The Washington herald., 1916-01-31
President and People Confer.

President Wilson and the people of the United
States are exchanging condolences, and finding that
they agree, The President went forth to rouse
the people and he finds them rousing him with
their cheers as he voices their sentiments, the
sentiments that they have long been waiting to
hear his alsoi the very sentiments that he
seemed to believe would have to be inspired by
his appeals to patriotism, but which he knows now
are living and militant 1t is fine thing for the
President to get away from the note-writing rou-
tine of Washington and go among the men who
make America to discover how .wickedly they are
misrepresented by the noisy tribe that would have
him believe that the nations manhood is willing
to barter its honor and rights for the slothful
and plenty of the present. And it is finer thing
for the people to know that their President knows
that occasions may arise when we must not be
too proud to fight" and wants the country to be
prepared for them. The news from Pittsburgh and
Cleveland is the handwriting on the wall for the
peace-st-any-pricer in Congress. Mr.. Bryan has
one reason to rejoice He did not follow on the
Presidents trail. What would have been his recep-
tion in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, where every
mention of the national honor brought cheers?
President Wilson has set about the task of
winning the country to preparedness and he is
making thorough work of it. Nothing could be
more adrot than his warnings:
forth. DO not know what a single day may bring
| merely wish to tell you that we are daily
treading amidst intricate dangers.
| think no man in the United States knows what
a single week, single day, single hour may
bring forth.
| should feel that | was guilty of an unpardon-
able omission if did not go out and tell my
fellow -countrymen that new circumstances have
arisen which make it absolutely necessary that
this country prepare herself, not for war, not for
anything that smacks in the least of aggression,
but for adequate national defense
You have laid upon me this double obligation:
I'VE are relying upon you. Mr.. President to keep
US out of this war; but we are relying upon you,
MIR. President to keep the honor of the nation
unstained. Do you not see that time may come
when 1t is impossible to do both of these things? !?
No one believes that the danger is more i'm
mnent now than it has been for many months,
and the President is careful to assure the people
that he is not thinking of some particular danger"
without in the least imparing the effectiveness of
his appeal His bold front and vigorous attitude
on the subject of preparedness in rather striking
contrast with his yielding foreign policy may
readily be interpreted indicating determina-
ton to put to an early and conclusive test before
the people the issue between himself and Mr.
Bryan, whom he has every reason to suspect of
designs upon the St. Louis convention. There is
little to fear that the response OF the people
as the President moves further West will be df-
ferent from that in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and
Mr.. Bryans political ssgacity should tell him, if
he is depending on peace at any price for his in
fluenee at ST. Louis, that he is already eliminated