Western Kansas world., 1916-03-25

crippled by a German aeroplane On
the 1st of May the American vessel
Gulfight was torpedoed and sunk by q
German submarine and two or more
Americans were killed, yet nothing was
DONE On the 7th of May the Lusita-
MIA was torpedoed ana sunk by a Ger
man submarine and more than 100
americans and 1,10O other noncom-
batants We're drowned. The very thing
which our government had warned
Germany she must not do. Germany
did of set purpose and in the most con-
temptuous and shocking way. Then,
when all America was stirred to the
depths, our government addressed an
other note to Germany 1t repeated
its assertion of American rights and
renewed its bold declaration of pur-
pose. 1t declared again that the Amer
lean government must hold the i'm
perial German government to a strict
accounta bility for any infringement of
those rights, intentional or incidental"
and it declared that it would not .'omit
any word or any act necessary to the
performance of its sacred duty of main
tanning the rights of the United States
and its citizens and of safeguarding
their free exercise and enjoyment"
Still nothing was done and long
and technical correspondence ensued.
haggling over petty questions of de-
tail. every American note growing less
and less strong and peremptory until
the Arabic was torpedoed and sunk
and more American lives were destroy
ed. and still nothing was. DONE and
the correspondence continued until the
allied defense against German subma-
rine warfare made it Improbable and
led to its abandonment. and the cor-
respondence is apparently approaching
its end without securing even thar par
4 tial protection for the future which
might be found in an admission that
: the destruction of the Lusitania was
forbidden by law. The later CORE
I spondence has been conducted by,our
| state department. with dignity but it
has been futile. An admission of liza
/ bility for damages has been secured.
but the time for real protection to
/ American rights has long since passed.
The brave words, with which we be
| gan the controversy had produced no
| effect, because they We're read in the
| light of two extra aordinary events.
I One was the report of the Austrian
! amba assador. Mr.. Dumba. to his gov
ernment that when the American note
j of Feb. 10 was received he asked the
secretary of state, Mr.. Bryan, whether
it meant business and received an an
swer which satisfied him that it did
not but was intended for effect at
home in America.
"Too Proud to Fight"
The other event was the strange and
unfortunate declaration of the presi-
| dent in a public speech in Philadelphia
/ the fourth day after the sinking of
| the Lusitania that "a man may be too
proud to fight Whatever the Aus
trian ambassador was in fact told by
| the secretary of state, the impression
which he reported was supported by
the events which followed. Whatever
the president did mean, his declarat ton,
| made in public at that solemn time,
amid the horror and mourning of all
| our people over the murder of their
| children, was accepted the world over
| as presenting the attitude of the Amer
lean government toward the protection
of the life and liberty of American
| citizens in the exercise of their just
| rights, and throughout the world the
phrase ''too proud to fight became a
| byword of derision and contempt for
the government of the United States
! Nediterranean-Austr and perhaps
Turkey also, resumed the practice.
The Ancona and then the Persia We're
| destroyed. and more Americans were
| killed Why should they not resume
| the practice? They had learned to be-
| Iieye that no matter how shocked the
American government might be, its
| resolution would expend itself in
/ words. They had learned to believe
| that it was safe to kill Americans. and
| the world believed with them
Shaking Fist and Finger.
No man should draw a pistol who
! dares not shoot The government that
shakes its fist first and its finger after
ward falls into contempt. Our dip1o-
macy has lost its authority and infu-
/ ence because we have been brave in
words and irresolute in action. Men
may say that the words of our diplo-
matte notes were justified; men may
say that our inaction was justified, but
no man can say that both were wise
and cred1table
1 have said that this government lost
the moral forces of the world by not
truly interpreting the spirit of the
American democracy
The American democracy stands for
something more than beef and cotton
! and grain and manufactures: stands
/ for something that cannot be measured
I by rates of exchange and does not rise
or fall with the balance of trade The
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