The Detroit times., 1917-08-27
The Governors Conscience
BY OR. FRANK CRANE
(copyrisht. 1915. BY Frauk Crane)

There are many honest minds porpleN-
ell as TO the righteousness of this war.
OF course there are cantankerous minds
that object 10 anything; of them | do
not speak but those sincere haters of all
war. such for instance as the Quakers
and others who while not claiming their
name have believed in their principle
am one of them myself get
good many letters some bewailing my
fall from grace. others charging me with
following the crowd. and others even ac-
cusing me of every known form of cow
ardice and inconsistency
These allegations might also be made
against the citizenry of the United
States | think have about kept step
with them. And they and | are fairly
represented 10y the President.
We did not want war AS Senator
Williams said We went to the point of
cowardice to keep out Of war.
Having eliminated war. which is a
function Of monarchy from our own con-
tinent. by the device of federation, we
saw no reason, other than the usual
sheep-hke following of precedent, which
characterizeS the older civilizations, why
Europe could not by some sort OF fed
Grafton settle It's luarrcs without such
vast and wicked violence
We urged therefore. plead and
preached against the folly and evil of
miltarism We tried to act as a digni-
fled, self-reSpecting man should, when in
the presence of a disgraceful squabble
Then suddenly We changed.
Why?
For the simple reason that one of the
contestants by attacking Us, forced US
from our role Of innocent bystander. and
compelled Us to take a hand in the gov
eminent Of the World
1t is all right for a citizen to turn the
other cheek, when only his individual
rights are concerned. But if that citi-
zen is judge, policeman or other Off
Ger charged with protecting the rights
Of the people, he is committing crime
when he does not arrest, confine, and if
need be. Kill the oppressor.
The conscience of the citizen and the
conscience Of the ruler are two different
things. They both observe the same
code Of right and wrong but while it is
not the citizens business to redress his
wrongs OF it is possible TO call in an
officer Of the aw). il is the rulers bust
ness to prevent crime, by force if need
be
Germany. by her actions proclaimed
herself an enemy TO mankind with her
own peculiar conscience. As an individ-
ual nation we might have declared this
none Of our business. But when our
own people were murdered, as in the
Lustania. the question was sterny put
before US What were we. as one Of
the governors of the world one Of the
parties to the pact Of international law,
going 10 do about IL?
This is why We, the majority Of the
people. have changed
In the council Of the civilized nations
we had to speak for or against piracy,
treachery and humanity. 1t was no
longer question Of putting up with any
thing rather than fight It was whether
We, as one of the arbitcrs Of international
law. could allow a criminal nation to
keep on running amuck.
What we may submit to as a man we
often must punish a. parent, so the
teacher conscience must make him re-
strain an unruly scholar. and the sher-
ifs conscience in sealing with offenders
is not that Of the storekeeper
We Changed because events forced
upon us the responsibility for all man
kind
We we're given by destiny a voice in
saying what principles should govern
word-rule.
And with that goes "the governors
conscience"