The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-02-24
AN UNSATISFACTORY "KEI-
NOTE"

NOlE.
The speech of Elihu Root is &C.
cepted by republican papers and lead.
ers at the keynote of the campaign
by which the u. O. P. will seek to re-
gain control of the country. 1t is
worthy perhaps, OF such an honor
being marked by all the adroitness OF
argument and all the eloquence OF
language for which Mr.. Root is fam
Gus; it states the republican case bet
ter than anyone else could hope to
state it; and yet, it fails to satisfy
the candid reader.
1t fails to satisfy, because it is an
address Of parusanship rather than
of patriotism; because Mr.. Root
clearly is thinking more of party ad-
vantage than of national security;
because the ablest and in some re-
spects the most high minded leader
the republicans possess can not re-
frain from trying to get help for the
ancient tariff graft out OF the present
worldwide calamity.
From the lofty vantage ground of
hindsight, Mr.. Root declares that
President Wilson has made mistakes
in dealing with foreign complications.
That is extremely prObable-the
Journal pointed out one such mistake
and the way to retrieve 1t only few
days ago.
This war has surprised everyone
and upset all calculations. Germany,
which had the advantage of the in
itiative, made three tremendous err
rors at the very start: She thought
that Belgium would not resist, that
England would not come into the
war, that France could not stem the
torrent poured upon her. England
has made so many plumbers that it is
useless to enumerate them; Russia
has tripped again and again; even
France, though sanest and most
clear sighted of all the combatants,
has erred many times in the simple
business of fighting.
Why, then, should we expect to be
flawless in the much more compli-
Gated task of maintaining neutral
rights without ceasing to be neutral?
Mr.. Roots program of what
should have been done" makes it
clear that if he had guided the des-
TIMES of the nation, we should have
been at war with Germany long ago.
He would have protested against the
violation of Belgium, but without go
ing to war on that point. Such
course would have been equivalent to
serving notice on Germany that we
hated her but would not fight her
a fine way, truly, of persuading her
to respect our wishes. He would have
backed the Lusitania protests with
action" The only possible action is
the use of force, and force means
war. g
Mr.. Root would be more candid
and more convincing-if he omitted
entirely his lip service to peace, and
declared boldly that this nation
ought now to be at war with Ger
many and Austria to redress The in
suits and injuries inflicted upon it.
But the worst indictment of Mr..
Roots speech is that he seeks to
make partisan capital out of national
danger He would make high ideals
support high tariff. He repeats the
discredited patter about democratic
hostility to business as prelude to
his discussion of Belgium. He can
not criticize the administration policy
in Mexico without putting wreath
on the grave of the murderer, Huer-
ia; and his talk about American
rights" in that country is thinly
veilea plea for concession hunting
corporations.
Just as the tories of England took
of the Boer war to foist
their antiquated scheme of education
on the country, so republican leaders,
with Mr. Root at their head, are try
ing to take advantage of foreign COM
plications to restore the rObber
schedules of the Aldrich tariff and
exploit Mexico for the benen. of Wall
street.
The American people will not be
misled by any such plans. They want
peace, and President Wilson has kept
peace. They want the national hon.
or maintained, and he has maintain
ed it. They want preparedness; and
President Wilson has done moro tO
secure it than all republican occ'.-
pants of the White House since the
civil war. they want to avoid, il
possible, the necessity of conquering
and administering Mexico, and again
the presidents policy offers the one
visible chance of securing that end.
These are services which no minor
errors can counterbalance and no
special pleading obscure. Chicago
Journal.