New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-28
How Much Longer?

Administration at last wakes up to the
fashion in which it is being used to serve
the purposes Of German diplomacy and to
act as a catSpaw for the adroit German
Ambassador in this country?
Germany has murdered American men,
women and children. Our Government
eight months ago demanded that the act
be disavowed and the practice discon-
tinued. The practice was continued until
British sea power made it no longer profit
able. Then German diplomacy set out to
fix a price with the nation whose children
il had murdered, for the abandonment of
the practice.
This price has never been hidden from
the Wilson Administration, and there have
been disquieting signs on many occasions
that the Administration was about to
make some sort of bargain with the Ger
man murderers, because of its own politi-
cal troubles at home.
In substance, the German Ambassador
has said TO Mr.. Wilson time and time
again:
For your own political advantage you
need a moral victory over Germany in
the submarine controversy. Well, Ger
many is prepared to give you that victory,
with perhaps a little reservation on the
question of disavowal, if, in return, you
will attack England and break her
blockade"
That is what the German negotiations
have amounted TO; that is what they still
mean. To Mr. Wilson is still offered VIC
tory for his policy, TO be bestowed by that
German Government which has come to
him with its hands stained with the blood
Of murdered Americans, if he will only
meet the Germans half way and begin
against Great Britain a campaign FAR
more drastic than any that he has ever
conducted against the nation which has
deliberately slain American citizens and
continued to Stay them while the killing
was profitable.
Only a weak administration could listen
tc such a bargain. Only politically
cowardly administration could permit
Count Won Bernstorff to remain in this
country, in the face Of the evidence, pub
lished and not yet published, which ii
holds-evdence revealing all of the
\ interesting activities of the German
y Ambassador.
The reason why the Administration vii
not send Count Won Bernstorff home is
that he is not merely the German Am
bassador, but the master of the German
nj ~, fbic rfrxr
He has been permitted to remain despite
his offending because the Administration
still cherishes the delusion that by per
hitting him to remain it will save fol
itself a fraction of the German-Ameri-
can vote.
There could be no greater folly. TC
permit a foreign ambassador TO trade IL
your timidity and to capitalize your DO
nestle political difficulties is the most
suicidal thing that any government coulc
90. And from the outset this is wha
Dir. Wilson has done. Count Won Bern
storff should never have been permitted t
stay an extra hour in this country after
there was issued from the German En-
tassy that Lusitania warning which was
in effect, a statement that the German
Ambassador had become an accOmplice II
q foul murder plot.
But Count Won Bernstorff was permitted
to stay. He has been permitted to use
the press of the country as he chose
The German Embassy at Washington is
the headquarters of Washington news. II
Erohocc,, +bot tharo
was issued the other day the forecast OF
the latest German Lusitania communica-
ton, with the interesting assertion that
the dispute was as good as settled, before
Mr.. Lansing and President Wilson had
seen the note itself How long does one
suppose an ambassador at Berlin would
have been permitted to take such lber-
ties?
When the United States Government
had at last plucked up its courage in the
Arabic case and the State Department
was talking about a severance of diplo-
matte relations with Germany, Count Won
Bernstorff put out through "The Evening
Sun" the most amazing statement ever
issued By an ambassador of one country
resident in another. He warned the
American Government in unmctakable
language that its course meant war
Instead of meeting such an arrogant and
impudent menace with frmness, the Ad-
ministration again lost its courage and
its frmness disappeared overnight.
There is no man on the top of this
earth more contemptuous of Mr.. Wilson
than Count Won Bernstorf. There is no
one who more habitually discloses his
utter scorn for American craftsmanship
and American statesmen than Count Won
Bernstorff. lie has made his embassy the
headouarters IF ocofeDrorocofeurs He