New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-30

IN
,.o .bouId docide 10 undertake an active snn'.
:, military onerations. we could be assured .,
,u tho time needful TO organize, equip n"'
train arrnies of such size rs we snouid o''"'
advisable. ,o,, oroe,
rho sclGgh considerations OF money prom
ore totally insufficient to JUSTIFY our neu,,"'
i,v Our pride should be TOO great I" a"0"
-, IN take ALI the advantage and suner """'
Of the burden Of the war. Our V'Hi,,y' W.
manhood. should forbid us to be "'iliDk "
skulk behind the protection OF Great nr'tnn
and France. as we are doing. We Know Una.
tho Entente is fghting our battle, ana 'na'
II il il beaten we shall be compeheu W,
selves to fight whether we want 70 OF NV
cannot plead poverty or smallness ~ oui
cuse. | cannot believe any cons'oerho'e p"'
OF our people so degraded and LACKING III '"e
conccn.ion Of honor az TO wish TO let others
fight for them while they devote tnemse''c'
~ tho making OF money. Such stand ~ IN
comna.ible with the American character ana
wi,h every tradition Of our history. IL Is our
ou,v 10 be supporters Of civilization, not us
omasculated bene'caries.
The one remaining possibility OF Justiiyhs
our neutrality il the assertion tnst we Cd"
accomplish more good as neutrsi thah ~
bellperent, and upon examination th's ciaIn'
.oo falls 10 pieces. II Is quite true tnat worthy
action by US at the beginning "ouId pto'
obIv have enabled US to preserve tecnhicd'
neutrality while obtaining advantages for CIV
iIization of inestimable worth. The lack OF
visiou the timidity, and possibly the stpuldlty
of our administration prevented tins accom-
nlishmcnt. and the opportunity IS forever
cone from us. We could have crystalliled nov
only the opinion Of our own people out Una,
Of all the neutral peoples OF the "orld aga'"s.
the German assault on civilization. we couio
have npped in the bud the German aocHl"e
Of frightfuness, and prevented all caicu, s'eu
commission of atrocities. We could have
made il early evident that ultimate success
If the German purpose was impossible, ana
Inns not only have prevented tho entry into
N. war of Turkey and Bulgaria, but nave
n,ode Germany realize that the longer the
struggle lasted the worse would be the plight
of the Central Empires, and that the only
chance of preserving their existing imperium
Law in an immediate peace on the pest terms
obtalnable. q,
But instead Of this, Mr. Wilson maintained
long silence. ultimately broken By repre-
sentations based entirely on national se.hSn-
ness. principally money sehshness, ana 10
tally ignoring the paramount question OF the
demands of civilization. The Germans nave
given the United States slap after slap IN tns
face. but Mr.. wilson has only sputtered' anu
even I'M his sputterings he has complained
only Of the afront 20 the face slapped not OF
the outrage of such slappings existing III
twentieth century world. As result t'e
,oico of America. which Nigh, have inspired
tespect. is now regarded only with disdain'
and all chance OF important accomplishment
nv the moral force of our administration has
vanished This pusilanimity and snort
sightedness has also destroyed all the foFce
of the argument az first 30 often made tnat
the United States was needed AZ the end OK
he war as the one great neutral 70 settle
The terms of peace. We no longer nave any
influence which can affect these terms, ana
they will be made by the victorious Entente
powers. and not by any neutral. The world
will have 20 trust TO the wisdom and restraint
of men like Sir Edward Grey that these terms
be such as TO insure LISTING peace, not TO the
guidance OF America
Nor is there any truth in the statement
that we are doing more TO aid by making mu-
nitions as a neutral than we could do as
belligerent. There has been only partial
mobilization of our resources for this pur-
pose, induced merely by the desire 20 gain
profits. Were We in the war there would be
a national patriotic mobilization, and with our
characteristic powers of organization under
such stimulation we should soon be turning
out ten shells where to-day we are producing
one The destination of these munitions
would be where they could do most good. and
they certainly would not be boarded by US 70
proyde for our own future needs year
hence, but would be spportIoned 10 the
troops needing them as these troops were
eady for action. The question Of whether
these soldiers were Americans or belonged
10 one of our Allies would be OF minor inn
portance in this regard. To think otherwise
would be TO admit that are fools.
II is of the highest consequence that the
American people should recognize the fact
that neutrality is never noble, is often base
and cowardly. in this case is soul-destroying,
deadly 10 our influence and reputation abroad
and 10 our pride and self-respect at home.
The very fact that Mr. Wilson has constantly
assumed that neutrality is, per Sc, something
admirable has in the past led many Americans
astray; now that they are beginning TO see
the shame he has brought upon our citizen
ship in other respects they are also perceiving
the falsty Of this assumption. What free
man could hesitate in choosing between Con-
stantine of Greece and the noble Venizelos
Let us be able TO say with Rupert Brooke
who last spring died in the Egean, in the
flower Of his youthful genius;
"And Nobleness walks in our paths again
And we have come into our heritage
BENJAMIN APTHORP GOULD.
New York, Jan. II, 1916.