Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-06-22
COALITION CABINET WANTED.


accomplished fact Of June the Fifth
IS saddening news for Berlin. although
it Is but yet an army on paper. The
preachers Of preparedness may be par
doned If at this moment they indulge
in speculations of "what might have
been, II they had been listened to three
years ago. Ten times the number pro-
phesied by a certain Chautauqua stat
esman 'sprang to arms" in a single
day but have to go home again and
impatiently wait because the authori-
ties are not prepared with the neces-
sary arms.
Still. the preparedness preachers
need not be so bitter about it, because
after all, great things are being ac-
complished. 1t is but a few short
weeks ago since. it is reasonable to
suppose, these ten million, the flower of
our manhood, were conscientiously
making an effort to follow the Presi-
dents advice and gallantly trying to be
neutral" OF course they had failed
lust as Mr. Wilson himself failed
Quite apart from the sophism that
man can control his own thoughts. it
was impossible to be neutral in think
ing about the acts of Prussia Never
tf1eless a good many of the ten million
did make a brave attempt to accom-
pIish that mental impossibility. and to
have them now enrolled in great
army whose resolute purpose is to
make victorious war on Germany is
surely a stupendous achievement.
We may be persuaded that, if in
place of this long list of patriots with
out military training we had had year
ago we'll equipped army of million
trained men, the war might have been
decided by now, but it profits us little
to waste time crying over spilled op-
portunities. Doubtless there is no man
more bitterly convinced of this than
the, President himself. When ''he kept
US out of war" he knows now, he
made a mistake; but he is not wasting
his time in vain regrets. Personally he
has the biggest task of all; to change
right-about-face from a peace presi-
dent, the ideal of the pacifist. to war
lord leading a triumphant country in
arms. requires a considerable mental
effort; but he is trying, and there is no
doubt now about his sentiments to-
ward Germany. But while the country
may not be ahead of Washington in
its mental attitude the orderly demon
stration of last Tuesday showed that it
Is ahead of the authorities in action.
President Wilson had a reasonable
excuse for his hesitating course in the
uncertainty shown by the people them
selves at the Presidential election. The
niserably small majority given him
was hardly the assurance necessary to
a man handling the enormous problems
of peace or war, and insofar as the
country had kept him guessing as to
whether it had its mind made up
about war he might be pardoned for
the delay in making up his own mind;
but that is all over. Whether the coun-
try or the President was primarily re-
sponsible for the muddy thinking and
irresolute action of the United States
perhaps does not matter now. What
does matter is that there should be
no uncertainty and unsteadiness in the
future. If Mr.. Wilson left anything
unsaid about why we are at war, it was
certainly said by Secretary Lane the
other day in a speech that was mas
terplece of exposition. The country
knows now why it is at war, and,
knowing, ten million men on Tuesday
volunteered their lives in their coun-
try's cause.
IN Washington, however, from all
accounts, the atmosphere is not SO re-
assuring. With the rest Of the country
impatient to strike at the enemy
blow that will be the most effective
peace propaganda. the political and
administrative center is still unfortu-
nately playing the party game. The
struggle for power between the cabinet
and congress is still on; Both jockey
ing for the inside position. We are
afraid the cynic who says that demo-
cracy at war is a farce might base his
sneer on the confusion apparent in the
debating halls OF congress. That party
politics should be played at a time like
this is distressing to the impatient and
militant patriot. especially when il
could he easily avoided In every
other country now fighting 1t has been
found necessary to put the ban on
party politics by choosing coalition
cabinets representative of the whole
OF the people. Whether his present
cabinet has the full confidence of the
United States or not, Mr.. Wilson must
surely know that there would be a
greater acceleration of emergency /
measures and quicker administration I