The Washington herald., 1917-04-06

fore US. The struggle TO which the
President has summoned us cannot be
half-hearted. There must be a COM
plete devotion of ourselves and all wei
possess to the accomplishment of Ger
many's defeat. This. indeed, as the
Tribune has been preaching for months, ,
Is the only course we can afford to
pursue. Since we have entered the
war let US fight with all our might to
finish. We may reserve our magnan- !
unity to the day when our opponents
are defeated. Meanwhile we must fight |
with all our resources for victory.
This means two things. First, the |
rendering promptly of all possible ma |
tertal assistance to our allies; second. |
the most expeditions development Of
our own naval and military resources.
On the Rampage Again,
louisville er-Journal)
Mr. William Jennings Bryan addresses |
a memorial to Congress pleading tina: !
II DO not issue a declaration of war |
against. nor proclaim "a state of war"
between Germany and the United States. |
He Is opposed to war. He would ex-
punge the word from the dictionary, He
would eHpel the letters that spell Il
from the alphabet He recalls the OLD
Georgia farmer who. in the wildcat
banking days. came to Milledgeville an6
said to Robert Toombs, at the time a
State bank director. Robert the folks
down our way wants more money" Tc |
which Toombs. as was his wont, replied
profanely. How in the He'll are they
going to get it?" Stamp It," says the
farmer. Well" answered Toombs, 'ffi
we stamp 1t. how are we going to redeem
t? And. says the farmer, emulating the
Bryan logic, why. Robert, the folks
down our way is a'gin redemption"
Mr.. Bryan would have a referendum
He would parley. He believes in the
talkee-talkee process of adjusting inter
national complications without regard to
ingual, racial and political differences
He takes no account of conditions.
They can't put you in Jail for this"
observed the lawyer in the Joe Miller
story to his incarcerated client. But" /
replied the rueful client. they have put /
me in jail" 80
.sss Y
Democratic Germany.
New York Time.)
From the East and from the West,
from Russia and the United States, the
movement for the democratization of 4
Prussia. of Germany, is gathering
strength. We are surrounded by
democracies." the Frankfurter Zeitung
cries, and must make democratic our
own State institutions or be left out 1
OF the running" The iron ring" is
complete. and it is welded Of democ-
racies. Isolated. mediaeval. apart from
the impulse which stirs the modern
world. Germany. dragging Austria at
her heels. makes her last stand. a !
military, feudal absolutist State, driv-
en- toward ruin by a caste and a bu-
reaucracy, desperately confronting /
self-governing States that seek peace, /
the States to which no other peace is
h
right of free peoples to control their
destinies and live subject no longer to
attack from a State directed by a
military oligarchy and recognizing no
international law but power. Il
The Russian revolution removed the
one discord in the concert OF European
democracies. One mighty voice was
not long wanting. The entrance of
the United States in the war was not
for its own sake, not primarily for it's
rights. but as free nation adding its II
strength to destroy autocracy, the COM
mon enemy of free nations. As Mr.
Wilson has told the world, we are
not fighting the German people. but
the German government. In fighting
the Hohenzollern we are fighting for
the German people. fighting to liberate
them from absolutism. #
Going to War Soberly.
New York &orldS
War is accepted by the American
people without hysteria and almost
without excitement. AS there can be
no surprise in what has long been
foreseen. so the response of the coun-
try to the Presidents summons re-
veals satisfaction and determination
rather than the delirium and fury that
so often attend wars beginnings
A nations devotion to peace has
never been more impressively shown
than by the United States during the
past two years. In every effort by the
President to maintain American rights
by persuasion, by argument. by solemn
warnings, he has been sustained by the
great body of the people. Now that
words have failed and force must be
used. public opinion is no less united
in his support.
Those who think they see apathy In
the sober and undemOnstrative way in
which the peop!" accept a state of war
are mistaken. There is no enthusIasm
for war, which at best is a disagree
able business. but It will be found pres
emily that when a great democracy
takes arms as last resort, it counts
1t all as part of the days work; II
follows grimly the paths of duty no
matter how fiery; it adhcres with ter
rible tenacity to an idea whose time
at last has come. II
For nearly two years the republic has
been making ready physically and
financially for war. During all Of that
period there has been also a mental
and moral preparation for war. the re-
suits of which are now witnessed in
the steadiness of the men and women
who are to bear the burden Of this
strife.