The daily progressive-miner., 1916-04-26
THE PRESIDENT
 RIGHT AID WRONG REMARkABLE ARTICLE wRIT- TEN BY THE EDITOR OF
 SEATTLE TIMES.
New York,
Thursday, April 20, 1916.

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 Remarkably interesting have been these last few hours, since the Presi- dent began to speak before Con- sress. It was the editors good for tune to sit with the veterans of the Associated Press beside the wires that brought the speech to New Yosx.
 First. came the speech with the inevitable ending threat of sever ance of diplomatic relations. As the President concluded, interest shift cd instantly to the first possible ex- pression of national opinion the demonstration or lack of it, on the part of the members Of Congress. When the cheers started there was . chance, only a chance. that Con- gress would express enthusiasm. Handy had the wire told us of the cheers, when it began to tell us that they had died away.
 This. I say, was the first express ion of national opinion. And every dispatch that has come to New York during yesterday afternoon, last night and this morning, every edi- torial that has been written here, in the nations metropolis, has follow ed along the line that Congress it. self indicated -perfunctorg, machine made eommendation II n, the pause and thought
 America is not whole-heartedly behind the President
 Why? Possibly for the same req son that I find I cannot say, from the bottom of my heart, that Mir. Wilson has pursued the right course. I feel that he is right in one direction, but wrong in at least two others. possibly more.
 Looking at the torpedoing of the Sussex all by itself, the President is right Such an act is a crime, dastardly crime Any man would be right in protesting, with all the power that circumstance had put in his grasp, against the act and any possible repetition of the out rage-even to the point of involv- ing a great neutral nation in war.
 But the President is wrong. If such an act of warfare is justifca- ton for involving America in the world conflict, then the Lusitania horror was trebly justification for such an ultimatum as was launched at this late day. Is long as the President did not inform Germany at that time that such warfare must cease and that, unless the imperial government should then immediate ly declare and effect an abandon ment of such method of warfare, diplomatic relations would be sev- cred, there is no justification for the act now when Ge1nany's only possible answer would seem to be an act of war directed against America.
 Again the President is wrong. If a neutral nation has the right to do what We did yesterday thru Mr. Wilson, why did We not arise in our wrath at the violation of Belgiunl's sacred rights? If the neuf fal nations must be so care- fully safeguarded now, where was our President when certain scrap of pa CT was thrown to the winds of e. diency? If it is wrong to drown nonconbatants, why is it not wrong to drop explosives upon women and children? To use chlor- ine gas? Liquid fire?
 Finally what has Mr. Wilson done to prepare America for the con- fiiet that must inevitably follow whether now or Q little later-his message of yesterday?
 He has made speeches, to be sure. But if it is true that he de- sires his Congress to do more than t has done, to do something real for adequate preparedness and had found out that he could not ac- cornplish his desires, what right has he to send us, unarnled and untrained, to inevitable defeat at the hands of the invader?
 From the standpoint of politics. the ultinlatum was poor move. unless We go immediately into war and that war becomes popular Mir wilson's popularity is on the wane today. And the Roosevelt tide is