Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-12
PAN-AMERICA'S
ROLL OF HONOR
Santo Domingo Joins Growing
List of Republics That Have
Broken With Berlin

Broken With Berlin
A MID so much news that is tragic an'
"A terrible, the announcement that Santc
Domingo has broken relations with Berlir
injects. at first blush, a plquant note o
gayety Considered by itself the situation
seems almost 10 SAVIOR of connie opera
What does n Dominican rebuke Of Berlii
signify? How can It affect, save for pur
poses Of amusement the stupendous worlt
drama now being enacted7
mot at ALL" would be the natural answer
did we confine ourselves solely to thi'
ruction between the great Teutono en-
pire and the little Caribbean republic. AZ
regards Santo Domingo alone, we may rest
assured that Germany would act entirely
on the principle enuncated by her owr
ruthless philosopher, Max stirner, whose
creed was MY right is the right" But
happily santo Domingo is no island Quixote
volclng its disapproval Of the maddest MILL
tary Power the world has ever seen. The
! gallant West Indian democracy not only
ranges itself beside embattled civilization
but clasps hands with sister nationaltiet
OF the western world, most Of them weak
in themselves. but quite capable OF altering
the course of history when Joined in a
common purpose.
ono Latln-American land after another
has preceded Santo Domingo in the course
she has taken. The importance Of Brazils
population Of the Hun was Immediately
plain. Pan-Amercanism was supremely
glorifed by her act, but the conduct of the
other American Republics has 20 be con-
sldered en- masse 20 assume It's rightful
meaning The situation, as it stands today,
IS absolutely Unprecedented in world his
tory. No great nation taking up arms was
ever so seconded by an outpouring Of dlplo-
matte sympathy as the United states has
been. As n tribute to the sincerity Of
American ideals the situation is not only
touching, but it is fraught with the deepest
significance for the future reconstruction
of the world.
The Roll of Honor
Behold the Latin-Amerlcan honor roll:
Guatemala, Bolivia. Honduras, Nicaragua,
Haiti and Santo Domingo have severed re-
lations with Berlin. Cuba has declared war.
Brazil has broken Teuton bonds. seized in
termed ships and abrogated her neutrality
with respect to tho United states. Costa
Rica has granted our navy the use of her
coasts. Panama has permitted us to take
whatever steps may be necessary for the
protection Of the Canal And all these mag
nhcent Endorsements Of our aims emanate
from that part Of tho globe where Germany
has intrigued for years TO implant the seeds
Of animosity toward us; from lands on
which her colonizing eye cleaned with avid
ty; from lands supposedly caught in her
great commercial web, tapped by her steam
ship lines, campaigned by her indefatigable
polyglot statesmen.
Before such n spectacle the spirit of
comic opera swiftly vanishes. Neglectful as
the United States has been Of her opportu-
mites In the "other Americas" II is her
ideals that have conquered We know this
must be so, for despite the propaganda for
Pan-American trade, the magnitude of Teu-
ton endeavor along this line vastly tran
scended ours. For years great modern
Hamburg-American freight and passenger
steamships piled between West Indian and
South American Atlantic ports and the
Fatherland. The Teuton Kosmos line took
care Of affairs on the west coast. The Ger
man trader almost invariably spoke the
tongue of the Latin republics.
Our commercial ENJOYS usually struggled
vainly to make headway with English, and
II is even said that many of them were sur
prlsed on learning that the language Of
Brazil was not Spanish at all, but Portu-
guese Since the old United States and Brazil
line went out Of existence no regular pas
senger service under tho Stars and Stripes
has been maintained between our ports and
any South American point below Panama
on the west and La Guaira on the east or
late years the American-owned Grace line
carried on some cargo trade with Latin
America, but even then number Of the
ships employed were under British registry.
In 1909 tho consular records Of the great
Brazilian coffee port of Santos showed that
but one American vessel had entered that
capacious harbor during tRe year And that
was a tramp ''windjammer." whose crew
had needed medical aid because Of beri-
beri,
Toukar T~oJo h,