The Washington herald., 1918-01-09

There are always the little
things coming in to bother in wal
making as in other governmental
lines.
Just now a very spirited tussle
has arisen between Red Cross fac
tions over the virtues of vivisection
One faction of the Red Cross re-
Gently enlarged membership is pro-
testing vigorously against the prac'
tice, while the other faction is in
sistent that the step can and should
be taken.
Several members OF Congress
have been enrolled on one side oil
the other. and they are quite as SET
in their opinions as the rank and
file members.
The dispute is petty, to some
and yet to those who have fixed
views on the matter and who want
to take the more humane attitude
the desire of the other faction to
carry on the work seems like ar
effort that is more serious than II
appears at first sight.
1t is deplorable that such a mat
ter has come up-deplorable, too
that the officials do not take
immediate charge of affairs and
remove the cause. The medical
world has the right to pursue its
Investigations in vivisection. 1t is
not a Red Cross function and ii
should not be allowed to become a
function of that organization.
II the officials will act now, they
will save the respect OF those
many members who are protesting
against vivisection and who want
to continue to believe that the Red
Cross is an instrument for nothing
but good, and an instrument tc
which they should give loyal hnan-
cial and moral support.
Such support cannot be forth
coming II the Red Cross course Is
not changed.
1t is up to the officials to act in
a tolerant spirit with respect tC
the ideals OF thousands of theiI
members. No material loss can be
suffered by passing the function on
to the medical world, anyway, sc
those who have stubbornly resent
ed the suggestions of the anti-vivi-
sectionists should not protest
against a defeat OF their views.
The war is a game of give-and-
take and the Red Cross cannot al
low this stigma to attach to its
name. Congress may never express
itself officially upon this particular
matter. but there are many mem
bers who feel that this view should
be taken by the Red Cross heads.
The effort to import Chinese la
Dor into this country will fail.
This will be the very apparent
result of Senator Gallinger's effort
to provide temporarily against the
taking of our men of the labor
ranks for military duty. Congress
would like to have a solution fol-
what promises to be an increas-
fngly worrisome problem, but il is
not ready to grant that a solution
could be satisfactorily had in the
way suggested by the New Hamp-
shire Senator.
Naturally union labor was against
the move. The leaders were ready
to give way to any sensible plan
Tor Milling the ranks, but this plan
they considered 50 dangerous as to
threaten our national existence
after We had emerged from the
war and had come to the problem
Of getting the imported Chinese
back to their country.
The proposal. while not formally de.
feated as yet, will be quietly laid
away after while. It was good fol-
something while It lived, ard while Il
still lives, for it has brought out MANY
expressions from members to the eff.
feet that after the present war Il
over we shall take care ns to who en-.
ters our gate.
America first and America from the
first" Will be our slogan after the
war is over. If any countries come
afterwards II will be those countries
which have clung closely to us in this
nght-or to whom we have clung, while
waging the war for world democracy
Countries which have remained neu.
trail or which have opposed us must
take their turn-and they'll have Ia
wait our pleasure. In view of what
will be their postwar sta tus, there.
fore. this nations Congress is moi
ready to give those countries an in.
ter-war standing. which would botf
imperil our labor system and at the
same time meet the inherent disap-
proval Of so many Of our people.
The other day a Pennsylvania train
stopped at a little station and picked