East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-02-01

From a speech by Dr. VIM II Fos-
ter, president of Reed College, Port
land, Oregon before the Woodrow
Wilson League, January 26, 1916:
The uppermost issue is the problem
to what extent, if any the military
forces should be Immediately inereas-
ed.
l am not for Mr. Wilson because I
agree with everything he SAYS on this
subject, but because l believe that, II
armaments were increased they would
be safer in his hands than in any
others. He is less extreme than many
others in his preparedness program.
and during these serious and turbu'
lent hours. he has achieved the su-
preme distinction of keeping his head
He has said; Il, at least, must be
calm at least must use Judgment
l must wait until know the facts be-
fore | give any decision, Whereas,
judging from the press the country
over. there are those who would
harass the administration, badger it,
impet it into hasty action, before the
department of state has opportunity
to know the facts, In every issue the
president has insisted on 'watchful
waiting" the policy needed in this
time of trouble, as in every time Of
national excitement, more than any
other. the policy that has kept us up
to the present time free from war,
The gentlemen who have most seri-
ously objected to the president have
constantly called on him mot for
words. but action" which in reality
means not arbitration, but war; which
in certain cases would mean going to
war first, and investigating after
wards. Insofar as the opponents OF
Mr.. Wilson have been calling for war
first and investigation of the grounds
for war afterwards, they have been
following the precedent Of the Span.
ish war. As YOU remember after the
news came that the battleshtp Maine
had been blown up and before we had
any means of fixing responsibility, We
We're at war with Spain, in spite OF
the fact that we had received through
our representative at Madrid, assur-
ances that Spain was willing to arbi-
trate the question We declared war
first and investigated later That
seems to be what some national lead
ers woud have us do now. What
would have happened had we follow
ed their counsel during the past few
months to its logical conclusions
First, a war with Great Britain; next
a war with Germany, then with
France then with Austria: more re-
Gently with Japan, and for side is
sue, all this time we would have been
at war with Mexico. Ii appears to
me that the man, above all others in
America today, who has kept us out
of war through persistent calmness
in the face of national excitement is !
Woodrow Wilson And that is the
dominant reason why he should he
reelected.
He has upheld the letter and the
spirit of the forty different arbitra-
tion treaties that have been carried to
completion during his administration
under the able leadership of William
Jennings Bryan. Now | know that
the popular thing to do just now is to
SANDER Mr. Bryan to condemn him
with Mr.. Ford as an impractical
idealist: but it was Mr.. Bryan who
in full sympathy with Mr.. Wilson ar
ranged arbitration treaties with forty
countries, each providing that in case
OF any misunderstand.n a period Of
six months shall elapse, during which
every effort shall be made to settle
the issue through calm Judgment, and
that neither of the nations during
that period shall act and. at the end
Of six months, each nation shall be
free to decide whether to continue
arbitration or to resort to war Any
two nations, calmly considering a diff. |
ference Of op nion in this manner for
six months, are not likely to go to
war at all.
do not contend that because we
have forty treaties we are in no dan.
ger Of war with any Of these nations.
Ultimately treaty may be worth no
more than the paper on which it is |
written, unless the provisions can be
enforced by an international police
power. l do contend that Mr.. Wilson
In refusing to act hastily in the re- |
cent international troubles has been
loyal to the treaties consummated
during his own administration. In
honor, he could not do otherwise.
But Mr.. Roosevelt calls this
spineless' administration. He de-