New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-06

because Of few members, failed US the
other day, even II all the branches OF our
government fail US, yet there is no excuse
for patient or despairing silence and SUD-
mission on the part of the American peo-
pie.
Those men who have betrayed us and
betrayed their countrymen in Washington
are our servants; their very action dis
closes the fact that they are slaves to the
will of their constituents and have played
us false because they believed that we were
undecided and cowardly. Such cattle may
not lead but they can be driven those
who have not the courage to act nobly VIII
not have the will 10 resist boldly when the
demand of the nation is plain.
All over the democratic world to-day
nowhere more clearly than in France and
Britain, there is being disclosed the weak
ness of the legislative instrument, the pow
ertv of parliamentary bodies in men and
courage. 1t is in spite of the legislature
that France has made the marvellous rev.
elation of the courage Of her people. Never
in its long history has the British Parlla-
ment. the House of Commons, showed IT.
self so small in the presence of great
events as in the past two years, and the
power has passed from Parliament, with
the tact consent of the British people, to
LLOYD George and two or three men
associated with him, who have under
taken to save a battle wellnigh lost by
politicians and a nation almost doomed by
men of the same sort as are imperilling our
own country.
Contempt. hatred, disgust-these emo
tons for the men who have betrayed us
are not inappropriate; but our responsible
ity and our duty will not end there. We
must not submit because we have chosen
unfit representatives in Congress; we must
not allow the national honor and American
lives to be sacrificed because Congress is un"
willing or unable TO protect them. We are
not helpless, unless we consent to be help
less. Americanism exists, the mass Of
American citizens are patriotic now as
always; but it is incumbent upon every
American who desires that his country
shall live to do his part, to make his view
and his will manifest. The towards in
Congress will march when the people give
their orders unmistakably-it is for us,
the people, to make our orders clear.
The road to national rehabilitation may
be long, it may be difficult. The men in
public Office whose duty it is to defend
rational existence may fail US again as
they have in the past. But in the end the
work will be carried forward only if the
millions of Americans not in public life,
the mass of men and women who make
up the nation, are resolved to do their
own task, to do what they can when they
can TO promote patriotism and TO restore
4 national sense of honor.
Our government and our legislatures
have failed US. So have the governments
and legislatures of the other democracies
confronted by a world crisis. But the
French and the British people have gone
forward. They would not suffer them
selves to be betrayed they would not allow
their countries TO be assassinated by cow
ardly legislators or inhrm and feeble ex-
ecutives. And the French and British
people have saved their countries. We
shall not do less if we will but follow the
example that lies splendidly before our
eyes in France and Britain.
Let US condemn those who have failed
US. Let US reject them; but let us not
find excuse for failure ourselves in the
weakness of public men. Patriotism is not
a delegated duty; nations in the last an
alysis are not saved by individuals but by
the masses-the men who go into the
trenches and the women who follow the
mems duty behind the lines. Neither
Woodrow Wilson nor Congress will be
responsible if American failure becomes
absolute They may fail us, but we shall
achieve national degradation only if we
fail ourselves.