The Washington herald., 1917-05-03
How the Editors Are Viewing
America and the World War

lay In the few Misguided representatives.
VINO were against war, and being forced
into war still designing to make our
progress as slow and ineffective as pos
siole, were dispelled by the change of at
titude Of her allies In Congress. an
eieVenth-hour return to the principles
ana traditions Of our fathers.
Germany has nothing left in this coun-
try upon which she may rely for help
from within.
The hostile world is complete against
her,
The Plight of NeutrnIs.
ATLANTA Constitution.)
In the abnormality and the huge IRA
tionallty of war, as commonly is the case
in street brawls, the innocent bystand-
ers" suffer with the participants.
The United States, while stlll a neu-
tral, suffered thus to a considerable ex-
tent from the war abroad. but now that
this country is a belligerent, the remain
ing netrals stand to fare far worse than
they ever did while we were of kindred
interests with them.
This especially applies to Norway,
which nation Is largely dependent upon
I'America for its food supply and the
prime necessities of life Norway, 1t is
true, is great fish-producing and fish,
consuming nation, and ''in q pinch"
could live almost from the sea alone; but
| 1t is said that it depends almost entirely
upon oil from the United States to fur
nish motive power for its fishing fleets.
Americas first duty now, of course. is
| to our fellows-at-arms against Germany,
and depleted are the supplies of all
of them-in food as we'll as oil and other
commodities necessary in the prosecution
of warfare-that they will just about
drain our own stores, leaving nothing for
! export to suffering neutrals .
Boston Transcript,
Many German papers in this country
continue - fight openly and without any
sort OF interference. apparently, on the
German side. As an instance, we note in
! Deutsch-America, for April Is, a pane
gyric on the murderer of the Armenians
and other Christian "enemies" of the
Kaiser, Enver Pasha, in which these
words occur:
"Enver is the soul of Turkey. He saw
the political necessity Of fighting on our
side. That is why he is doing so.'
! "Our side" of course. being the Ger
man side. And this utterance from a
| nominally American paper. twenty-five
days after America has entered into a
war with Germany In whose interest,
we may ask, is ''Deutsch-America" pub
lished? The same number of the paper
contains a most tender appreciation Of
the Sultan of Turkey, and an insulting
installment of pro-German war story.
The Staats-Zeitung. of April q, con-
tains three war editorials; one in Eng
lish, signed by Bernard Ridder. appar-
emily rejoices in the success of the sub
marine piracy Another, in German,
proposes immediate peace negotiations.
The third declares the Russian revolu-
ton failure, calls its leaders the crea-
lures of the British ambassador (''seine
Leute'O, and attacks the contemplated
loan to the Russian people who will do
no more fighting now" This is the ma
ture Of the answer which German jour
| nalists are making to the Presidents
magnanimous permission to Germans to
remain unmolested. Is there anyone at
Washington who can read the German
language?
Out of Step with Patriotism.
(Butfalo Evening News)
The occasional little conceit emanat-
ing from the lesser courts that convict
ed men be given their choice between
a Penitentiary sentence and enlistment
in the army should be discouraged.
The army Is not a corrective insti-
tuition.
Contrary to a strange belief. II Is not
made up Of men who are shiftless or
who have tendencies toward crime. The
personnel Of the army today differs not
perceptibly from a similar number of
men in other walks OF life. Good moral
character is necessary to enlistment ana
prison record bars man forthwith
from serving his country's flag.
Either a convicted man deserves a Jail
sentence or he doesn't. Army service Is
not compromise plan and allowing the
choice is to impose upon the soldiery a
handicap the enlisted men do not de-
serve.
Such little caprice Of justice happens
only infrequently these days; it useo to
be common practice.
1t happened in Buffalo Saturday, this
misconception OF justice. Happily the
convicted man chose the penitentiary
sentence and thus served his country
better than the judge who sentenced
him.
1t should not recur. 1t is not within
the spirit Of the time.