The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-28

have shown the extreme unWisdom of
repeating the offense, there would
never have been a repetition of the Of
Tense.
Certain foolish pacifists would I'M
doubtedly have been lacka6aisical over
the action, but it would have saved
hundreds of lives.
IF, when the lives of our men, wo-
men and children were in jeopardy at
Tampico, the American fleet had been
directed instantly to protect them and
to hold any aggressors in summary
fashion to account, instead of doing
as was actually done, that is, having
our vessels Stea m away and leave Brit
ish and German warships to do the
duties we had failed to perform; if,
1 say. such action had been taken at
Tampico and had been followed by
similar action as regards Vera Cruz.
in other words. had been made a prec-
edent for consistent course. we
should have escaped all of these trou-
bles.
Once Favored villa.
AT the time that we favored villa
we permitted the export of arms and
munitions TO him and these arms and
munitions have been used to kill our
own people. Then, when we pre-
ferred the CarranZistas against Villa,
we did the same thing with them,
and within the last few weeks the Car
ranzistas. who were our nominal al
lies, joined with the Villistas in at
tacks upon our men, which cost the
loss of gallant lives wearing the uni
form of the United States.
And after years of these exper-
fences in Mexico and repeated killings
of our own people in our own territory
along the border. our unpreparedness
is such taht this mighty nation has
not been able to grapple efficiently
with the situation created by the raid
of h-n oh of bf, Ia baa ta1,
by his fellow bandit chiefs when they
quarreled among themselV es.
Immediate action at the outset and
preparation would, in all human prob
ability, have averted trouble. In any
event, such action and such prepare
ton could not possibly have pro
duced more trouble than has been
produced in Mexico by the policy this
nation has actually pursued.
So, As to Germany.
so it is as regards Germany. Four
teen months have gone by since as a
nation we informed Germany that we
would hold her to a strict accounta-
bility if she did what she said she
would do as regards submarine war
fare Germany die not believe that
we meant what we said and for 4
months our actions showed that we
I did not mean what we said, and strict
accounta bility turned into IA months
.
When we made that declaration
we should have understood exactly
what it meant and the obligation il
/ imposed upon us. 1t was a declara-
I ton so serious that mere severance OF
diplomatic relations would have hard
/ ~ made it good. and of course, it could
only be justified by immediate and
! thoroughgoing preparedness on oul
part
Haven't Made Good Our Word.
yet for II months, after making
/ that declaration and with, during
those IA months. outrage after out
the outrage as regards the Lusitania
was merely the most conspicuous. we
have not prepared in any shape or way
to make good our words And now
we find that the lack of preparedness
the lack of decision and fortitude or
our part have resulted not, as ouI
pacifist friends insist in increasing the
7 likelihood of peace, but in bringins
US to the verge of the gravest possible
crisis.
If we get peace now. it will be
proof positive that firm decision Il
months ago would have saved the
lives of many thousands of non-com-
batants. including many hundreds OF
women and children who have per
ished on the sigh seas because our &C
ton rightly made other nations be-
lieye that we did not mean what ws
said