The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-06-23
THE ISSUE.

w I'LL GllS HOOliScbi1 cSiiSA l. S1hAS
cratic candidates for the Pre-
sidency nominated and the Pro-
gressive Candidate dead aborn-
ing, the national campaign may
be said to be formally opened.
Never s'ace the campaign in
1864, wnen President Lincoln
was on trial for reelection, has
similar contest been made, and
if we can read the logical Sc
quence of events the result will
be similar to that of over a half
century go.
With opposing candidates hav-
ing so many traits of character
in common that it has been face
tiously said a barber could re-
move all difference between them
in ten minutes, it is likely that
issues of state policy will alone
be discussed, and that these will
mainly narrow down to a single
one, our country's policy as to
war, whether in America or in
Europe.
President Wilson, like his pre-
decessor, has done what he pro-
perly could to avoid a war with
Mexico. While this has not al
ways met the approval of liter
airy lovers of blood and carnage,
it is fair to conclude that in
Colonel Rooevelt's defeat at
Chicago this is the true Republi-
can attitude; and as the call for
military preparedness has met
with such varying enthusiasm,
and in many sections with such
chilling support of hostile oppo-
sition the inference is fair that
the President has led as fast as
the country would follow! The
belief is doubtless fixed in many
a mind that Mexico will never
give her people a staple govern
ment until the United States
shall have given her such a
spanking and such training as
she gave Cuba in 1898, but we
are forced to agree that Mexico's
acts-not the United States
must determine such a time, and
few will deny the Presidents
proposition that every country
must be allowed a chance to
work out its own form Of govern
ment until the rights of other
peoples dwelling there demand
Intervention. It is generally
conceded that the isolated cases
of loss of life of our citizens
through public causes thus far
scarcely exceeds, in comparison
with our whole people, the ratio
of one star to all the stars in the
armament; how does this COM
pare with The probable sequel
had our army been battling for
two or three years with Mexican |
bandits? The time for interven-
ton may be and probably is near
at hand, but this delay has been |
judicious and the final defeat |
will be all the easier and the
more above the conqueror's
temptation.
In like manner, while no
nation has ever been tried |
abroad as ours has by the war
ring nations of Europe, and to
keep out of break has required
much more craftsmanship than
to fight, thus far peace has been
maintained with dignity, and in
every case our President has
gained by diplomacy what would
have been lost through war.
Under such circumstances who
chides because we have not been
led into contest for which we
were lamentably unprepared
both in spirit and in equipment?
And who today does not recall
with extreme satisfaction the
peaceful settlement of issues be-
tween us and the European
nations through the arts of
diplomacy rather than over the
corpses of untold thousands of
our dead And will not the
logical consequence of this be
that when foreign fighters have
glutted their vengeance on each
other they will inevitably turn
to the nation for leadership in
the future which has won it's
bloodless victory during the last
two years!
War talk is cheap, and loud !
md l,1rid h,1t tho forco IF roaCor S