The Washington herald., 1917-04-06
How the Editors Are Viewing
America and the World War
with No Thought Of war.
(Kansas civ Time.,

With No Thought of War.
kansas City Tmes.)
Shancellor Won Bethmann Hollweg
SAYS Germany has not attacked, and win
not attack the United States; she does
not want. and never did want war with
us-in short. he strongly protests his
friendly intentions toward this nation.
Very well. then. II he feels this way
about 1t. certainly we should be fair and
meet him half way. Though not going
scn the same principles of international
usage which permitted Germany to kill
Americans on the seas, break treaties,
and enslave a nation, we might, never
I theless, in our case wholly in the un-
selfish interest of humanity and inter-
national law. adopt the German custom
of making a few rules for the guild
Iance OF any nation interested. And since
Germany was so conscientious as to warn
the world of the things she was about
Ito do, We too, should be fair and warn
the imperial German government of our
rules
For instance, we might let It be under
stood that no subma rines sent out to de-
stroy neutral lives or property shall be
allowed to enter the Atlantic or Pacific
oceans on penalty of being blown out of
the water
| Then We might let 1t be known that,
with the permission of the Belgian gov
ernment, we propose to march an army
| from Ypres to Liege and lberate an en-
slaved people.
In doing these things We would not be
attacking Germany. OF course, IL any
Germans were so reckless as to get in
the way and interfere with these rules,
they might get into trouble. but that
would be their own affair. not ours.
| We could solemnly assure the chan
cellor that We were not making war on
Germany, never wanted war and had no
I infn ant nf Ffror Natt Inc In
fact, could be farther from our minds.
| Boston Transcript.
| Harvards announcement that ii Will
proceed with its regular summer school,
war or no war, will no doubt give cue
to the administrators of summer schools
| throughout the country. The constant
Increase of popular interest In summer
schools has brought them, in the col
legiate field, to a place of Importance sec
ond only to the regular academic sessions
| themselves. We have yet to be assured
by the event itself that these large sum-
mer schools can be run as successfully
in a nation at war as In a nation at
peace, but in so far as they are able to
carry on their normal work. only bene-
| fits will accrue. In the eager students
who come to its doors for the summer
session university has the opportunity
| to reach a public upon which it might
otherwise have no direct contact. The
opportunity the college is thus Afforded
to carry further at large its education
! in democratic ideals, its liberalization OF
thought without which there is no
democracy, is clear The resolute spirit
of loyalty which the colleges have en-
gcndercd among their undergraduates
needs to be carried into all the quarters
| it can possibly reach.
The Crucible.
christian Science MonitorD
| Right Is more precious than peace"
| In those words the President speaking
| with the utmost solemnity, to the
Houses of Congress, summed up his
apologize for calling upon those Houses
to proclaim a state war with Ger
many. In requesting Congress to use
the phrase a state of war rather than
a proclamation of war. Mr.. Wilson was
not playing with worus. No one knew
better than himself tnat between a
state of war and a declaration of war
there was no difference in substance.
but the form of the words chosen in
dicated the deliberate intention of the
President and Congress to place on
record the fact that the United States
have not thrust war upon Germany,
but have, on the contrary. accepted a
condition of war which Germany has
imposed on them.
The position, indeed. in which the
President on Monday found the coun-
try was one which at last left him no
choice. For months, even for years.
he had sought to escape the decision
of the sword, with patience and a
restraint which it would be impossible
to exaggerate, and which many of his
opponents and not few of his friends
had long viewed with regret, II not
with actual condemnation. Mr.. Will
son had, however, formed his own
opinion of the situation, and had out
lined for himself policy from which
there is no reason to believe he has
ever flinched. The United States were
so geographically situated, and were
politically so free from any entangle-
ments that they were not forced imme- |
diately into the struggle with autoc |
racy, as were the great democracies
beyond the Atlantic. They were given, !
as II were, time to think and time to
plan; with the result that during those
difficult days Of waiting the President
was able gradually to form a mature
judgment. and to shape his policy for
what he must long have felt was the
daily growing certainty OF a rupture
with the spokesman of autocracy in
the Old World.
The Task Before Us. q
Chicago Tribune)
A new era has begun. not only for /
the United States. but for the world. |
Criticism of. Mr. Wilson's past actions
and words is stopped by his address
to Congress.
The United States can stand behind
that address and the man who made
it if he will fulfill the promise of his
speech by acts.
The days of doubt and of indecision
are over. The days of action are here.
Bethmann-Hollweg urged that cleo