The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-10-14
q. S. and the War.

There have been so many CLAIMS
regarding the purpose Of the United
states in entering the war that 1t
IN refreshing to read an article from
so distinguished citizen and official
as Admiral W. S. Benson, chief of
naval operations, giving exact facts
in no wise confused with visionary
claims, so often advanced. In cur
rent issue of Leslie's he says:
aThe United States entered the war
In 1917 for no vague, altrustic rea-
sons. It was n war of defense.
Something essentially American. vi
tai to our national life, had been
attacked We went to war 10 defend
that concrete American interest pre-
ciseIy as we should have gone to war
TO defend the Philippines, had they
been attacked, or TO defend Ameri"
can citizens in Smyrna. had they
been wantonly deprived of their lives,
or their property and their rights as
American citizens. by the Ottoman
government. American territory had
been attacked: for an American ship
in as much American soil as Marion,
Ohio. And American citizens had
been wantonly slain, while others had
been deprived of their property and
their rights on the high seas, where
they should have been as secure as
I'm Washington, D. c.
what we went to war to defend
was the right of American citizens to
travel abroad on legitimate business.
and their right to own and operate,
unmolested, vessels flying the
American flag on the seas. What
was at stake was the American for
eign trade. Once the German thesis
were established, namely. that a
power controlling certain avenues of
ocean trade by submarines, or any
other means, could prescribe the
routes neutral vessels on the high
seas should follow, the cargoes they
should carry. the ports to which
these cargoes should be consigned,
and In general the nature and extent
OF the business done by the people
of neutral country in their dealings
with other neutrals and with beIlig-
erents not under legal and effective
blockade, the right of American
manufacturers TO export their prod
ucts, and sell them in the most
advantageous market, ana the right
OF American shipowners TO carry such
products to their destination freely
and without molestation unrecog-
nized by international law. were gone,
and gone forever.
THE victory that Gen. Pershing
won In France may have meant a
great many other things for Ameri-
cans in particular and for civilization
In general. But 1t meant one defi-
MITE. concrete thing-the end for
which we went TO war 1t meant the
freedom OF the seas. For all nations,
incidentally; but for the United
States II meant that American ships
were free to ply the seven seas, fly
Eng the American flag, manned by
Americans, carrying American prod
ucts. to whatever markets American
business men might want TO enter
and that no power, however strong or
however subtle. would be permitted to
control. curtail or handicap this es-
sentialiy American industry for any
reason whatever not specifically
sanctioned by international law.
I'VE went TO war to establish that,
and we did establish it. II now that
peace has come, we permit ourselves
to be robbed OF the fruits Of our VIC
tory, led astray by propaganda, de-
cetved by fair promises calculated to
Iuil us into false security while the
opportunity slips by u.s. or simply
confused by a mass of assertion and
rumor whose meaning is not clear to
MS, until we find that while we have
been trying to see our way clear we
have been edged out of our place in
the highways OF the world. then we
have not won the war. We have lost
II, and lost the thing we went to war
to defend. And the men who lie in
Flanders fields and all along the line
to AIkirch have died for nothing. We
shall have blindly, stupidity permitted
ourselves 10 be cheated in peace Of
what we won the war to secure"
1t is a refreshing bit of American
ism that admits the very practical
purposes that precipitated the United
States into war, We went into war
to protect American rights, to pre-
serve American ideals and TO pre-
serve America and her good name,
All other reasons advanced are after
thoughts.