Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-12-21
Position Of United States
as Neutral Increasingly
IS Difficult
1T OF AMERICA
lRST CONSIDERATION
by Secretary Lansing Makss
Clear Position Of President Wilson,
Whose First Aim Is to Insure the
Peace Of United statss--Riyhts Bes
coming involved by BeIliserents on
Both Sides ia Great Struggle.

washington. Dec. e1.-The danger Of
the United States itself being drawn
! into the war by reason Of its increas-
ing critical position as a neutral was
one of the moving considerations in
President Wilson's dispatch of notes to
all the warning nations urging them Ia
discuss peace terms.
Secretary Lansing today authorized
the statement that material rights Of
the United States had not been the
paramount consideration. Americas
rights. he said. were being moro and
more involved by the belligerents and
as the United States was drawing
nearer the verge Of war" 1t was entitled
to know exactly what each belligerent
seeks In order that we may regulate
our conduct in the future"
Secretary Lansing's words, uposa
which the White House refused 10
comment. follows:
The reasons for the sending Of the
notes were as follows:
1T is not our material interest ne
have IN mind. but more and more ovS
own rights are becoming involved By
the belligerents on both sides so that
the situation is increasingly critical.
Il mean by that, that we are drawing
nearer the verge Of war ourselves ana
therefore We ought to know exactly
what each belligerent seeks In order
that we may regulate our conduct in
the future.
No Other Nation Consulted.
mo nation has been sounded. No
consideration Of the German overtures
or OF the speech OF Lloyd George was
taken into account In the formulation
Of the document. The only thing the
overtures did was to delay It few
days. 1t was not decided to send ie
until Monday. or course the difficult
ties that face the president We're that it
might be construed as movement
towards peace and in the aid OF the
German overtures He specifically de-
nies that that was the fact in tho
document itself"
At the White House no effort was
made to lessen the Importance Of the
secretary's statement.
President Wilson himself on several
occasions has pointed out the danger
Of the United States becoming involved
in the war, Because OF violations Of
American rights he has felt that the
United States had a very difficult role
to fill. Last February while touring
the middle west in favor of prepared-
ness and again during the last cam
paign the president touched on that
feature.
United States Near War.
At Pittsburgh last January he said:
when you know that you are COM
bustible material in the life OF tho
world. and in your own national life
and that the sky is full of floating
sparks from great coniiagration, are
you going to sit down and say 1t VIII
be time when the fire begins to do
something about it? want to come
as your responsible servant and tell
YOU this that we do not control fire.
We are under the influences OF. 1t, but
we are not at the sources Of 1T. We
are where it at any time may affect
us and yet we can not govern its
spread and progress,
Again at Cleveland he said: Two
thirds of the world are at war. 1t is
not merely European struggle. Ma
tions. In the Orient are involved as
well as those In the west and all over
there seems to be creeping upon the
nations disengaged a spirit and the
threat OF war. All the world outside
of the United States is on fire"
! Wilson's Pledge to Nation.
In speech at Milwaukee,, where the
president promised to keep the coun-
try out of war If possible, he further
said:
so far l have done so, and pledge
you my word that. God helping me, r
Will if it is possible" He added the
people had bidden him to see that
nothing stained the honor of the United
States. Therefore, there may mt any
moment come a time when I can not
nreserve both the honor and peace OF
the United States nc went on. 59lsE
In one of his campaign speeches. tha
president declared that the presnt was
the last great war in which the United
States could remain neutral. He said
on that occasion that the interests OF
the world were other nations so drawn
together that it was hard for any ma
tion to remain neutral when the other
nations were at war.
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