The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-29

President himself, the ordinary oppo- sition politician naturally resorts to personalities and finds such epithets as weak" "vascillating," 'fatuous, "insincere,' 'inconstant," 'inconsist- ent," and American" only too fec Ible to do justice to his real sentiments. r If more and better were rightly ex- pected of a presidential candidate talk en from the bench of the United States Supreme Court, whoever took that view must have been treated to rude awakening.
 No sooner was the nomination as- sured than the robes and 'ermine of the judge fell from the candidate as if by magic, and there appeared in their place the motley wear of the or dinary office seeker-a transformation as sudden as that made by the wand of Harlequin in the pantomime, and transformation showing how thin is the judicial veneer, and forever dis crediting the United States Supreme Court as a training camp for high official office.
 It must be plain, however, that as regards the merits of the administra- tion's foreign policy, strictures upon the personal qualities of the President count for very little, if at all. Details and minor and insignificant features being omitted, an examination of it's controlling principles and objects shows, it is believed, that in the con duct of foreign relations the admin istration has kept it's rudder true and has won and deserved the respect and gratitude of the country,
 These principles and objects have been:
 First-To keep the country out of the great European war. Second-To<insis upon the ex- istence and vitality of interna-
 tional law asi determining its own
 statue as neutral and dening it's
 rights and obligations as such.
 Third-To deal with the Mexi-
 can situation in a spirit of perfect
 fairness and friendliness to the Mexican people, now suffering from civil dissensions and revolu- tion to an extent which leaves a large part of the country in a state of anarchy. If, viewed on broad lines, the great aims and purposes of the administra- tions conduct of our foreign rela- Itions are as just stated, it is pertinent to inquire how far they have been | accomplished. The Supreme Court candidate and even the most bellicose of his followers will hardly deny that l war has been averted and that the country is now at peace with all the world. The criticism is that our peace | is a peace without honor, and that if national honor had been consulted the United States would today be fighting. | With what enemy and on what is- sue? Probably the enemy in mind is Germany, and the issue German frightfulness in methods of warfare, wholly indefensible from the view point of American rights and Ameri- can lives.
 But what was peaceful, completely una rmed, and nsutral nation to do about the matter? It was in no posi- tion to put up ultimatums or to rattle the sabre. and to plunge the country into war with Germany would have been a piece of insanity sure to be fol lowed by national humiliation and dis aster There was nothing for it but tc proclaim our neutrality, to be hon. estly neutral, and to be always iIl- sistent upon our rights as neutra and upon methods of warfare consis- tent with the dictates of humanity. The role of neutral in any war i, always most trying. Its interests are sure to be disregarded by all the bel ligerents. During the excitement and under the pressure of the eXigencie! of the fight no belligerent is likely tt stop to consider neutral claims oT sat lisfy them, and the more obviously r1,f -iv,1, ent weakness or military unprepared ness the surer all accountability vii be postponed until after the war.
 President Wilson is not the only President who, while quite alive tt wrongs done the country or its iciti- ;. zens has felt that redress must wal until it could be enforced as we'll a. demanded The vogue of Lincoln ha: 1 lately been much in evidence and ex Presidents and others have not beer averse to finding resembla nces betweei him and themselves. Yet, pending th' civil war, Lincoln did> not go to wa twith England over the depredations O the Confederate cruisers fitted out il England! nor. pending the civil war was Louis Napoleon requested to with draw his soldiers from Mexico.
 In view of the extraordinary difflcul
 ties of the situation. the administra tion is to be credited with a prudenc' and patience which has kept our nat
 urally >warlike people out of the grea European struggle. as well as with diplomacy which has halted, in part a
 least the use of one of the most bar
 barous modes of warfare that ever this war hs developed.
 Perhaps it is not so much our "ela
 tlons with Europe as those with Mex
 ico that the opposition desires to hol'
 up to publics condemnation. Appar
 ently if the views of the opposition
 had been entertained by the admins
 tration we should now be in Mexic
 occupying its territory and its ports and, by means of a necessarily larg
 military force. repressing disorder slnt mainting a strong government of ou own creation.
 NAs practical operation that woulc mean, of course, the conquest of Mex leo the subjugation of it's people, anc the making of the country in effect ; possession of the United States. Gu utter unreadiness for any such adven ture is vividIy emphasized by our diff faculties in performing what should b. the comparatively simple task of DO llicing our frontier.