Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-16

| Is President; and all the traditions and
| convictions Of that party are for ma
Discussing his assertion of the ad-
mfnistration's second error of policy
| making threats and falling to make
| them good"-Mr. Root alluded to thA
American strict accountable warn
| ing to Germany and reviewed the cir
cumstances surrounding the attacks on
| the Falaba, Cushing. Gulhight, Lus1-
| tania and other ships. The later cor
| respondence of the State Department
was conducted with dignity. but it has
! been futile" Mr.. Root said, continuing
! THE brave words with which we be-
gan the. controversy had produced no
| effect because they were read in the
| light of two extraordinary events. One
was the report of the Austrian am
bassador, Mr.. Dumba. to his govern.
ment., that when the American note OF
February 10 was received he asked the
, Secretary of state. Mr. Bryan. whether
it meant business, and received an
answer which satisfied him that it did
not. but was intended for effect at
home in America. 49,.
TOO Proud to Right"
1.-The other event was the strange and
unfortunate declaration Of the Presi-
dent. in a public speech in Philadelphla
the fourth da- after the sinking OF the
Lusitania. that a man may be too
proud to fight Whatever the Austrian
ambassador was in fact told by the
Secretary of State, the impression
which he reported was supported by
the events which followed Whatever
the President did mean. his declaration
was accepted the world over as pre-
senting the attitude of the American
government toward the protection or
the life and liberty of American citi-
l. ms in the exercise of their just
rights, and throughout the world the
phrase, too proud to fight became the
by word of derision and contempt Tor
the government of the United states.
Later, in another theater of waf-the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and perhaps
Turkey also. resumed the practice. The
Ancona and then the Persia were de-
stroyed and more Americans we're
killed. Why should they not resume
the practice: They had learned to be-
lieve that. no matter how shocked the
American government might be. its
resolution would eXpend itself in words.
They had learned to believe that 1t was
safe to kill Americans-and the world
believed with them. Our diplomacy has
lost it's authority and influence, because
we have been brave in words and ir-
resolute in action
Discussing his third criticism-"a loss
of moral forces Of the civilized world
through failure to truly interpret to the
world the spirit of the American democ-
racy'-Mr. Root alluded to the violation
American people were entitled not merely
to feel, but to speak concerning the wrong
done to Belgium.
"a single official expression by the
United States he said. "a single SEN
tence denying assent and recording disap-
proval of what Germany did in Belgium.
would have given to the people of America
that leadership to which they were en-
titled in their earnest cropping for the
light. 1t would have ranged behind
American leadership the conscience and
morality of the neutral world. 1t would
respect and strength of loyalty to a great
cause But it was not to be. The Amerf-
can government failed to rise to the de-
mands of the great occasions.
Failure as to Belgium.
when our government failed to tell the
truth about BELGIUM it lost hte opportu-
nifty for leadership OF the moral sense of