The Washington times., 1916-04-15
THE INDICTMENT OF A Do
NOTHING POLICY

VII WIldI SCClllb W NC kOON NhNAs'''
istration authority, it is announced
that the Cabinet has decided that the
submarine question: must be settled
by Germany, to this country's salts
faction, by May Z, or else there will
be something doing.
May 7 is the anniversary Of the de-
struction of the Lusitania. Precisely
what will be doing if there is not a
settlement by that day, is not stated.
Il is darkly limited that Germany will
be made to feel awfully sorry for
it's behavior if by that date it shall
not have made amends.
Perhaps. But Germany has devel-
oped a system of staving off the de-
mands of the United States, which
has now brought US almost to the an
niversary of the Lusitania murder.
For a year this country has permit
ted quibbling, delay, and equivoca-
tion to be substituted for straight
forward dealing with an issue that
could not possibly be settled save by
directness and candor. Even if Wash
ington means precisely what is now
intimated, it will be difficult to make
Berlin understand.
The long and short of the matter
is that the situation is become more
difficult than ever before. The de-
lays have complicated it. They have
made more necessary than in the be-
ginning that Washington ADOPT an
insistent attitude. There was time
when a reasonable measure Of dis
cussion could have been permitted.
That time is past. The essentials Of
this controversy have gone un-
touched. Promises have been made,
only to be broken contemptuously
and excuselessly. Promises have lost
their value. Only performance can
now convince the American people
and the world. 1t is actually harder
now to get a real settlement than it
would have been eleven months ago.
The United States will have to begin
over again with purpose that Ger
many will not be able to understand,
and that therefore may make agree
ment more difficult than it would have
been at the outset.
There is no question, for instance,
that the German people are more de-
voted to their submarine program
than they were year ago. They
have seen it inflict real and serious
injury on their enemies. They know
that the undersea craft is useful
and effective instrument Of war
They see in it their emphatic answer
to the allies blockade. They be.
lieve it gives them a chance, despite
the overwhelming naval superiority
Of their antagonists. They will be
far less willing to relinGuish it thar
they might have been year ago.
More than this, German sentiments
toward the United States have ir
this year of hesitation and equivoca
tion crystallized into both hatred anc
contempt. Every development of the
last eleven months has been calcu
lated to make settlement more diff
cult, rather than less.
The war is almost two years old
yet, though every day in that perioC
has contained increasing menace o.
our involvement in it, we are M
more prepared to bear the part Of 1
real power than we were at the be
ginning. We are just beginning t
be aroused to our danger; it will taxi
more years to prepare us to dea
with possibilities.
Turn from Europe to Mexico, an,
we see equally disastrous result
from policy of doing nothing il
the right time. Mexico has beel
: afame for four years and more. W.
, have been watchfully waiting TO
, more than three years; waiting, bu
, not preparing. At length, having
neglected to get ready for eventuali
ties, a crisis has been forced upo
us, in which disaster threatens. w
! have an army in Mexico, and pros
poets of open war. 1t may fairl
be said, indeed, that we are in
!, state of actual but not nominal wa
. with both Germany and Mexico; W
|. suffer all the disadvantages ths
= could be imposed upon us, in eithe
quarter, if war were actually dc