Evening star., 1939-02-03

luton of foreign
policy by Democratic President OF
the United States.
The Republican viewpoint in 1916
was that Mr.. Wilson was not Sufh-
ciently vigorous in protecting Ameri-
can rights-he had failed to 60 to
war when the Lusitania, British
ship carrying American citizens was
sunk without warning by German
submarine. He had failed to go to
war with Mexico. The Republican
position, as expressed by former
President Theodore Roosevelt and
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and
others, was that Mr.. Wilson did not
bestir himself when Germany COM
mitted the crime of violating the
neutrality of Belgium in 1914.
Wilson Never Made Boast.
Throughout the campaign of 1916,
the argument against Mr.. Wilson
implied that more forceful Ameri-
can foreign policy was needed,
whereas the Democratic politicians
pointed to peace and prosperity"
and boasted that Mr.. Wilson had
kept us out of war" Never did any
such boast come from the President
himself.
The effect on the German mill
tary staff mind was that the United
States was against war and would
not fight at any price, or that if
America did fight, her help would
come too late, because unrestricted
submarine warfare would destroy
the British fleet, cut off the allied
food supply and insure a German
victory.
Immediately after the 1916 elec-
ton the Germans began planning
their submarine attack and when
early in 1917 they sank ships flying
the American flag Mr. Wilson found
1t necessary to enforce his earlier
warning against such attacks He
chose a course short of war" He
was denounced for this by handful
of Senators, but the regular Re-
publican leaders stood with him.
Later on, still believing that Amer
lea could avoid war, he asked for
permission to arm American mer-
chantmen so that they could defend
themselves against sudden attack
by submarines on the high seas.
Authority to do this was denied him
as a result of a filibuster in the
Senate in which what he termed
"a small group of wilful men" pre-
vented the majority from voting
before the session Of Congress was
automatically adjourned on March 4.
Disregarded Foreign Policy.
Germany's total disregard Of
American foreign policy and her
belief that the United States was
divided and would not back up Mr..
Wilson actually brought on Ameri-
can participation in the war. The
contention so often made by So
called liberals" in their books that
Mr.. Wilson was actuated by desire
to protect American trade in war
munitions is libel which anybody
who lived through the period of
1914 to 1917 and saw at first hand
every day what was going on, as did
this correspondent, will be quick to
refute.
Mr.. Wilson tried to keep America
out of war. His sincerity was ques-
toned. He was bitterly assailed by
those who had been adversely af-
fected by his truly liberal domestic
policies and he was the object of
attack also by propaganda and
political intrigue here set in motion
by the Berlin militarists.
But there was one handicap which
Mr.. Wilson did not have when it
was apparent that war was in
evitable. Republicans, led by Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachu-
sets, cheered his decision to protect
American rights. The vote in April,
1917, in both houses of Congress
was overwhelmingly in favor of
recognizing that Germany had in
fact begun state of war against
the United States by her submarine
attacks against innocent American
citizens travelling on American Mer-
chant ships.
Returned After Armistice.
Partisanship did not return till
just before the armistice and it did
not at first manifest itself even on
the League of Nations issue. Even
during the campaign of 1920 the
most influential conservative groups
In the Republican party led by
Charles Evans Hughes and former
President William Howard Taft still
urged American entry into the
League with reservations.
Today the Republicans have begun
q direct attack on President Roose-
velts foreign policy on the charge
that he wants to drag America into
war. The first maneuver has been
to insist that America sell airplanes