The Washington herald., 1917-03-12
What Leading Newspapers
Say on the War Situation
nmermnnn to the
Trading Nations.

New York SUM- .-.
There Is a rich vein OF satire in DIR.
iZimmermann's advice to neutrals to keep
their trading ships in the home ports out
OF harms way, 1t would almost seem as
" the German foreign secretary were
laughing In his sleeve when he said:
ENGLAND has already lost a great part
of her tonnage. Germany has no time
to replenish hers, as her shipbuilding
yards are busy with work for the navy.
large part OF the worlds commerce
VIII therefore go to neutral shipping
after the war. They should save their
tonnage as much as possible and prepare
for the situation after the war"
The truth is that II England has lost a
large part OF her tonnage some of the
European neutrals. chiefly Holland and
the Scandinavian countries. have lost
more of their tonnage proportionately.
The score for February was; British ships
sunk. 10; American. .; other neutrals, 49,
England can afford her loss much better
than these European neutrals can stand
theirs. For some time the German sub
marine service has made a dead set at
European neutral shipping and with two
fold object: First of all to deprive Great
Britain Of cargoes of foodstuffs and war
material of all kinds, and then to elm
mate composing ships from the trading
planned to put as many cargo carriers on
the seas when peace was consummated
rs she possessed before the war
The Inevitable Consequence.
New York T1b1neD
The Tribune has often said that the
present war was a contest between two
ideas. between spiritual forces on the one
hand and material calculations on the
other. 1t has consistently asserted that
| the German idea was a threat and a men
ace to all civilization. to American ideals
quite as much as To French and British
And what American reading now the his
story of German activity In America and
German intrigue against American liberty
and integrity in Japan and Mexico can
fail to recognize the fact? give me my
way or I shall murder you"-such has
been and is the whole German policy. IT
shall deceive you IL can. but IL deceit
fails assassination remains"-this is the
German way
And now the thing lies in the gutter
The whole German intrigue has become
! like a snake upon whose head a man has
set his heel. 1T is not less loathsome now
that its power for harm has terminated
But for those who believe In honor. JUS
tice, good faith humanity. the failure of
the German method. its failure in Amer
lea, in England. in Italy, is one OF the
most cheering things in human history
After all. the lie does not prevail: treach-
cry does not attain IT'S end against good
! faith In the longer view. Neither France
nor Britain. nor our own country has
been conquered by German intrigue; the
| thing that has been defeated is the Ger
man method-it has been defeated. II will
be destroyed and the hour OF its destruc-
ton draws nearer as one more great
civilized nation sees II for what 1t is
worth and follows the pathway of all
other civilized nations in resisting it
Welcome Home to Gerard.
(PhilAdslptia Lsdgerl
II Is just as well that the Cologne
Volks-Zeitung has started to compare
Gerard's departure from Berlin with Won
Bernstor1'S from America, to the latter )
disparagement, since it pleases the Volks-
Zeitung to arraign Bernstorff because he
uttered the hypoCritical farewells and re-
grets which we now know were given out
bv man up to his eyes in plots against
tn" country he was leaving. where he had
never received anything but patient and
kindly consideration. Naturally, this
stage by-play was not Gerard's way. and
as the Nolks-ZeitunG says. Ambassador
. Gerard made his farewells with dignity
and coldly departed from Berlin as he
htted his record He had not been CON
spring against the German government;
he had not employed bands Of plottcrs
of arson and dyna miters. he had done
! nothing but try to suCcOr the distressed
| Confded to hIs care and to compel the
German military. authorities. much
against their will. to treat the prisoners
of war and the abused industrial prison
ers with some degree OF humanity. He
had not, moreover. instructed his con-
sular associates to carry on secret war
| against Germany. within its own bounds
as was the case with the consular off,
Cials of Germany here, for which some
We're convicted. No; Anha ssa dor Gerard
could leave Berlin colder. perhaps, but
with clear conscience OF having erred
only in treating Germany a s II her rulers
believed in fair play, while Won Bern
Storf left with lip service Of hypocrisy
The New Republic.
When President Wilson toward the end
OF his second inaugural pleaded for CO.
operation in the words: For myself l
beg your tolerance. your countenance and
your united aid" he was asking for
something to which as long as the ex-
istins emergency lasts he is entitled
from every lover of our common coun-
Try In saying this We are not urSing
any citizen to surrender or compromise
his convictions. Neither are We under
estimating the deep differences of moral
ana political values which are dividing
American public opinion today and de-
priving the nation of the will to action
IL Is precisely because the nation is so
deeply divided that the President needs
ana deserves for the time being the toll
erance and the coUntenance of his fellow
citizens. These divisions concern the es-
sentlal nature of the nations foreign
policy. the ideals which should mould its
oehavior with respect to other nations.
Cpon the action which is eventually
taken will depend for many of us some
portion of the value we attach to Amer
lean citizenship. In short, 1t is our moral
integrity as nation which is at stake.
INSPIRING PICTI1RE Acrnps