New Britain herald., 1917-02-03
HE HONOR OF THE NATION.

THE HONOR OF THE NATION. Those who have followed for two hrs the tedious negotiations betweer Is country and Germany saw long Fo that sooner or later diplomatic (lations must be severed if the honor Ithis nation was to be upheld. Ac In has been postponed time anc fne again only because the man ir } White House is supernaturally flowed with the remarkable virtue Ipatience. Today the inevitable oc- h}red. Ambassador Won Bernstorff IS been handed his pass ports, the (herican ambassador, Gerard. at [lrlin is recalled, and an end put to b dickering and jockeying that have bn going on since February, 1915. Germany now knows that the Unit states Government has stood for all could stand for in the way of cun- Eag and trickery. There Is not an- Ter nation on the earth that would pe refrained this long. Because Asis a democracy, because we are g.
 e people, because each and every ln in the nation has a voice in the
 vern4nent. action was deferred. The
 ople were willing to give the bene-
 tof every doubt to a nation that was
 hting in the manner Germany has
 rght. It's venial sins were readily given. When it came to a renewal frightfulness, when 1t announced to
 world in its proclamation of
 nuary sI that it intended to resume
 bmarine warfare in all its horrors,
 en the beginning of the end hove in
 Int. The United States and tine
 ntral nations of the world were one
 Ia alike affected by this announce
 bnt. As the greatest of the neutrals
 Fwas fitting that America should act Ia America has acted, not in haste t in bad temper. not in tmpulsive- q: but after cool, calm delibera kn, after s'second sober thought He voice of the nation has spoken lse people are weary of the attitude Germany. They demand these fings, and the Chief Executive cked by the Congress of the nation Ills decided that the time has come + a diplomatic rupture. Popula, ,inion is with the President.
 Behind the decision announced b. ashington this morning stands a, my of one hundred million deter lined men, women and children |hatever differences that may hav (vided the people of this nation i, He past are now forgotten. Politics |lligion, race,-they are all one fo
 e moment, completely covered unde |Le great cloak of Americanisn Fative-born and foreign-born, tn |ids are the same. All those wh ave sworn allegiance to the Unite .ates of America have but the on Rlty,-to stand unhinchingly. benin Fle President,-to look only to tn ae flag, the Star spangled Banner. There is no immediate need fo verish excitement. There is rathe demand for clear thinking, for un verving devotion, for renewal c lieuty to the nation. The breakin l, diplomatic relations, while accom- lanied by all the possibilities of hos hity, does not necessarily mean wa i there Is war, it will not be ou
 lult. It will be precipitated by Gel |lany because in her desperation sh [ltends to carry out the plans ar tounced in her latest manifesto, th f,t which brought to fulf1llment tn
 ltimatum contained in the Suisse (pte, the severance of diplomatic rt |.tions with the German Empire a pgether.''
 It was coming. It has arrive' i here is nothing to do now but wait developments. If the aberrs
 lon of Germany continues and shiE Ire sunk without warning, witho, kfsit and search, the possibilities lar are unlimited. The slaughteri1 If one American citizen. the sink.,
 f one American ship is enough ouch the torch that will ,) start tf konfla grafton. It is too bad the:
 hings have come to pass just at
 homent when the President of tI