The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-05-15
THE HAWAIIAN GAZETTE
MADISON EDITOR Turs maT s0 1s's ADVTSRs aVnT
.The Terms of Peace

| ~ yesterday Geographic news reports that
the pacifsts are conducting nation wide
agitation to compel President Wilson to set forth
now, categorcally the terms upon which the
United States will make peace with Germany
| 1t is matter OF regret that Jane Adams is
numbered among these paci6sts. Miss Adams
has established country wide reputation for pfac
teal uplift work in Chicago, and il has been some
what OF shock to her many admirers to read that
she has Joined the scatter Drained contingent who,
from many divergent fields are joining in the de-
mand for peace at any price"
All sense of proportion and OF relative import
ance seems to have disappeared from the mental
make up of these people.
"Peace with honor" or peace with dshonor'
apparently mean the same thing to them. The
mere fact Of peace--an absence Of fighting over
shadows and subordinates everything else.
1t makes no difference to them that the fight
is to protect the weak against the strong to COM
pei injustice to give way to justice; to defend
liberty from tyranny--their one demand is that
the fight must stopl
1t is as though vicious rufian were beating
| up woman and upon bystander interfering, the
pacihsts insisting that the bystander desist in his
forcibe interference without any assurance that
the ruffian would quit abusing the woman.
1t is not necessary for the President to formulate
the objects for the accomplishment of which the
United States has entered the war. He stated
these objects fully in his address to congress when
war was declared. Further than such general dec
laration Of principles the President ought not, and
cannot go
Moreover at this time the President is almost
overwhelmed with details which must be settled ;
with policies which must be decided; with thou
sand and one things which must be acted upon as
soon as possible, if action is to be effective.
| Competent as he may be, the President can
neither be in two places at once, nor do two dia-
metrically opposite things at the same time.
| Practical matters and questions must be attend
ed to and answered first Theoretical questions
can wait s
The practical question Of the hour is, how can
Germany most quickly and effectively be brought
to her senses and the war ended successfully, This
question requires immediate consideration and
nothing must be allowed to interfere with its suc
cessful answer and solution. The demand Of the
Ipacifsts for detail terms upon which the United
States will make peace concerns purely theoret-
| cal matter which does not need to be answered,
| or even considered now, for the reason that no
action depends thereon.
1t will be right and proportion the President to
stop preparing for war and spend his time, energy
and brain power in formulating terms Of peace,
when Germany manifests any disposition to quit
! fighting or to ask for peace on thinkable basis.
That time has not yet arrived Until it does arr
rive the attempt to distract the Presidents mind
from the gigantic practical task in hand to the
theoretical question Of the future, is unpatriotic
| and mischievous 1t should be squelched.