Spray courier. (Spray, Or.) 1???-19??, 1916-04-20

= HhAiAA btvNAub " Ht'th ~ NHluNi ifti
!. ar1 horror n tho mlblie Oplblon 0f tlI
J world was 10 rcmain Silent tipo0 tha
! nogtrnl npon that. thcu al talk nbor
pcucc and Justice gn1 international Inv
nnd tho rights of man, flIc progress 0
humanity aud the spread OF liberty 4
idle paticr. nero weak gentimcufallty
then opinion Il poEclicgs ana brut,
FORE rules npd will rllr The world II
- difference h r0rognized between
riSht npd wrong thou there nre no
moral atnndards. Tlicro como times I'll
: tho lives of nations ~ OF men when 10
trent wr0rfs rs II II were right ls trca
gon 10 The right
Tho Wrong Dono 60 Eel1iura.
The American people were entitled
not merely 20 feel. but 10 speak CON
coming tho wrong done - Belglum.
r was not like interference IN the in.
tcrnal rTalrB Of McSico or nny other
milton. for tllls was nn international
wrong. Tho law protecting Belgium
which WIS violated ,gas onr law and
the law Of every other civilized coun.
try That law way tlie protection Of
our reacc ard security. II was our
safeguard against the necessity Of
maintaining great arinameD;s and
WASTING our substance IN continual
readiness for war Moreover thnt law
was written into n goIcDin aud formal
convention, signed ana ratified by Ger.
many nnd Belgium and Franco and the
United States III which those other
countries agreed with W. that the law
should bc observed
There was no question here OF inter
ierlng In the qlarrcls OF Europe. We
had right TO bc neutral. and We were
neutral us to the quarrel bctwcca Ger
many and France. but when as an In
cldeDt 10 the prosecution OF that
quarrel Germany broke the law which
we were entitled to have preserved
and which she had agreed with us TO
preserve We were entitled 10 be henrd
IN The assertion Of our own national
right
Neutral Between Eigl1s and Wrongl
Yet the American government nc
quIa3ced In the treatment Of Belgium
and the destruction of the law Of na-
tions, Without o!ie word OF objection
or dissent 70 the repudiatlon of law
or the breach Of our treaty or the vi0-
Iation OF justice and humanity III the
Treatment OF Belgium our government
anjclned upon the people Of the Unitcl |
states an undiscrirlinating and all en-
hracing neutrality, aud the president |
the people that they must |
DC neutral IN MI respects In net and |
word and thought and sentiment. We |
we're to he not merely neutral ns to the I
irarrels Of Europe. but neutral as to /
hc Treatment cf Belgium. neutral be-
.wecn right and wrong, neutral be- /
.wcen justice nnd Injustice, neutral lie.
wcen humanity aud cruelty. neutral
between liberty and oppression. Onr
government did more than acquiesec.
or In the first Lusltania note. with tlie
Insreaknble horrors OF the conquest
II Belgium stIli fresh In orr minds. on
Inc very day after the report of the
sryce commission on Belgian atroci-
io1 II wrote these words 10 the gov
rnmcut or Germany:
Eccaiirg tho humane ard enlightened
tttude hitherto assumed by the imperial
,cr.aan government. FL matters OF intor-
ational right ANA particularly with re-
ard 10 the freedom of the seas, having
'arned 10 areeogni2c the Ccrnan views
nd the German Influence In the field OF
iternnt.onal oal!sctlon as clTays engaged |
pom the aide OF justice and humanity, etc.
And so the government Of the United /
tatcs appeared as approving the tseat- |
ient of Belgium. II riisreprcscntod
10 people Of tho United States IN that
ard apparent approval !
was not necessary that the United
tatcs should go to war In defense ,
Sprcss'on by the government OF the ,
nitel states. Il single sentence deny
< assent and recording disapproyal :
what Germany did In Belgium,
ould have sivna 70 the people of ,
merlca that leadership TO which they |.
ere entitled in their earnest cropping !,
II the light. 1t would nave ranged i,
hind American leadership the con-
icncc and morality of the neutral
orld
1t was not to be. The American !"
'vcrnmcnt failed TO rise to the de-
nds of the great occasion. Gone .
ere the old love of justice, the old p
ssion for liberty, the old sympathy g
th the oppressed. the old ideals OF e
America helping the world toward Il
better future, and there remained in r
@ eyes OF mankind only solicitude for u
lde and profit and prosperity. o
Shrans< From the Truth. II
fhc American government could not :"
lily have approved the treatment of u
lgium. but under q mistaken policy |.
shrank from speaking the truth. u
such policies as | have described are p'
ubly dangerous in their effect upon
'eign nations and in their effect ut
me, 1t Is a matter of universal ex- NJ
rience that weak and apprehensiye OF
atment OF foreign affairs invites en- pt
'achments upon rights and leads TO .
uations in which 1t is difficult to W
went war, while firm and frank co
icy at the outset prevents difficult OF
nations from arising and tends most IN
ongly to preserve peace. On the III
cr hand. If Il government is to be tn
ong in its diplomacy its own peo-
must be ranged in its support by po
dership of opinion in national TN
Use worthy TO awaken their patri- ne