New-York tribune., 1916-06-14

President Wilson and former President
Roosevelt have both delivered addresses.
fragments of which have just reached US by
telegraph.
These addresses, while they may be taken
as a preface to the Presidential campaign
about to begin, constitute the affirmation Of
two policies and of two PHILOSOPHERS. Both
will create stir and arouse wide comment.
Mr.. Wilson considers that "the war has
reached deadlock" II this opinion is born
from the interviews which his ambassador
has had recently with the German Emperor
end Mr.. Won Bethmann- -Holweg, We will sim
Fly say that this opinion is one-sided. He
adds: "When you cannot conquer, you must
take counsel 1t is precisely for this reason
that the powers of the Entente do not ask
and will not welcome the advice of any one.
Mr.. Wilson, then, as in his recent inter-
view, praises the neutrality of the United
States, which he appears to present as proof
Of moral superiority. 1t is here that he
finds confronting him his illustrious prede-
cessor, who in the name of the principles Of
morality severely reproves the present pol
icy of his country.
Mr.. Roosevelt has the right to speak as he
does, and present circumstances have nothing
whatever to do with his expressions. For
years in all his writings and in all his
speeches he has developed the maxim: "Nei-
ther man who respects himself nor ma
tion which respects itself can submit to an
injustice"
In advance of the present war he had
made an application of this rule when IN
~ III. -. rIas.rsr
in 1910 he declared: IF Peace and Justice
we're at odds, the nations would despise the
man who would not place himself on the side
of Justice" To which might be opposed the
sentiment expressed by Mr.. Wilson, "One
may be too proud to fight"
Should therefore, these two men appear as
rival candidates at the next election the cleo
torate would not complain of a lack Of
issues since the two fundamental concep-
tions of national existence which they repre-
sent would be ptted one against the other.
The jurist writes notes. The man of action
points out duties On one side utiltarian
morality; on the other ideaistic morality.
On one side the policy of the least effort; on
the other the policy of expansion. These are
the two programmes face to face.
Our friends in the United States know we'll
that it will never be from France that
ndiscreet tentatives Of Intervention in their
internal affairs will emanate. We do not be-
long to the country of Won Papen, and their
choice, whatever it be, will always be
respected by US. But official words have been
pronounced and the war which we now wage
forms their subject. We may be forgiven,
therefore, for pointing out some of the con-
clusions which may be derived from these
public remarks
The dilettanteism which Mr. Wilson affects
towards the greatest conflict Of forces and
ideas which history has ever known has not
been liked in France. After lie Temps"
W. Clemenceau in "L'Homme Enchaine" and
NJ. Herbette in "LEcho lie Paris have
pointed out how unjust and shocking this
attitude has been 10 nations defending their
liberty and their existence
The Presidential speech which the telegraph
now transmits to US is characterized by the
same errors II seems that Mr.. Wilson thinks
that his refusal to judge gives him the right
to intervene. He is mistaken. To have toll
Grated the violation Of Begium's neutrality
does not confer upon him the right to take
art in the restoration of Belgium.
On a previous occasion we had hazarded
the hypothesis that to justify his do-nothing
Lolicy Mr.. Wilson possibly was inspired by
very narrow conception of the Monroe Doc
trne To-day we have the assurance from
Americans that this is not so, and that
in the opinion of Jefferson himself, the es-
sence of the Monroe Doctrine is solemn
Protest against the atrocous violation OF the
right Of nations through the Intervention OF
enc in the internal affairs Of another
Our eminent American confrere. Mr. Nor
ton Fullerton. writing in the Revue de
Paris" on April l6 said; 'If the President
If the United States at the beginning OF the