The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-03-30
weak against the aggression Of the

70 this people the INVASION Of bel.
GUM brought shock Of amazemcnt
and horror. II the pubic opinion Of the
world was to remain silent upon that.
neutra! upon that. then all talk about
peace and Justice and International law
and the rights Of mar. the progress Of
humanity and the spr, ad Of liberty IL
IDLE patter. mere veal sentimentality;
then opinion IL pow>:, less and brute
force rules and will ruc the world. Ii
no dlnerence Is reco 1,ized between
right aud wrong the, there are no
moral standards. There come times in
the lives OF nations ut Of uen when to
treat wrong az II it were right IL trea
son to the right.
Tho Wrong Done to Belgium.
The American people were entitled
not merely to feel. but to speak con.
corning the wrong done to Belgium
1t was not like interference in the in.
ternal affairs of Mexico or any other
nation. for this was an international
wrong. The law protecting Belgium
which was violated was our law and
the law OF every other civilized coun.
try. That law was the protection Of
our peace and security. 1t was our
safeguard against the necessity Of
maintaining great ornaments and
wasting our substance in continual
readiness for war. Moreover. that law
was written into solemn and formal
convention. signed and ratified by Ger.
many and Belgium and France and the
United States in which those other
countries agreed with us that the law
should be observed
There was no question here Of inter.
fering In the quarrels of Europe We
had right to be neutral and we We're
neutral as to the quarrel between Ger.
many and France. but when as an in.
cident to the prosecution Of that
quarrel Germany broke the law which
we were entitled to have preserved
and which she had agreed with us to
preserve we were entitled to be heard
In the assertion of our own national
right.
Neutral Between Right and Wrong!
Yet the American government ac.
guessed in the treatment of Belgium
and the destruction Of the law of ma.
lions. Without one word of objection |
or dissent to the reputation OF law |
or the breach of our treaty or the vio-
lation OF justice and humanity in the
treatment of Belgium our government
enjoined upon the people of the United
States an undiscriminating and all EN-.
bracing neutrality. and the president
admonfshed the people that they must
De neutral in all respects in act and
word and thought and sentiment. We
were to be not merely neutral as to the
quarrels Of Europe, but neutral as to
the treatment Of Belgium. neutral be-
tween right and wrong. neutral be-
tween justice and injustice, neutral he.
tween humanity and cruelty. neutral
between liberty and oppression. Our
government did more than acquieste
for In the first Lusitania note. with the
unspeakable horrors Of the conquest
Of Belgium still fresh In our minds. on
the very day after the report of the
Bryce commission on Belgian atroci.
ties. 1t wrote these words to the gov.
of Germany:
Recalling the humane and enighte ned
attitude hitherto assumed by the imperial
German government in matters of inter-
national right and particularly with re-
gard to the freedom of the seas, having
learned to recognize the German views
and the German influence in the field of
International obligation as always engaged ,
lpon the side of justice and humanity, etc.
And so the government of the United
States appeared as approving the treat.
nent OF Belgium. 1t misrepresented ,
he people of the United States in that a..
lcquiescence and apparent approval :
t was not necessary that the United
states should go to war in defense
It the violated law A single official
by the government of the
United States, a single sentence deny
ng assent and recording disapproval
IT what Germany did in Belgium.
would have given to the people Of {
america that leadership to which they T
we're entitled in their earnest CROPPING I
or the light 1t would have ranged |
ehind American leadership the con t
c1ence and morality OF the neutral n
5orld q
1t was not to be. The American a
overnment failed to rise to the de- G
lands of the great occasion. Gone t,
7ere the old love Of justice. the old p
assion for liberty. the old sympathy o
nth the oppressed, the old ideals OF e
America helping the world toward i,
better future and there remained in r,
re eyes OF mankind only solicitude for Il
ade and profit and prosperity. o.
Shrank From the Truth, f,
The American government could nor al
ally have approved the treatment of II
but under a mistaken policy tc
shrank from speaking the truth. ii
Such policies as have described are p,
'ubly dangerous in their effect upon
reign nations and in their effecr at
'me 1t is a matter of universal OK ne
'rlence that weak and apprehensiye o,
eatment of foreign affairs invites en-. DC
oachments upon rights and leads to
Euations in which it is difficult r. w