Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??, 1916-03-18

tho president. not leading, but follow:
Ing. has shifted his ground. has revels
ca his position and asks the country &c
prepare against war. God grant thai
be be not too late. But the Democrat
&c party has not shifted it's ground. A
large part Of its members In congress
are endeavOring now to sidetrack the
movement for national preparedness
to muddle 1t by amendment and turf,
1t into channels which will produce the
least possible result In the increase OF
national power OF defense What
sense Of effectiveness In this effort can
we gather from the presence OF Jose
phus Daniels ut the most critical post
OF all-the head OF the navy depart.
ment-when we see that where
preparation has been possible 1t has
not been nude, when We see that con-
struction Of warships already author
lied has not been pressed and In some
cases after long delay has not even
been begun2
II an increase Of our country's power
to defend itself against aggression Is
authorized by the present congress II
must be largely through Republican
votes, because NIL the traditions and
convictions OF that party are for ma
tonal power and duty and honor.
AS to the policy OF threatening words
without deeds:
When Germany gave notice of her
purpose to sink merchant vessels on
the high seas without safeguarding the
lives Of innocent passengers our gov
eminent ON the 10th Of February one
year ago Informed Germany in unmis-
taxable terms that In attacking and
sinking vessels Of the United States
and In destroying the lives Of American
citizens lawfully travelling upon mer-
chant vessels Of other countries she
would act at her peril. They pledged
the power and courage Of America,
with her hundred million people and
her vast wealth, to the protection Of
her citizens, rs during all her history
through the days Of her youth and
weakness she had protected them.
On the 18th Of March the passenger
steamer Falaba was torpedoed by a
German submarine and an American
citizen was killed. but nothing was
done. On the 2Sth Of April the Amer
lean vessel Gushing was attacked and
crippled by German neroplane. On
the LIST Of May the American vessel
Gulhight was torpedoed and sunk by q
German submarine and two or more
Americans were killed, yet nothing was
done. On the 7th Of May the Lusita
MIA was torpedoed and sunk by q Ger
man submarine and more than 100
Americans and LOO other noncom-
batants were drowned The very thing
which our government had warned
Germany she must not do, Germany
did OF set purpose and in the most con-
temptuous and shocking way. Then,
when all America was stirred to the
depths, our government addressed an
It's assertion Of American rights and
renewed its bold declaration Of Dur
pose. 1t declared again that the Amer
lean government must hold the I'm
perial German government to a strict
accountability for any infringement of
those rights, intentional or incidental
and 1t declared that it would not "omit
any word or any act necessary to the
performance OF its sacred duty Of main
tanning the rights OF the United States
| and It's citizens and Of safeguarding
their free exercise and enjoyment"
Still nothing was done and a long
and technical correspondence ensued
haggling over petty questions Of de-
tail, every American note growing less
and less strong and peremptory until
the Arabic was torpedoed and sunk
and more American lives were destroy
cd, and still nothing was done, and
the correspondence continued until the
allied defense against German subma
r1ne warfare made 1t improbable and
led to It's abandonment, and the cor
respondence Is apparently approaching
Its end without securing even that par
dal protection for tho future which
might be found in an admission that
| the destruction Of the Lusitania was
| forbidden by law. The later CORE
spondence has been conducted by oul
state department with dignity, but II
mas been futile. An admission Of liza
bility for damages has been secured
but the time for real protection tc
American rights has long since passed
The bravo words with rrbicl, ,,,, ~