Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-25
FAVORABLE SIGN.

Inc SaneSt expression or opinion
that has appeared in any Of the news
papers of the belligerent nations since
the outbreak Of the European war is
an editorial in a recent number of the
London Daily Chronicle, which de-
votes the most prominent position on
its editorial page to a defense of Pres
| ident Wilson and his foreign policy. 1t
says that there Is section of the
British press that is not treating the
United States strictly as a neutral but
as if this country was "one of the fam
lily. The Chronicle characterizes as
"a piece of gratuitous impertinence" a
symposium by English writer's in an
American magazine giving reasons
| why the United States should enter
the war. We have no business to ad-
wise Americans what line of policy
they should pursue" it continues.
! The Chronicle points out that Pres
ident Wilson occupies position Of
exceptional difficulty. 1t says:
/ president Wilson occupies what is
apparently the unenviable position of
satisfying neither side-the thankless
role of the neutral who aims at being
impartial. The Germans do not hes
itate to attribute their failure to Sc
cure general victory to the attitude
Of the United States. Comments in
their newspapers and particularly
their cartoons show almost as great
hatred Of Americans as Of the British.
America has objected to the Ger
man submarine policy, while they say
she has permitted Great Britain to de-
velop new methods of blockade by the
exercise of sea power. On the other
hand, Great Britain and her allies
have been permitted to draw unlim-
tied supplies of munitions from Amer
lea, including submarines, sent to Can
ada in parts They have been enabled
to float a loan on the American mar
ket and have been generally regarded
as friends, while the central powers
have been looked upon as enemies
America has put up with all the
irritation arising from British inter-
ference with commerce, and with the
loss incurred by the bringing Of Amer
lean cargoes before prize courts.
, Our censorship of American news
has been tolerated even when it was
no less than indefensibIe.
: 1.-THE personal position Of the presi.
, dent has been one of exceptional diff
Guilty He has incurred the bitter and
relentless hatred of all German-Amer
! leans. Besides the hostility Of this
class and the detection Of the Bryan
; demands, he has put up with the pow
, erful opposition of the monied inter.
, ests.
First, there are the great German
. bankers and their friends in industry
They are against him because they
consider him too pro-ally. There are
the other financial houses and monfet
interests who are against him osten'
sibly on the ground that he is not pro-
!, ally enough but really because his
democratic policy is against the inter
ests of the wealthy classes"
In the opinion Of the Chronicle thu
mass Of sane public opinion in thi:
country favors President Wilson's pol
icy, the basis Of which is the mainte
nance Of treaty obligations and inter
national law Back Of all there is ,
I. strong feeling against the domination
of democracy by militarism." Thu
= Chronicle concludes:
"If the British press and public tool
a little more trouble to understand
him and were more conscious Of tn
inipoIicy and absurdity of lecturing TIL
great republic on what its presiden
ought to do it would be much to tn,
= advantage Of the Anglo-American flu
t ture, and after all, that future must IL
: any reckoning be large part of tn
y future Of the world"
q The appearance of such an editoria
e in British newspaper is strong in
n dication that Great Britain is awaken
d ing to the fact that our government
q has been and is pursuing a policy o
S strict neutrality and Is coming to
S realization of the truth that such
{ policy is everything the belligerent ma
n lions have any right to expect. TIL
e Chronicle has shown a disposition 4
= he fair. which in itself is notewOrth.
at time when England is engaged II
a life and death struggle.