New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-05

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: There are, as this country has re-
Gently had occasion TO hear, some native clti-
zens Of the first and even the second genera
ton who are enough unflial TO prefer that
land of their foreign ancestors birth TO this
land Of their ancestors deliberate adoption.
Such citizens are, however, fortunately rare.
That they should At all be audible is due not
to the truth Of their evident belief in the
stupidity OF their progenitors' choice but TO
the inscrutsble law of minorities, which in
crease, their noise in inverse ratio TO their
number. For the rest feel sure that there
are few Americans born that do not believe
in the principles Of the Republic. and few
that do not believe in the logical correlative,
lately so nsst.ntly prominent in the Admin
stration press, which bids citizens stand by
the President
SO far, certainly. find myself in harmony
with every weighty factor in the composition
Of national opinion, even with the factor-if
factor il any longer be-which, at this criti-
cal period, ostensibly occupies the Office Of
Chief Magistrate. refer to our supposititious
President But submit that. as an average
when | say that we plain people are finding il
increasingly difficult to stand by Mr. wilson;
we have this hardship in our cndeavor 10
stand by him; he himself does not stand he
pirouettes II is my business 70 mix with the
prayer books all sorts and conditions Of men.
During the last fifteen months | have in
quired OF nearly every one with whom | came
IN contact what he or she felt about this mat
ter and during the last six months have re
ceived but one answer.
This in effect. is il:
To try TO stand by President Wilson is 20
waltz without reversing rather. il is to
do nothing but reverse. We are dizzy
What" asked Emerson, "is the use Of mind
unless you change it," But when mind
common or magisterial-c changes too often it
ceases 20 be a mind the chameleon carries
no conviction OF sincerity. The three most
important affairs with which Mr. Wilson's
convictions had 10 deal were the tariff, the
war and preparedness. When there was an
nounced a shifting of his conviction in re-
gard TO the first Of these, the average man
set il down the admirably frank confes-
sion Of an honest mistake. When there be-
gan the now familiar series of twists in re-
gard 20 the second. the average man tried TO
account for it the result Of genuine
though weak resolve 70 keep the United
States out of trouble. But now that pre-
psredness has first been derided, then whole
heartedly adopted and finally so modified as
to be nor flesh, nor fowl, nor good red her
ring-now the average man-and the average
man believes in preparedness has definitely
discovered that it is impossible to stand by a
whirling dervish
What happens to the dervi.h that whirs
cle 70
Wilson: The man that was too proud TO let
his country fight for her honor should him
self be unable TO fight for a second term.
Who is the best candidate that his party can
name 10 carry on his dance.
One begins TO hear again Of the sacchsrine
Mr.. Bryan, and. indeed, Mr.. Bryans ideals
are not so sharply opposed to Mr.. Wilson's as
cursory examination seems TO indicate.
But the time IS not ripe for Mr.. Bryan: the
former Secretary OF State that wanted Ameri-
cans to keep out Of danger by avoiding the
ocean ought now logically TO order them 10
keep out OF danger by removing at least a
hundred miles north Of the Mexican border
Mr. Bryan will no. do. During the entire lat
ter part Of the present Administration the
Democrats have made il evident that they
want q candidate with two qualifications
must be a pacifst and he must draw the Ger
man vote.
venture modest suggestion. I propose a
process OF law and q violation of nature
whereby the present ambassador from Berlin
may Immediately be made q native American
citizen. and propose that this trhe accom-
plished, he be given the Democratic nomina-
ton. Count Won Bernstorf already has the
sympathy Of every Teutonic sympathizer;
ever since he began his present activities he
has kept rs out o. = war with Germany. and