New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-26
WHEN WAR Is HONOR
Americans Are the Last People Who Should Choose Pusanous
Pcac. Rather than Honorable Strfe-Thc Fear Of
Losing Dollars Rather than Lives

blown till the walls Of the Confederate
Jericho fell before him. And what stu
dent of history, what man who can
grasp cocial philosophy but is con-
WINGED that if Lincoln had kept his
people out Of that long, devastating,
fratricidal war there would have come
fiercer and fouler conflicts in the fut-
ure?
Is the soul Of this nation so withered
by the blight of commercialism that 1t
can see in proud letters blazoned above
a Cuba Libre and a magnanimous, UNI
selfish America the words Remember
the Maine!" and yet seek to hide from
the letters, red as the wine OF the
wrath Of God, Remember the Lusi-
tania"? Can we love our dollars so
dearly that we pause and palter and
handler when a reign of piracy across
our border sends our citizens to deaths
of mutilation and heaps fellow men
and women in CORY piles for the CRIME
of being Christian? 1t might be eieV-
enth-hour repentance were we now 10
raise our official voice in protest
against the black and bloody record
written across the map of Belgium
Even our attitude now toward the
anarchy across the Rio Grande has IN
it a pose of apology Illuminating 10 che
interiors of American traditions from
Lexington to Cavite. But. still, though
the cock has crowed thrice, there Us
vet time for a new Administration to
give a new life to our national honor:
Even the geese on the Capitol NH
ar Rome. unlike our own to-day, were
not pacifsts. If they could not pear
arms against the enemy they at least
could give alarms. But We would not
choose even patriotic geese for consuls
mr. commanders. The crisis IN Amerl-
can politics to-day far transcends parIi-
sanship. The fundamental question IN
wolves the spirit upon which not only
liberty, but the very existence OF 'he
nation depends. The American ldeai
is 10 be put to the test. Our oaiie's
this autumn are to tell the story
wbother we worship the God OF com
uerce or the God of Comfort above the
God of Right. The book of the history
If the United States is shame and d
ronroach to towards and wastrels. we
must either close IL or write our names
in il afresh as in the BOOK OF hile'
We have set in the American pantheon
the heroic figures Of such hgnters As
washington. Lincoln, Grant, Farragu''
NcKinlev. Roosevelt. Are they 10 De
thrown down and Buchanans ana roruS
padagt4lS
Test the Wanted glory Of keeping out
Of war by the law of decent courage
World we thank a man for keeping US
ont ~ danger if that danger was one
encompassing the beloved OF our INC
Wopld we choose safety first II II were
a danger of hellfre and torment from
which we had chance to save our
dearest friend? Would q brave man
nraise YOU for keeping him out OF Gan
,er even IL that danger were one III
ybicb he might be called upon to lay
dawn his life for his friend? DO we
want to be kept out of war II 'ne cur
- anna is to defend or vindicate the
RIGHTS and righteousness OF America.
citizens? Do we want to be kept ous
of anv war that is for the overtime" Oh
The altar of Baal, the destruction Oh
Babylon the great? (.
The American people must say IN
November which master they Pre,ei ::
he who is ready to take the sword OF
horor or he who is like reed shaken
with the wind. hoLMho % &C.
Wernersville, Penn, Oct. 20 1910