New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-22
A WEAKENED POLICY
Having Bred Hyphenates, Administration
Cannot Complain of Them.

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: Il was said BY wise old Frenchman
that if man betrays you once it is his
fault; if ne does so twice it is your own.
This thought comes home forcbly TO one
in reading the political platform Of DR..
Woodrow Wilson, which has been duly and
dutifuly ratified by his loyal vassals assem-
bled in the (so-called) Democratic convention
at st. Louis.
Beneath all the sonorous bombast and self
glorifcation of it, it is after all little more
than a weak confession of failure and pite
Gus plea for one more chance. II is a strik-
ing fact also that the platform should lay
special and almost exclusive stress on those
very things in respect of which the Admins
traton has thus far conspicuously failed in
its duty. and should make its loudest plant
about conditions and problems which il is
itself chiefly responsible for creating Pre-
eminently is this so in the case OF the Ad-
ministration's Mexican policy, discussion Of
which, however, is full days Job By itself.
The eleventh hour enthusiasm for pre-
paredness and for an aggressive foreign poll
cy are transparently such palpabe scram-
bic for the taiboard of the band wagon Of
public sentiment that it would be laughable
were il not so Notifying to contemplate
That il has required the accumulated cir
show to the skipper of the ship of state the
straight course, which very early in that
period was plainly visible to large percen-
tage Of the passengers, is not well calculated
10 inspire much confidence in his seamanship
It is quite right, if somewhat banal. 20
speak in terms Of stern condemnation of
chose persons, ''actuated by purposes 70
promote the interest OF a foreign power"
etc, who, "by intimidatng, embarrassing
or weakening our government" have shown
themselves "faithless 70 the trust which the
privileges OF citizenship impose" But why
so much talk about il? Such feeling Of
Indignation is so obvious and natural as TO
render such an amount of protestation I'M
necessary. 1t should 20 almost without say
ing Every real American feels the same
way. whether he be native or foreign born.
And. in passing, | would like TO record my
conviction that the same sentiment is shared
by very large percentage, If not indeed a
ma GRITTY, Of American citizens of German
birth
But whose fault is il that these "alli-
ences and combinations" have been suffered
to flourish and exert their pernicious infu-
ence in 'intimidating our government? The
belated condemnation Of these pestiferous
and insolent outanders, who for more than
year and a half have been stretching al
most to the breaking point the patience of
every self-respecting man in the country,
comes with mighty i'll grace from this Ad-
ministration. whose supine and vacillating
policy Las been the one thing which has
made the continued existence of these Great
ures possible.
The people of this country do not require
10 be specially exhorted to be Americans,
and they have a right to resent the assump-
ton of a superior brand of Americanism on
the part Of any one-and, fOrtiori, on the
part OF that man and party who themselves
failed and neglected utterly TO assert that
Amercansm at the very time when it was
most urgently required of them. Can any
thinking man doubt for a moment that the
whole nation would have risen spontaneous
ly TO the loyal support OF the President if, at
the time of the Lusitania outrage, he had
stood squarely on his hind legs and had
taken and maintained the one and only pos
sibly self.respecting stand in defence Of our
rights and our honor? And what If. in such
case, the German government had called our
play, and severed diplomatic relations? Does
any one doubt that any alliance or COM
bina.ion" who then should have tried TO 'in-
timidate" the government would have been
granted the shortest of shirts? What the
people OF the United States wanted then was
a leader, real man, who would inspire and
crystallize the patriotic sentiment Of the
nation. But herein Woodrow Wilson niser-
ably and pitifully failed US. He waited for
some one else, for q consensus Of public