The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-18
world or any part of it be so quick

Hoiiu UT duy part Ol IL Dc So quANn on the trigger. a8
 Possibly the most important side to
 his achievement is that he has. sci people thinking along new lines. Never before in the history of America or
 of the civilized world have so many people asked themselves: What is
 the possible good of war; what possi- ble good may be gained by going to | war; what great thing can come out of the shain thousands and millions
 Of men; By keeping out of this war
 we have not only contributed no share
 to the tragedy, but we nave preserved
 the good sense of self-restraint of halt the world and shown the other ha1f the jnestimable value of the use of
 brains and self-control. Why, war is
 the denial of civilization! Ifjciviliza- ton means anything it is that there
 is one and only one honorable way of settling disputes and that way is the
 reverse of sheer physical force wheth-
 CT represented by armies in the field
 or the diabolical ingenuity of science underground, oversea, or in the air.
 The net result of President Wilson
 handling of the Mexican question to date is not unlike the result of his
 handing of the difficulty with Ger
 many, He has brought a large num- 1 Der of us to a more civilized point of view. We are beginning to see that it is greater and nobler thing for this hemisphere for us to wipe out the sus- picions and hate that all South and l Central America has had for us, with considerable reason-consider Pana-
 ma than 1t is for us to exercise our un-
 doubted ability to force smaller and
 distracted neighbor to keep the pesce President Wilson is the first Presi- | dent to say in terms unmistakably sim
 cere to hostile neighbor on this con- | tinent: We don't want your territory we don't covet your land; we would help you; we would give you of our
 strength; we won't go to war with you unless you force it. He is the first
 President to say to the leading South American nations: Let us try, to decide by conference, what should be done in
 the case of prolonged civil war in one
 of the countries on this hemisphere.
 How few realize the importance of that arbitration conference at Niagara
 Falls That was a practical demon
 stration of modern diplomacy indica- tive of the change that has come over
 our attitude toward our neighbors on
 this continent, and their idea of us.
 The Mexicans had reason to mistrust
 us. They know our history. Nor are they unmindfuI of how we have gone into Mexico and why. They have their
 own problems to work out. They are
 as jealous of their honor and their
 dignity as we are. They are risking everything in h their struggle to straighten out their internal affairs even as we risked everything during our Civil War. What is it to them if certain Americans lose the dollars they have invested in Mexico? This is nothing compared to tho issues which are at stake and which the Mexicans believe that they themselves should
 and can handle. Precious American lives have been lost because of the in- ternal disorders in that country, but
 what would they weigh in the balance were we to resort to intervention,
 which Is simply another word for war,
 with the destruction of thousands of Americans and Mexicans President
 Wilson has clearly seen the bigger stake, and 1e has realized that Mexico wants a chance and needs sympathy and support, and he has given it in
 every way that he honorably could.
 'Truculent Pacifcism"
 For centuries rulers have talked of
 universal peace and internationalism.
 President Wilson acts universal peace and internationalism. There are those
 who sheer at what they choose to call
 his "truculent pacificisni. Is it any
 more truculent for us, great and powerful nation, to keep hands off