The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-24
FULL OF GOOD SENSE

To the Editor of The Age-Herald' l I wish to extend to you my hearty con gratulation on being the first southern newspaper, and so far as know, the only one, to take the side of good sense, good reason and good judgment against the policy of President Wilson in the mat l ter of the latest note sent as an ult1- matum to Germany.
 l I wish to say further that the editorial
 to which I refer, the leading one in the
 Thursday paper, was, in my judgment, the best that has appeared in The Age- Herald since I have been reader, and that covers a period of more than 10 years.
 To ask that Germany cease her subma- | rine warfare is equivalent to demanding | that she lay down her arms and sur- render to the allies. It is the height of absurdity for the President of the United | States to make such demand, ana coming at this time when relations are already strained, it is most dangerous, unwise and foolhardy thing to permit | the head of the nation to indulge in what you very fittingly call "an action of inn pulse'
 Why does MT. Wilson not send an ulti- matum to England demanding that she cease seizing merchant and passenger ships of the enemy which carry contra bando Why does he allow this act to pass unchallenged every day. and call the hand of Germany for sinking ves- sels?
 As matter of fact, the policy of this nation has been anti-German from the outset of the war. First, MT. Wilson de- clared that anyone who encouraged with their moral support, or in any way what soeyer aided or allied themselves with either faction engaged in the gerat strug- gle, should be branded as traitor to their country and an enemy of peace Al. .~,sll lt-,, Izvr made over night by traffic in arms and ! munitit rs with the nations at war; fac- tories have been running overtime. money has been loaned in quantities l that stagger the mind by American capi- l talists to the warning nations of Europe | (but there was no money here to handle | the south's cotton crop, regional banks notwithstanding, and these things have gone on without word of protest from President Wilson. Why? Because the allies have been receiving all the bene- | fits, and it's profits first with the mu- nition makers.
 MAINTAIN NEUTRALITY l We should maintain a position of strict neutrality The President first declared l for this position, and his words at that l time struck deep into the popular heart. Since that time neutrality has been made
 a joke, and the country has gone ahead, with the knowledge of the chief execu- | tive, and coined billions of dollars-al- ways by extending the helping hand to the allies. and ever in opposition to Ger ! many.
 | Such thing as civilized warfare is almost past comprehension. Acts of out rage have unquestionably been committed | by both sides, and it is difficult to dis | tinguish between the two sides repre- | sented as to which should take the ban
 ner for savagery. Therefore, we should l either remain hands off altogether. or not discriminate in our criticism. | The great American public should make | themselves heard upon this question. There can be no doubt that the President s course in sending such an ultimatum at | this time is against the wish of the Amer ican people, who, after all. are the ones who will have to pay the cost if Germany
 resents in her own true fashion the "im-