New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-05
year ago. he was out-Bryanizing Bryan in

year ago, nc was out-BtNHnlIiE pi!"" !"
pacifsm
No one who desires really TO see this
country defended adequately believes the
cause Of preparedness will he helped 10y
Mr. Wilson's demand for greater navy
than Great Britan's. No man who honest
". hoped to serve the cause of preparedness
would use such words or suggest such a
programme. To ask this is TO solidfy the
opposition to reasonable preparedness and
risk defeat for all legislation.
And with such n demand the mask falls
off Mr.. Wilson's campaign. There is no
longer a chance TO mistake what he has
been doing or what he would do. He
sought political profit by advocating un-
preparedness when he thought the popular
wind blew from that quarter. He is quite
as patiently seeking political advantage by
an opposite policy when he thinks the wind
is from the opposite quarter.
Nor can any one doubt that tomorrow,
if the weather vanc should seem to shift
again. Mr.. Wilson would as promptly
shift. To doubt this is to close ones eyes
10 the record written through all his pub
lie life. It is not what a man says, but
what he believes. that men must follow or
reject. And will those who rejected him
when he paralyzed every effort to awaken
public attention to the perils of an un-
armed America accept him when he seeks
to outstrip all possible political rivals IN
preaching a preparedness which no man
else has ever dreamed Of asking?
The difficulty with Mr.. Wilson's leader
ship is always the same. He returns to
Washington to find a new Lusitanla
crisis confronting him because he has
failed so far to meet all previous crises
with courage and conviction. The MeXi-
can tragedy lies still before us because
Mr.. Wilson could not make or accept a con
sistent policy. He sent American troops
TO Vera Cruz TO die unnecessarily, but ne
would not protect American citizens caught
in Villas ambuscade.
When Mr.. Wilson believed America de-
sired firm policy with Germany he used
firm words. But hardly were the words
spoken when he yielded to the persuasion
Of the politicians and recalled them by
other and weaker words. He would main
tain national honor by demanding that our
flag be sauted by the Mexican govern
ment. because he believed that the Ameri-
can people desired this But few months
later we scuttled out of Vera Cruz, our
flag unsaluted, because new adviser had
outlined a more popular course.
The difficulty Mr.. Wilson has now to
face with regard to his preparedness pro-
gramme is Of his own making. The peo-
ple he would rouse are the people he has
put to sleep by words Of chloroforming
quality. He who babe us sleep through
the storm is now shrieking to US in the
market place and from the roof tops. He
who warned us against arms is now urg-
ing us to arm as only Great Britain is
armed. He who described nation as
"too proud to fight would have that ma
ton believe that tomorrow it may be in
battle.
Why? Can any one mistake the rea-
son? Does any one believe really that Mr..
Wilson is more sincere to-day as the apos-
tie of the Rooseveltian gospel than yester-
day when he was the high priest Of Bry-
anism? And can any one believe that If
lie enlsts to follow Mr.. Wilson to-
day he will not be deserted tomorrow,
left with his cause and his principles,
while Mr.. Wilson triumphantly marshals
for battle the hosts that he recently prom
ised to destroy?
This country asked Woodrow Wilson
for moral leadership, for sincerity and
courage He has given it words, now on
one side, now on the other, and he has left
US at the end bewildered, puzzled con-
fused. but conscious that Of leadership
there has been none and from him there
can be none.