The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-01-26


tense earnestness. by a high official Of
the Administration: one who has served
on many occasions as its chosen spokes-
/ man.
The war. and its present and pros
pective effects on this county. had been
under discussion. The speaker did not
say that the impending danger to the
country is I'm the field of its foreign re-
lations: but the manner in which he
turned. suddenly and vehemently. from
discussion of the war to the remarks
quoted. left the decided impression that
that was what he meant.
All through Administration circles in
Washington one finds the most acute
concern about the question whether the
President is going to make the country
understand what he wants 1t to UNDER
stand. without overstepping the pro-
prieties in discussing diplomatic rela-
tions
1t is obvious that the President can
| not get on a platform at Kansas City
| or Tombstone or Kalamazoo and d.
| vulge the confidential diplomatic cor
| respondence of the State Department
! lie cannot say II know that we have
| twice been so near war that the Issue
depended on the answer another coun-
| try would make to usI" nor can he
| declare that there are questions pend
ing that may bring us to the same
embarrassment, with poorer chance
for a peaceful outcome. He must not
name the countries with which our
| relations are menacing. He must use
| generalization and all earnestness in
impressing hi hearers.
Country Does Not Understand.
And il, after he has done that. the
hearers go away believing that he Is
merely talking for party political
advantage. the effort will have been
a failure.
| VIII the country be willing to be-
lieve he is talking for the nation. not
merely for the DEMOCRATIC party :
That is what his associates in Adj
ministration leadership would like to
! know.
There is in Washington a wide
spread feeling of depression over the
| country's seeming inability to inter-
pref and understand the world SIT
uation and this nations part in IT.
| This sentiment is not confined TO
| Democrats, or to party leaders. II
| Is to be found among men or all
| parties. Republicans are disposed 10
blame the Administration for failing
| to employ it's authority and prestige
to impress the country properly; while
Democrats feel that the Republicans
are playing party politics with at
fairs too tremendously big to be
| treated in such trivial fashion.
| When 1t was announced that the
President would make nationwide
speaking trip the common interpreta-
ton was that he was seeking to gain
support for a party legislative pro-
gram, in order to strengthen Demo
Gratis in the coming campaign. To an
extent, OF course, Democratic party
interests would be promoted by what
ever made for the popular approval
and legislative success of Administra-
ton measures. But the Democratic
leaders are anxious, to an extent that
mere party men have seldom been, to
get bigger estimate placed on this
appeal of the President.
View of the War Detached.
1t is one OF the characteristic weak
nesses of democratic government, this
necessity to make the whole nation un-
derstand The American people have
never taken much interest in foreign
affairs: know little about interrelation-
ships among European states; have had
| small reason to estimate the real intiu-
ence that foreign "squabbles' may eX-
ert upon us. To bring them to APP
preciate the tremendousness of the
present world-situation, and the init
macy OF our concern with 1t, is the
problem that men OF vision in all
parties recognize as, for the moment,
of supreme Importance.
1T is almost unbelievable" said one
prominent Administration member. re-
Gently returned from a trip in many
States. during which he addressed sew
eral audiences and talked with thous-
ands of people, that there should be
such an utterly detached view of the
war as Is generally entertained west of
the Allegheny mountains and through
out the South. 1t might about as we'll
be taking place in Mars. have been
In some communities whose interest
and concern about II are Just about as
keen as they would be in the story of
a war fought 10000 years ago, and
whose history had just been unearthed
by archaeologists.
May Bring Fearful Crisis.
yet 1t is perfectly possible that. even
J II our own country is never for a
| minute. directly or Indirectly. involved
I'm the war. its economic effects on us
NAV bring a fearful crisis here. Where
would our prosperity go. for instance,
II by next autumn the worlds shortage
OF merchant shipping should be so acute
as to make the disposal of our immense
! crops impossible?
ut no longer is safe to say that
! Europe needs our products even more
I than we need to sell them; Europe will
| provide ways to get them shipped.
Perhaps Europe will not be able to do
In 10 an -