The Washington times., 1917-03-11

Three years ago the poets sang of
the blessedness of universal peace as
naturally as they did of the flowers
that bloom in the spring. The ortho-
dox ending for every peace address
was the quotation from Tennyson:
When the war-drums throb no longer
and the battle-fiags are furled.
It was gravely argued from a
thousand platforms that another
great war was an impossibility,
though the efforts of the lovers of
peace, especially when receiving due
stimulation from peace foundations,
were regarded as still necessary for
insuring the desired consummation.
Bryan was negotiating his peace
treaties and having his paper
weight plowshsres beaten out of old
army swords. Americans smiled as
they read of the perennial troubles
in the Balkans, which were always
regarded as certain to provoke the
next war, and regarded the assas-
sinations at Sarajevo as regrettable
incidents.
Suddenly, like the lightning out
of a clear sky, came the news that
war was possible, was actual, in
voiving all the great nations of
Europe, involving Asia and Africa
as well. American citizens were
first concerned about the welfare of
their kindred in the warning ma
tions,. then about the paralysis of
commerce, the closing of stock ex-
changes, and the like. They at
tempted to be Impartial in thought"
and supposed that there were two
sides to the Belgian question, which
could be inquired into later. Our
first condemnation was of Great
Britain, which refused to be bound
by the principles of international
law as embodied and codified in the
declaration of London. Then came
the controversy over The Hague
convention and our duty to have
protested against the invasion of
Belgium, with nice points of inter-
national law and historic sequences
discussed.
It was little less than two years
ago that the sinking of the Lusi-
tania awoke America to the realiza-
tion that we might be drawn into
the war ourselves. The controversy
with Great Britain was held in abey-
ance, despite renewed aggression,
until the fundamental question of
the right to live while carrying on
lawful pursuits was settled. The
vague agitation for preparedness
for that event began to gather mo-
mentum. 1t was only a truce that |
was declared when Germany gave
her pledge to observe the principles !
of visit and search of merchantmen /
upon the high seas, following the |
threat of the rupture of diplomatic |
relations, though the pledge con-
tained the notice that her unlawful
conduct might be resumed. The rest |
is recent history.
Meanwhile, the pacifists, profess
sional and amateur, have failed to
recognize the kind Of a world and |
the character of the age in which |
they are living. Their representa-
tions of the blessings of peace and
the curse Of war were assertions of
the obvious which did not apply.
Their doctrine has tended more and
more toward that of non-resistance,
which, when applied to nations, with
no supreme recognized international
authority to which to appeal, is
neither ethical nor rational.
At every successive step taken
by the President in the direction of
the assertion of our rights, the re-
sponse Of the American people has
been immediate and unanimous.
Uncle Sam has proved that he is no
pacifist as the word is being daily
defined in peace circles by its ex-
emplars.
But neither is the old gentleman
a militarist, and no more futile ef-
fort can be put forth than that to
prevent the Prussianizing of these
United States. There have been ex-
treme advocates of rlilitarism who
have had no more attention paid to
them than TO the cranks at the other
extreme.
The average American is neither
pacifist nor militarist. He is Just
a plain, old-fashioned patriot, who
cannot and will not endure the loss
Of national self-respect nor abide
the consciousness of national dis
honor. He doesn't want to fight, but
He wishes that Germany had not
played the part Of international
outlaw and conscienceless pirate,
but
II. |