The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-05-25
THE PEOPLE AND WAR

Eight men of affairs were lunching
| together in New York. Two of them
were Englishmen. Two were from
the middle west Another was from
the south, and the remaining three
live in New York or near by. The
host Of the occasion submitted the
following question to his guests in
turn: "lf you were president OF the
United States today, what action
would you take in regard to Mexico
and Germany"
None of the answers suggested a
course that would aftrmatively imply
war with Germany, and only one ad-
vocated policy toward Mexico that
would inevitably bring us into con-
flict with the de facto government of
that country The gentleman making
this one answer said that if he were
president he would at once withdraw
out present force from Mexico and
proceed to organize an army of a
million men with which to establish
orderly government in that republic,
if it can still be so described.
This proposal was criticised as like
ly to provoke mistrust of us by the
South American republic and unlikely
to secure the support of congress.
The most definitely hostile course
toward Germany that was suggested
was that we should dismiss her am
bassador, confscate her interned
ships and interdict all financial and
commercial intercourse between the
citizens of this country and the sub
iects of the Kaiser. Such action, it
was urged, would not result in war,
and would probably be followed by
all the other neutrals, so creating a
confederacy in ostracism that might
hasten the end of the war by sham
ing Germany into an admission of her
error.
The colloquy is reported not be-
cause the suggestions evolved are
novel, but because it indicated that
even the most thoughtful and patriot
ic Americans are not yet willing to
admit the imminent contingency or
necessity of war for this country.
The gathering at which the conver-
sation occurred was not in any sense
political or partisan. Most of those
present were more or less sympathet-
ic with the allies, though some were
of German ancestry. If the group was
fairly representative of intelligent
public opinion in this country, and
we believe il was, the inference must
be that the sentiment of the nation
il still opposed to war except as a
last resort, and that the majority of
the people approve of the presidents
patient efforts to avert it.
If il be thought that we generalize
from a single and insignificant Incl
dent in reaching this conclusion, we
may point out Henry Ford's popular
ity as shown by the vote he received
at the Nebraska primaries as the
favorite republican candidate for the
presidency from that state. Another
straw which shows the way the wind
blows is the slow progress made in
recruiting the additional 10000 sol
diers now required to bring our pres
ent small army up to war strength.
In thirty days only 1927 men have
enlisted. and in the nine days ending
April 80 not more than lois new re-
cruits were secured,
We shall not discuss the political
import of these facts depressing as
they are to us in the unconcern with
regard to the country's future that
they disclose. The truth seems to be
that the people do not want to fight,
and have made up their minds that
we will somehow muddle through our
difficulties without a war.-Theodore
H. Price in Commerce and Finance.