New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-21
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Constructed History"

CONSTRUCTED History"
In undertaking ito construct the his
tory" Of one Of the outcroppings of Count
Won Bernstorf's reptilan diplomacy The
New York Times made statement the
other day which, in the interest of histori-
cal accuracy, ought not to 90 unchal-
lenged. This statement concerned the
action taken in Congress in March, 1916
on the Gore and McLemOre resolutions.
For partisan reasons (the Presidential
campaign being then about to OPEN an et-
fort was made at that time TO represent
the action taken in Congress on the resolu-
tions as an adequate and even heroic re-
sponse to the Presidents demand for
Qualification of the position Of the united
States with regard to the German policy
of ruthlessness on the high seas. But
about the last thing in the world which
the Administration friends in Congress
wanted to do at that time was to clarity
the governments attitude toward German
aggression. They wanted to straddle the
issue, and they did straddle 1t.
"The Times" said:
On February % the President threw the
conspirators who were thus hoodwnklng
Congress into dismsy By sending IN q de-
mand that Congress should vote at once
upon the resolutions On March inc
Senate took up Cores, and, instead OF
passirr it by - 10 L. defeated 1t by 90
10 a. At the last moment Gore cnangeo
Il so as 10 make il virtual declaration OF
war on Germany but the Senate voted IN
ignorance Of this discreditable trick. on
March the House took up the McLemore
resolution and defeated il by 216 10 AZ
This is a misconstruction of what Con-
gress did. 1t creates pseudo-history. Inc
President frankly urged positive action
on the two embargo resolutions then pend
ing. He asked for full public discussion
and action upon Them" necessarily m
volvjng a direct vote, which should show
where each Senator and Representative
stood The leaders in the Senate and the
House were unwilling to vote on the reso-
lutions as such. They cooked up plan
to dodge a direct vote by taking up the
resolutions. shutting off debate on them
and then laying them on the table.
The Senate was so anxious to shunt
aside a disagreeabe subject that 1t deho-
erately ignored the revolutionary changes
made at the last moment IN the Gore
resolution. What was laid on the table IN
hot haste was a declaration Of policy en-
tirely worthy of the dignity and honor OF
the United States We went to war
year later on practically the same grounds
as those on which the Gore resolution
warned Germany that the United States
was ready to make war.
1t is extravagant to say that the Senate
voted in ignorance of the changes made
in the resolution. The amendment was
read. and nobody who heard 1t read could
mistake its meaning. But the leaders
were so intent on carrying through their
hippodroming programme, so eager to
dodge action on the merits of the resolu
ton, that they pretended not to know OF
TO care what was the wording of the reso'
luton as submitted to them. They could
not he induced to reconsider their side
tracking vote, which they might have done
if they really believed that they had voted
under a msconception. They were not
the victims Of discreditable trick. The
trickery and discredit were as much or
N their side as on Mr. Cores. They wanted
" to run away from the issue raised by the
President and couldn't run away fast
enough.
In the House the same mock action was
taken. The McLemOre resolution, II
cold storage on one calendar, was taker
up by a vote of the House and then sent
back again to cold storage. The issue i
raised was not faced; it was eyaded. i
was evaded so that the skulkers and paci
fists in the two houses could 90 home L
peace-at-any-p price constituencies and sa!
that they had at least succeeded in side
tracking a vote against Germany.
1t is time that the legends which The
Times" credits as history should be dlssi
n.ted. Neither house Of Congress IL
March. 1916, defeated the embargo reso
luton urged by advocates of peace at an!
nrice. Neither house had the courage t.
do what President Wilson wanted done
70 take ND the pacifst resolutions, debat
them and reject them on the merits OF IN
case.