The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-01-14
THEIR VOICES FOR WAR

It isn't enough that the administra-
ton at Washington, in period when
most of the world has been obsessed
with the war mania, has kept the
United States out of war. 1t isn't
enough that, despite the terrible de-
structiveness of the worlds most
frightful war, despite the upsetting
of credits, despite the interference
with trade, despite the uncertainty
and gloom cast over the worlds fu-
ture, the United States has been kept
prosperous and that its prosperity is
steadily mounting. These supreme
achievements do not serve to satisfy
Colonel Roosevelt and the Republican
leaders. The Colonel and the Repub-
licans are able to agree on mighty
few things, but on this one PROPOSE
ton they are in harmony. President
Wilson and the Democratic party be
damned. They have been faithless to
their trust.
Colonel Roosevelt cannot think of
words that are severe enough to APP
ply to Woodrow Wilson, because, dur
ing his administration, Belgium and
other small nations have been subju-
gated, because the Armenians have
been perpetrated, and "this nation
nevertheless remains neutral, not on
ly in deed, but in thought, between
right and the most hideous wrong"
What could Colonel Roosevelt have
done to prevent the wrong? Would
he have constituted the United States
policeman of all the world? Would
he have had it use its fragment of an
army, it's insufficient navy, to compel
Germany, by force of arms, to respect
Belgian neutrality, Japan to respect
Chinese neutrality, Great Britain and
France to respect Greek neutrality,
and Russia to respect Rumania neu-
trality? Would he have declared war
on Turkey to protect the Armenians ?
Perhaps. But the New York Even
ing Post happens to recall that Theo-
dore Roosevelt was President between
1901 and 1909, and that during all this
time this nation remained at peace.
1t remained at peace and without a
their independence to Great Britain
when in 1905 Korea lost its independ-
ence to Japan, when in 1906 Morocco
protest, when in 1902 the Beers lost
was parceled out by the powers. These
were all little nations. These were all
victims of predatory larger nations
hungry for territory, greedy for trade
aspiring to larger spheres of influence
and warmer places in the sun.
y President Roosevelt kept this ma
/, ton at peace and peaceful not onl!
while these wrongs were committed
but in 1908, when the dreadful mas
sacre at Kickiney occurred. He KEEP
g us peaceful and unprotesting when
o for many years after, Macedonia wa
running red with blood; when, in 1906
the horrors of the Congo were official
, ly published; when, in 1906, the Rus
sian government shot, hanged an
massacred thousands of its subjects
and when, in 1909, twenty-five thou
sand Armenians were slaughtered a
Adana.
1 When he himself was President
never occurred to Theodore Roosevelt
that the United States should consti
butte itself the worlds arbiter of RICH
and wrong and enforce its judgment
by arms. But now that Democrat
Woodrow Wilson, is charged with tn
executive responsibility, the though
occurs to him daily.
-
The situation, however, is far fror
hopeless, either for Colonel Roosevelt
or the Republican leaders who joi
with him in attacking the President
foreign policies. And it is congress
and not the President, that is veste
by the Constitution with the solem
responsibility of declaring war Their
will be in congress few Progressiv
party followers of Colonel Roosevelt
and plenty of Republicans. Thei
opportunity will be at hand Say
the New York World:
"They complain that the President
diplomacy has been contented wit
words when action was required. Az
ton means war. Any member {
congress is within his constitution;
rights when he introduces resoll