The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1916-07-14

| means not liberty TOT themselves alone.
bit for all who are oppressed. Justice
means not justice for themselves
alone. but shield for all who are
weak against the aggression Of the
strong.
10 this people the invasion of Bel
GUM brought a shock Gf Amusement
and horror. IL the public opinion OF the
world was to remain slel.t upon that.
neutral upon that. then all talk about
peace and justice and international law
ana the rights OF man. the progress OF
humanity and the spread of liberty is
idle patter. mere weak sentimentality:
then opinion is powerless and brute
force rules and will rule the world. If
no difference is recognized between
right and wrong then there are no
moral standards. There come times in
the lives of nations as Of men when to
treat wrong as If it were right is trea
son to the right.
The Wrong Done to Belgium.
The American people were entitled
not merely to feel. but 70 speak con
corning the wrong done to Belgium
It was not like interference in the in
ternal affairs Of Mexico or any other
nation. for this was an international
wrong The law protecting Belgium
which was violated was our law and
the law ut every other civilized coun
try That law was the protection of
our peace and security 1t was our
safeguard against tue necessity of
maintaining great arnlaments and
wasting oar sni,stan'e III continue
readiness fer war Moreover that Law
was written into n solemn aud lorna
convention. signed and ratified Ivy Ger
many and belgium and France and the
United States in which those other
countries agreed with us that the law
should be observed,
There was no question here of inter
fering In the uuarrels of Europe We
had right to he neutral. and we were
neutral as to the quarrel between Ger
many and France. but when as an in.
cident to the prosecution of that
quarrel Germany broke the law which
we were entitled to have preserved
and which she Lad agreed with us to
preserve we were entitled to he heard
in the assertion Of our own national
right.
Neutral Between Right and Wrong!
Yet the American government uc
guessed in the treatment OF Belgium
and the destruction Of the law Of na
TONS Without one word Of objection
or dissent TO the Reputation of law
or the breach of our treaty or the VIC
lation Of justice and humanity in the
treatment of Belgium our government
enjoined upon the people of the United
States an Understanding and all EN-.
braciny neutrality. and the president
admcnishcd the people that they must
be neutral in all respects in act and
word and thought and sentiment. We
were to be not merely neutral as to the
quarrels OF Europe. but neutral as to
the treatment of Belgium, neutral be-
tween right and wrong. neutral be-
tween justice and injustice. neutral be.
tween humanity and cruelty. neutral
between liberty and oppression. Our
government did more than acquiesce,
for in the first Lusitania note. with the
unspeakable horrors of the conquest
of Belgium still fresh in our minds. on
the very day after the report of the
Bryce commission on Belgian atroci-
ties, it wrote these words to the gov
eminent of Germany:
Recalling the humane and enlightened
attitude hitherto assumed by the imperial
German government in matters of inter
national right and particularly with re-
gard to the freedom of the seas having
learned to recognize the German views
! and the German influence in the field Of
International obligation as always engaged
upon the side of Justice and humanity. etc
And so the government Of the United
States appeared as approving the treat
ment Of Belgium. 1t misrepresented
the people Of the United States in that
acquiescence and apparent approval
1t was not necessary that the United
States should go to war in defense
Of the violated law. A single official
expression by the government OF the
United States. single sentence deny
ing assent and recording disapproval
Of what Germany did in Belgium
would have given to the people of
America that leadership to which they
were entitled in their earnest cropping
for the light. 1t would have ranged
behind American leadership the con
science and morality OF the neulra'
world.
1t was not to be- The American
government failed to rise to the de
manus of the great occasion. Gone
were the old love of justice, the old
passion for liberty, the old sympath,
with the oppressed. the old ideals of
an America helping the world toward
better future. and there remained in
the eyes Of mankind only soicitude for
trade and profit and prosperity
Shrank From the Truth.
The American government could not
really have approved the treatment OF