The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-08-27
The Governors Conscience
BY OR. FRANK CRANE
Copyright, 1915. by Frank Crsne)


There are many honest minds perplex-
ed as 70 the righteousness of this war.
OF course there are cantankerous minds
that object TO anything; of them | do
not speak; but those sincere haters of all
war, such for instance as the Quakers
and others who while not claiming their
name have believed in their principle.
am one of them myself. l get
good many letters, some bewaiing my
fall from grace, others charging me with
following the crowd, and others even ac-
cusing me of every known form of cow
ardice and inconsistency.
These allegations might also be made
against the citzenry Of the United
States. l think have about kept step
with them And they and | are fairly
represented by the President.
We did not want war Az Senator
Williams said. we went to the point Of
cowardice TO keep out Of war.
Having eliminated war. which is a
function of monarchy, from our own con-
tinent, by the device of federation. we
saw no reason, other than the usual
sheep-lke following of precedent, which
characterizes the older civilizations, why
Europe could not by some sort of fed
GRAFTON settle its luarrels without such
vast and wicked violence,
We urged therefore, plead and
preached against the folly and evil Of
militarism We tried TO act as digni-
fled, self-respecting man should, when In
the presence of disgraceful squabble.
Then suddenly we changed.
Why?
For the simple reason that one of the
contestants, by attacking Us, forced Us
from our role Of innocent bystander and
compelled us TO take a hand in the gov
eminent Of the World.
1t is all right for citizen TO turn the
other cheek, when only his individual
rights are concerned. But if that citi-
zen is judge, a policeman or other off,
Ger charged with protecting the rights
Of the people, he is committing n crime
when he does not arrest, confine, and II
need be, kill the oppressor.
The conscience of the citizen and the
conscience of the ruler are two different
things They both observe the same
code Of right and wrong; but while it is
not the citizens business 10 redress his
wrongs Of il is possible TO call in an
officer of the law, it is the rulers bust
ness 10 prevent crime, by force IL need
be.
Germany, by her actions. proclaimed
herself an enemy 20 mankind. with her
own peculiar conscience. AS an individ-
ual nation we might have declared this
none Of our business. But when our
own people were murdered, as in the
Lusitania, the question was sternly put
before US: What were we, as one of
the governors Of the world, one Of the
parties to the pact OF international law,
going 10 do about It?
This is why we, the majority Of the
people, have changed"
In the council Of the civilized nations
we had to speak for or against piracy,
treachery and inhumanity. 1t was no
longer question Of putting up with any
thing rather than fight 1t was whether
we, as one Of the arbiters of international
law. could allow criminal nation to
keep on running amuck.
What We may submit to as man we
often must punish as a parent, so the
teachers conscience must make him re-
strain an unruly scholar and the sher-
ifs conscience in dealing with offenders
is not that Of the storekeeper.
We changed" because events forced
upon US the responsibility for all man
kind.
We were given by destiny voice in
saying what principles should govern
world-rule.
And with that goes "the governors
conscience"