-any-price on the
floor of the national convention at st.
Louis. While the President was parad- |
ing in Washington to show to the nation |
how deeply he was concerned that the |
army and navy should be made a con-
trolling factor in giving force to national
policies, the appointed representatives of
his party we're cheering to the echo the
record of the instances in history when
the United States has submitted griev-
Gus affront and when 1t was ''too proud
to fight" for the maintenance of the
national honor and the protection of the
national rights
1t is only just to Ex-Governor Glynn to
say that what he meant to emphasize
was the disposition of the United States
to settle differences with other countries
peacefully if possible, but his hearers
made it plain that what they were cheer
ing was not the '.Americanism" he in
tended to put in first place, but the pacif-
ism that spells pusillanimity and vacill-
iation. The keynote of the convention
was thus made defense of the Presi-
dents unfortunate reference, on the NOR
row of the sinking of the Lusitania, to
the nation that is too proud to fight. !"
and all the carefully laid plans to stimu-
late patriotic outburst of devotion to
the flag and to reveal the Democratic
party as the chosen defender of the ma
tional honor and the national interests
wherever threatened and by whatsoever
, foreign Power came to naught.
President Wilson has been SO deliberate
about arriving at the conclusion that
eparedness-military and industrial
is essential to the very existence of the
nation, and his party in Congress has
been so reluctant to give practical evil
dence of adherence to the preparedness
! principle, that the conclusion is irresisti-
: BILE that the st. Louis demonstration
more surely represents the real opinions
of the Democratic party than do the
Presidents words. The wide divergence
between the Presidents professions and
the actions of his party cannot be ex
planned away. On the contrary, plat
form pledges that are fatty contradicted
by record of actual non-performance
covering many months, during which
the country was confronted by grave
complications involving relations with
: foreign nations in arms, are branded in
advance as insincere and dishonest.
Professions of devotion to prepared
ness from such source are plainly un
> scrupulous bids for political support, in
> the mistaken notion that the American
people can be deceived by devices SC
transparent II President Wilson can
). not compel even an outward acquiescenc'
II in the major items of his program on
4 the part of the politicians in his owr
party, how can he expect the people O
Z the United States to take at their face
/ value words that were fatty contradict
ed by the cheering delegates at st. Louis
u Mr.. BRYAN would not have been moved
:. to tears by an outburst for preparedness
And his lachrymose commentary on thu
!, proceedings of the convention revealed
v beVond the shadow of doubt the I'm
r bridgeable gulf between Democratic pro
!, fessiOn and action on this vital ISSUE
| Public Ledger, Philadelphia.