The Republican journal., 1916-11-02
"a Thing of Shreds and Patches. "

"lf the Executive writes note to
satisfy popular sentiment at the mo-
ment; if he writes another note in the
hope of conciliating some group of vot-
ers marked out by racial lines, and then
writes still another note in different
sense to conciliate another group marked
out by other racial lines, our foreign
policy becomes a thing of shreds and
patches, such as we have beheld with a
deep sense of humiliation during the past
three years.
GAS an example of what l mean by
this 1uctuation, let me give you single
example from my own immediate expe-
rience. At the outset of the war the
Administration issued circular note to
the Powers stating our position as to
armed merchantmen.
"Nothing is better settled in interna-
tional law than that a merchantmen
solely armed for defense does not lose
her character as privately owned ship,
and that character entities her to warn
ing from hostile belligerent, entities
the neutrals rightfully OH board to be
landed safely at the nearest port and the
crew to proper treatment as prisoners of
war.
''These principles have been establish
been adopted and accepted by all civiliz-
ed Nations for more than two hundred
years.
"The circular of Sept. 10, 1914, took
this correct ground and it had my sup
port, as it had that of all men who be-
lieved In the maintenance of an honest
neutrality. for it observed all the prin-
ciples of international law.
Changed His Mind Twice.
''On Jan. 15. 1916, the Administration
sent note to the Powers, signed by Mr..
Lansing, in which they proposed to
modify these well-established principles
and to have an armed merchani man,
owned by belligerent, lose her private
character and be subject to the treat
ment of an auxiliary cruiser; that is, of
vessel of war, liable to be destroyed,
without regard to the passengers or
crew, by an enemy vessel. This was
done with view to conciliating one of
the belligerent powers and securing
some language in note which could be
used by the administration for political
purposes and called "a diplomatic VIC
tory
''The avowed purpose was to facili-
tate the operation of the submarine, be-
cause the submarine was vulnerable and
ought not to be exposed to resistance
and possible destruction by an armed
merchantmen. 1t was proposed to set
aside all that humanity and law had
! built up in the course of centuries, in
order to make the submarine more dead
ly in its operation.
II could see no ground for making the
submarine, which is an instrument of
death, any more effective than it was. .
l thought the law ought to be retained
ana the submarine, like other vessels of
war, subjected to it. l and others at
tackled this proposition in the Senate.
Then the President changed his mind
again and returned to the original and
correct position. He lost my support
He regained it when he changed his
mind for the second time and returned
to the only correct attitude.
Evil of Racial Divisions.
''Do you think that a foreign policy
conducted by methods like this secures
to US the respect of foreign Nations or
tends to maintain the influence which
We once had not so many years ago
when Roosevelt was President and Root
was Secretary of State? This one case
Is typical OF the whole foreign policy of
the Administration and you will see in it
just what have described-the attempt
to use our foreign relations for the pur-
pose of conciliating groups of voters
separated by lines or racial descent.
There is no more evil thing than the
effort to divide our people along the Ii les
of race. We came from many races and
the only salvation of the country is that
all men, native-born and naturalized,
should act in their public affairs simply
as Americans, knowing only one allegi-
ance and reverencing only one tradition,
the tradition of the United States.