The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-08-15
Hughes and the InSitania.

The Boston Transcript a faithful
old-time Republican paper, takes cog
nizance Of the question everywhere
asked concerning what Mr.. Hughes
would have done. but II can't see why
anyone should ask. It says:
But the question lis folly because
! 1t supposes the occurrence Of some
thing that would not have occurred.
There would have been no Lusitania
case with Mr.. Hughes or with Theo-
| dore Roosevelt or with Grover Cleve-
land in the presidency"
| 1t goes on:
I'VE should not have permitted
alien agents to pursue criminal con-
| spiracies In this country and the am
bassador of foreign power publicly
to address. appeal to and threaten the
| people of this country over the heads
of the President and State Depart
ment 1t was such desplcable courses
] as these. pursued by Mr.. Wilson and
his colleagues, that emboldened the
| European belligerents TO violate our
rights and led straight to the crown
ing infnmy Of the Lusitania mas
sacre."
Now this Is very pretty, but If 1t
| is true. the Transcript ought to have
/ had some suspicion that Mr.. Wilson'S
was all the blame. and that the sink
/ ing of the Lusitania could have been
avoided. But the Transcript was not
so busy thinking of party campaign
! necessity at the time. What 1t said
then was:
'1nasmuch as the sinking Of the
/ Lusitania comes after a succession OF
protests OF our government against
the war zone which included a warn
Ing that 1t would hold Germany to
| ~ .l.Eys
American lives, IT is evident that the
, United States must make the torpedo
ing of the great Cunarder the text for
vigorous reassertion of its position.
The incident is exceptional. not only
to our experience, but to the expert
ence of the world"
And still dwelling on this idea, II
pointed out that
1T is possible to accept the insistent
unofficial explanations now coming
from Berlin that the quickness and
completeness of the tragedy of the
! Lusitania was as unexpected there as
| here"
Apparently Mr.. Hughes would have
been the only person in the whole
world to foresee and prevent this
thing, though even in his case how
he would have done 1t remains yelled
in mystery.
! Yet this Is all Mr.. Hughes has had
! to say and all his apo1ogists have had
to say for him OF how he would have
/ dealt with the very gravest OF our
| foreign problems. Over and over. we
hear the words "firmness." ''determin-
cd stand" and the explanation that
| IL Mr.. Hughes had been President
this would not have occurred.
/ Now this Is very serious thing.
II a case can be- made out, everyone
will agree that we all ought to listen.
But no one has attempted to make
out a case for such tremendous as
sertion.
| Are we to believe that with Mr..
Hughes In the White House, the great
German naval preparation that had
been going on for years would simply
have been given up as useless? Are
we asked to believe that the pre-
eminent achievement of the German
, navy. the one thing In which inven-
ton and skill had carried 1t far be-
yond the navies Of other countries
would have remained untried? 1t Is
staggering. And at least il this is SO.
| ought we not TO have some hint Of
the magic formula other than strict
accountability" that Mr.. Hughes would
have employed?
Ao HCA wi GtEH OIflCc anu tu0
German diplomatic service mfsinter-
preted the United States. Yet we are
asked to believe that Mr.. Hughes
would have made himself at once in
telligible and convincing.
We are asked to believe this on the
mere assertion of a candidate for Of
Ace and supporting party organs It
will take more than this to mean any
thing to the American people on a
question SO vitality important
Milwaukee Journal.