The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-26
From War in self-Defence to War
for World Idealism.

for World Idealism.
If Mr.. WILSON. as his Boston ad-
dress reveals, has changed his Views
of why We went to war against Ger
many, he cannot change the facts
which drove us into that war. If,
after the war, his own purpose has
become the opposite Of what 1t was
before the war, he cannot assume that
the minds Of the American people
have veered with his mind.
At Boston, last Monday, Mr.. VIII
SON declared that we drew the sword
for the sake Of the rest Of humanity:
I'VE set this up to make men free and
we did not confine our conception and
purpose to America. Now we will
make men free. If we did not do that
the fame Of America would be gone
and all her powers would be dissi-
pated."
But in Washington on April 2, 1917,
Mr.. WILSON told Congress and the
nation that Germany had forced us
in.u state Of war; and he urged
Congress to give him the powers and
the means to fight back in self-de-
fence:
American ships have been sunk,
American lives taken in ways which It
has stirred US very deeply to learn Of.
but the ships and people OF other neutral
and friendly nations have been sunk and
overwhelmed in the waters In the same
way. When / addressed the
Congress on the 26th of February last
i thought 1t would suffice to assert our
neutral rights with arms, our right to
use the seas against unlawful interior
ence. our right to keep our people safe
against unldWtul violence. But armed
neutrality 1t now appears is impract-
cable
Again at Boston, last Monday, Mr..
WILSON said, IF, after having gone
into the war to make all men free,
America were at this junc.ure to fail
the world, what would come Of til"
lie added:
Men will be thrown back upon the
bitterness OF disappointment not only.
but the bitterness OF despair All
nations will be set up as hostile camps
again; the men at the Peace Conference
viii 60 homo with their heads upon
their breasts-for they were hidden not
TO come homo from there until they did
something more than sign a treaty Of
peace.
utter blackness that would fall upon the
world. America has failed! America
made a little essay at generosity and
then Withdrew. American said. We are
YOUR friends. but 1t was only for to-day.
not for tomorrow. America said. Here
is our power to vlndicate right and
then the next day said, Let right take
care Of itself and we will take care Of
ourselves America said. We set up a
light to Lead men along the paths of
liberty but we have lowered 1t: II is
intended only to light our own path
We set up a great ideal OF liberty and
then we said, Liberty is thing that
sou must win for yourself. DO ny
call upon u.s."
But in that call to Congress for war
on April ., 1917, President WILSON
stated the path we had to take and
the thing we were going to do as
follows:
There is one choice we cannot make,
We are incapable of making we will
not choose the path of submission and
suffer the most sacred rights of our ma
ton and our people to be ignored or
Violated
II advise that the Congress declare
the recent course OF the Imperial Ger
man Government to be, in fact. nothing
dess than war against the Government
and people OF the United States that 1t
which has been thrust upon It; and that
1t take immediate steps not only to put
this country in a more thorough state
Of defence, but also to exert all It's power
and employ all its resources to bring
fhs Government Of the German Empire
60 terms and end the todr."
Again In that war message to Con-
gres on April 2, 1917, President VII
SON made 1t clear with the most ex-
plicit language why we were going to
Join the hosts Of battles and what We
were going TO achieve there:
we enter this war only where We arc