The Washington herald., 1917-02-28
The Showdown.


The sinking Of the Laconia is second
Lusitania tragedy. The roster OF
Americans whose lives were sacri-
feed shows no distinguished names,
it is true. but the bloodstain on the
German soul IS none the less on that
account. Rather because these two
women and these American sailors
who perished were OF the humble
walks Of life. the challenge to Ameri-
can honor is the greater. This time
il cannot go by without response Of
fitting adequacy.
The murderous challenge cannot
be allowed to pass and will not pass.
We can trust President Wilson i'm
plcitly to see to that. Whatever may
have been his thoughts when he de-
hvered his cautious address TO Con-
gress Monday, he must have a diff
ferent vista of logic now.
But there is an ugly fight ahead of
him which this nation can i'll afford
to tolerate in the present crisis. 1t
is almost unbelievable, unthinkable,
that SO many foes to national unity
could arise as were werking'in the
House Of Representatives yesterday.
The Porter amendment to the Flood
billHlimiting the Presidents power
to protect American shipping to non
contraband-carrying vessels - shows
that the spirit Of the notorious Nc
Lemore resolution is not dead, nor
even scotched. 1t presents a sinister
problem which might have been
dealt with far more effectively di-
rectly after the rupture with Ger
many than now. We believe the
Presidents delay has been a consid-
cradle factor in reviving alien and
pacihst forces at a time when their
presence is almost poison to the
national spirit.
Nevertheless, they are here and
must be dealt with. There are GER
tain powerful groups in Congress
which will oppose to the limit the
maintenance of American rights on
the seas. William ]. Bryan is hasten
ing to Washington from his Florida
retreat to give them aid and comfort,
to fight the President on the greatest
| moral and spiritual issue before the
country. All of the leaders of the
"peace-at-any-price" element, includ-
ing the once redoubtable Jane Adams
of Hull House, are coming to make
test of this issue. Three weeks ago
the President might have thought the
jingoes were his greatest enemies;
can he doubt that the paci6sts are
now? His service to them, his great
effort in behalf of world peace, they
fling aside with callous ingratitude
worthy of the German chancellor.
The President should not hesitate.
The Laconia tragedy provides him
with that moral issue which he has
been seeking; an issue which will
strike deep to the hearts of America
cans. American rights on the high
seas are no longer legal and techni-
cal abstraction. They have signif-
canoe written in letters of human
| blood.
With this issue he can bring Con-
gress to his will if he acts with the
boldness and daring characteristic of
his greater days; but if he waits for
the thing to grow cold and clammy
while Congress whittles away
precious time in obstructionist de-
bate, then we may well fear for the
outcome of the present national crisis.
The President can demand from Con-
gress the authority he has asked. If
it is refused through processes of de-
lay, he can assume it, for he informed
Congress he already possessed it by
| general implication" He need not
fear to go to the country on such an
issue as that. 1t is Congress which
will have reason to fear There is
no doubt that the people of the
United States, once aroused to the
true meaning of alien and pacifst &C
tivities in the House and Senate,
will rally around fighting President
and vindicate a nationalist policy.
The sneering words of Bethmann-
Holweg in the Reichstag yesterday
came at the right time to emphasize
the meaning of the Laconia tragedy
and bring home to Americans the fact
that the hour of action has arrived. If
American ships are ever to meet, the
German threat in a way worthy of
American traditions, the time to do
so is now. The issue can no longer
be obscured or postponed.