The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-10-13
THE QUESTION STILL APPLIES

Judge Hughes has found another
tissue" He said in speech at Phil
adelphia last Monday: ave do not
propose to tolerate any improper in
reference with American property,
with American mails or with legiti-
mate commercial intercourse. No
American who is exercising only
American rights shall be put on any
black list by any foreign nation"
This is in reference to an announce
ment made by the British government
last July that it had placed the names
of certain persons, firms and corpora
tions in the United States upon
proscriptive "black list" and forbid
den all financial or commercial deal
ings between them and citizens of
Great Britain. To this unusual ac
ton of the British government, Pres
ident Wilson through the Department
of State, addressed biting diplomatic
note and warning to that government
that it 'cannot expect the government
of the United States to consent to
see its citizens put on an eX-parte
black list without calling the atten-
ton of His Majesty's Government, in
the gravest terms, to the many SER
ious consequences of neutral rights
which such an act must necessarily
involve" and much more to the same
purpose. This matter and the others
referred to are still in the pending
diplomatic class of the many grave
and serious international issues for
which the European war is respon-
sible.
Judge Hughes insinuative habit of
calling attention to existing condi-
tons with which President Wilson has
to deal or has had to deal, and stop
ping there, encourages the tempta-
ton to repeat the pertinent question,
"What would you do, Mr.. Hughes,
with this problem" The question
has been put to him in many and va
rious ways on other subjects, but has
never received from him an answer
or avowal of any fixed or definite pol
icy of his own. 1t occurs to us that
there are only three ways in which
this "black list" contention may be
rnnf Nv O,,r.
First, by friendly diplomatic in
terchange of notes, setting forth its
unusualness, injustice and apparent
unfriendliness to American business
and commerce. Second to refer the
whole matter to an international
court of arbitration. Of course, the
war situation of Europe makes that
impossible; and third, by resort to
armed force to compel the British
government to rescind her "black
list" order or fight.
The first is the policy being pur-
sued by President Wilson, and which
Judge Hughes by inference opposes.
The second is impossible under exist
ing war conditions. Does Judge
Hughes mean to tell us that he would
resort to force right off the bat, if he
were entrusted with the executive au-
thority of our nation? Is he spelling
for a fight with Great Britain over
this matter, as his political tutor, Col
onel Roosevelt, is with Germany over
the Belgium and Lusitania incidents
What ferocious warriors these two
opponents of Republican reaction are
at distance. The writer has seen
and heard good many blusterers in
his time, but when it came to a show
down they were as mild as a May
morning. In the meantime, the sane
sentiment of the American people is
not counting war with any other peo-
pie; the peace, progress and prosper
ity we are enjoying under the Wilson
administration is diversion enough.
The Chicago Tribune, one of the