The Washington herald., 1916-10-22
He Has Kept Us Out Of War.

The Democratic campaign to re-eect Mr.. VIII
son President opened with the cry, He has
kept US out of war" The cry has grown louder
the campaign has progressed and the words
probably will be shouted as finale as the CAM
paign draws to its close.
"He has kept us out of war; is forceful argu-
ment for Mr.. Wilson at time when the people
of this nation are looking in solemn horror at the
butcher shop into which war has transformed
Europe. The sentence stamps Mr.. Wilson as a
protector of the peace at high cost to himself.
In protecting peace he has given his op-
ponents the opportunity to sneer the phrase too
proud to fight" and to charge that he has been
inefficient as a President because he has allowed
American men, women and children to be muir
dered on land and sea and their murderers to go
unpunshed.
In maintaining peace he has paved the way for
charges by Republicans that the prestige of the
United States among world powers has retro
gressed almost to a nonentity and that the Amer
ican flag no longer is protection to American
citizens He has given his opponents the oppor-
tunity to censure him for not breaking off rela-
tions with Germany when the Lusitania carried
down more than 100 Americans and for not inter
vening in Mexico after the Carrizal massacre.
In preserving peace Mr.. Wilson has given the
Republicans the foundation for some of their most
there is much truth in the Republican charges.
Without these charges the Republican campaign
would have been rather a tame affair. There
would have been no issue of Americanism and
Col Roosevelt probably would have found little
excuse for taking the stump and waving the Amer
lean flag in plea for Mr.. Hughes.
1t would have been simple thing, for Mr.. Will
son to have broken off diplomatic intercourse with
Berlin after the Lustania went to her grave. The
people of this nation in fever of excite
ment and anger such as had not been seen since
the destruction of the Maine and they were ready
to stand by their President. But Mr.. Wilson with
held the stroke Of the pen that might have led to
war.
1t would have been simple thing for Mr..
Wilson to have intervened in Mexico after our
soldiers were slaughtered at Carrzal Our people
then favored intervention, perhaps, more than at
any time since Mexico has been in turmoil and
they were in state of mind to support their Pres
dent in action designed to end the Mexican
trouble once and for all. But Mr. Wilson evaded
the intervention that meant
Had Mr. Wilson broken off relations with Ger
many and interviewed in Mexico his election would
have been assured according to Republican reason
ing for the demand for his defeat is based in large
measure on his failure to do these things. Then
there is tradition that "war President is GER
tain to be given a second term in the White
House.
The Republicans are fully cognzant OF the
strength of the sentence, HE has kept out Of
war" and they have skillfuly evaded meeting this
statement squarely. They have parried and thrust
forward the argument that Mr. Wilson has main
tanned peace that was peace in only while
in reality state of war has existed between this
country and Mexico Our militia has been called
out, our entire regular army has been sent to the
Southern border and a large part the border
and Our fighting have been in frequent con-
flict with foreign
But the Republicans using what is largely
a technicality in argument, for the that has
existed between the United States and Mexico has
been peace in comparison to the war that would
have followed intervention. Despite statements to
the contrary, Mr.. Wilson, in plain, honest, non
partisan language has kept US out of war"
There is doubt that in maintaining peace,
Mr.. Wilson has done the nation a far greater
service than be estimated at this time but
in so doing he has furnished his opponents with
their strongest arguments against hm-argu-
ments that may be a determining factor in the
result November !. In the degree in which
these Republican criticisms in his possible
defeat, Mr. Wilson will be martyr to peace in
his political death.