Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1917-04-03
The Issue Is Joined


evening", President Wilson is deliv-
ering his message to congress and
making such recommendations as he
thinks wise in the conflict with Ger
many. Whatever line of action he
decides upon is pretty sure to receive
the sanction of congress and the coun-
try and resistance to the war that has
been carried on by the Imperial Ger
man government for two years will
commence.
In the eyes of the world, the United
States stands clear Of any RESPONSE.
bility for whatever eventualities result
from this action. We have been pa
tient until patience ceased to be a
virtue, while the German government
took the lives of more than 240 Amer
leans, who were going peacefully about
their affairs where they had per-
feet right to be; done millions of dol.
lars worth of damage through plots
in the United States and has destroyed
American ships by wholesale. Surely,
history records no similar display Of
patience on the part of a powerful
nation.
Since the beginning Of the European
war, by a logic peculiarly her own,
Germany has contended that all who
interfered with her plans of warfare,
lawful or unlawful, was responsible
for whatever happened. In pursuance
Of this illogical reasoning, Chancellor
Bethmann-Hollweg, in speech before
the reichstag last week insisted that
whatever nation will not get out of
her road and let her have her own
way is deliberately bringing the hor-
rors of war upon itself.
The conceit of the Prussian Junkers
in control of the German government
must be monumental to think the
world will accept the belief that Bel
GUM is to blame for all the Outrages
that befell her simply because that
small nation preferred suffering with
honor to reputation of its solemn
treaty obligations. In similar vein,
the Junkers declare that the loss Of
American lives and shipping is alto
gether the fault of the United States
because we would not take orders from
Germany as to the rights on the seas
guaranteed by the law of all nations
including Germany.
Because of this audacious disregard
of German orders, Minister thinner
man planned the dismemberment of this
republic, taking advantage of the dis
turbed conditions in Mexico, and pre-
suming upon her ability to sic Japan
onto this country. Oh, no. Germany
does not desire war with this country
or any other-if they will but obey
German orders and keep out of her
way.
The Junkers allege two grievances
against the United States, neither of
which will stand intelligent scrutiny
They complain that this country has
and is supplying the Allies with mu-
nitions and provisions, although they
know that the selling of such supplies
to belligerents is in perfect accord
with international law. They know
that during the Boer war, the Beers
derived almost all their munitions
from Germany, and that in the Span
ish-American war Spain received her
supplies from the same source, in fact
the Krupps have been supplying the
world with cannon for several decades
The other complaint is that we sub
NIT to England's blockare of the Cen
trail Powers and sever relations with
the latter for the blockade of Eng
land. Like the other alleged reasons,
this one will not hold water.
The penalty of breaking such a
blockade is the risk of loss of prop
erty which, if not in violation of the
blockade, will be Unidentified by a
money consideration. This is the posi-
ton of the government in it's cOntrO-
versy with England, which leaves the
question for future adjustment.
On the other hand, our controversy
with Germany has not attempted a
legal blockade of the British islands
and has, therefore, never so denOmin-
ated it, but has termed it war zone,"
which is quite different from block
ade. Germanys contention also goes
to the loss of life as well as property
ii the attack is to be without warn
ing