New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-21


the dark times of the Civil War, has
the Union League Club heard more
sober and startling announcements
than those made last night at a meet
ing called TO hear the report of COM
mittee appointed to inquire into the
defences Of the nation and the need
for national service.
Elihu Root, Theodore Roosevelt,
Charles +. Hughes and Joseph H.
Choate were among those who declared
with serious conviction that the coun-
try was now at war.
And resolutions were adopted, call
ing on the American people ito face
the fact that war with this country eX-
ists by act Of Germany and that the
whole united weight of American 10y
atty must be concentrated upon efec-
tive government action"
To such statements the frankly dis
couraging report of the committee gave
point. While most of the speakers laid
stress on the material perils confront
, ing the United States, Mr. Root empha-
sized the mental unpreparedness of the
nation for the conflict upon which ~
had already engaged.
81 have a dcep conviction" said MI
Root. that none of us appreciates how
serious the conditions are which con-
front us. Not one of US really under
stands how fraught with good or ILL.,
with perpetuity of our institutions OF
with the ruin or our country. is the
course of the American people WITHIN
tho next few months. We are passing
into a new world, with new duties and
new dangers, and we must confront our
future with a clear 2=5 -,ert apprecia'
/ tion of what We are to meet.
America Waking Up
Gradually a feeling is making its
appearance-a restiveness OF the peo'
/ pie. Young men are seeking TO pre-,
/ pare for military service; commerciaI
/ bodies, manufacturing bodies, profes-
sional bodies are meeting and discuss,
| ing what they can do; multi.ades OF
Americans are asking, What can 30 ?
"They can do nothing except through
y
/ ton. No ship can SAIL no regiment can
march. no gun can be fired, no insult or
/ injury can be repealed except through
Washington.
What can we do? Only perform
the duty of a free people by speaking
| in clear and certain tone so that the
purpose and will of free people may
be heard in Washington.
"Mv diagnosis of the situation is that
the President wants TO hear from the
people. He has said so many times.
! lie wants to hear whether the people
of the United States want him TO go
on and act. Let us answer 10 his want
and tell MIN that the American people
do want him not 10 discuss, not to plan,
not to talk about what is going TO be
! done, but act.
What of End of War?
at isn't merely a question as TO
whether ships shall be sunk. 1t isn't
merely a question as to whether our
merchant vessels shall navigate the
seas or lie up in their ports. 1t is far
broader and more far-reachng than
chat Where are we to be when this war
ends? What is going to happen to us
then? Understand that no considera-
lions of treaty faith or of international
law or of peaceful assurance play any
more part in determining what one ma
ton is TO do TO another. The solemn
treaty for the protection OF Belgium
was turned into a scrap OF paper ana
the same principle which was applied
10 Belgium has now been applied TO us
when our ships were sunk the SUI
preme right of a powerful nations IN
terest was declared to be superior 10
all obligations of treaty and oil law
and of peaceful assurance ana OF hu-
mainly
"Where are we TO be when this war
ends9 Understand that no considera-
tjons of tricky fate play any part IN
determining what one nation Is 10 90
to another"
Mr.. Root then painted picture oil
Germany, increasing its vast bulk ana
feeding on itself in its restricted lair un-
Ill at last it began to reach out tenta-
cles toward lands desirable for colon
ization. Germany victorious would be
Germany in South America, he declared,
and the Monroe Doctrine fouted. -.
THAT is what we have got to face,
he said. when the war is over. Where
is our Monroe Doctrine them? II the
Monroe Doctrine fails, if that IS
ignored. with a German naval station
in the Caribbean and an Asiatic naval
station in Lower California. the Pan
anna Canal is as worthless to us as the
Dardanelles is 10 Russia TODAY.
"Then we will be face to face with
the situation which has menaced France
for forty years. with strong. aggressive
military powers on all borders.
"If il is understood that this hundred
million of people are animated by
common spirit, that they have the
COURAGE and the devotion which
founded this free Republic, no one viii
sock TO prevail against US. But II IL
is understood that We are weak,
Aabby. divided and indefinite people,
who can be insuted and assaulted and
abused with immunity, then the tide
flows over us. and we are gone. Our
country is gone. Our Union is gone
Our liberty is gone.
",iakc no mistake. Unless we dem
onstrate now that We have the courage
and the power TO defend ourselves
against aggression, we will specify
reach the point where we cannot DE-
fend ourselves against aggression We
have been very unresponslVe 10 NoIce
that should have called TO us IN the
names of our fathers. We have stood
dull and indefinite while the peoples
Of Europe have been fighting against
the negation of everything that makes
America what il is, we have stood duli
and unresponsive, while England ana
France and Russia, now being revlVl-
fed and glorihed, thank God. While
the shirt Of democracy has been strug-
cling TO defend itself against the
shirt of military despotism and the
t-..ioc &c ahcolute cOntrol bV gov