Richmond times-dispatch. [volume], November 20, 1914, Page SIX, Image 6

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FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 20. 1914.
The Danger of Armistice
GERMANY is said to have exhausted every >
"ffort to obtain peace separately with '
Belgium and Russia.- This may or may not.
he true. In any event, the latest rumor from I
a French source is that the Fatherland is now
working toward a winter armistice, with a
view to obtaining a rest Tor recuperation j
solely, it is hinted that the United States!
may be asked to further the proposal of an
armistice. Again, this may or may not bo
true.
One thine is true, that an armistice for the
purpose of resting and strengthening the ma- i
chlnery of war for a bitter resumption in tho ,
spring would not be in tho slightest an ad
vantage to peace or the happiness of peoples. I
The United States should not, and doubtless ,
will not. permit itself to be drawn into a per
suasive campaign in that direction. Any- ;
thing that will strengthen arms will prolong
slaughter. If there must be exhaustion ot :
annihilation, let it be now, and the sooner j
the better. j
His Wish Grunted
HAVE you ever read "Appel des Amies, '
a hook by Ernest Dslchari, grandson of
llie French philologist and historian, Joseph
E. ltenan? It is the. work of a man wh> 1
could see glory in battle, who sensed the big- j
ness of conflict under the open heavens. At :
the end of the hook there is 11 fervent prayer i
to the powers Hint control all destinies that j
he may meet IiIh death on the battlefield.
Toward the end of August tho allies were ;
retreating in Belgium, and certain of the j
lighters wore making a desperate effort to :
defend the big guns against. U10 irresistible j
rush of 'lie enemy. Leading one group about :
the guns, standing their ground even to the i
touch of steel, was a lieutenant of artillery, j
who never faltered, who gave nothing, hut i
was fixed to his post with a rigidity that
faih\ only when, riddled with lead, he foil
with his face upturned and one hand clutch
ing the wheel of the gun carriage.
Lieutenant Dsichuri's death had come
about precisely as Author Dslchari had
prayed.
No Interference With Belgian Helicf
IN tho face of rather positive statements to
tho contrary from l^ottdon and Tho Hague,
The Times-Dispatch ventured the other day
to express the opinion that there would be
no interference from tiie German military au
thorities with the distribution of relief sup
plies pom from this countV^.tq sf-rickon Bel
glum. That opinion, baaed on expressions of
American diplomats and supported, be it said,
by all the probabilities, has had official veri
fication.
The Kaiser's government now announces
that it will welcome all relief that private
agencies ot benevolence may send to the Hol
gians, and will give those intrusted with the
problem of distribution every possible assist
ance. No other attitude could have been
taken by a civilized nation, however mad
dened by war and all the horrors that wat
drags in its train.
Citizens of Virginia need have no apprehen
sion that contributions to the Kelgian relief
lund will he diverted from their destined pur
pose to the war chest of the invader. Kvery
dullar that is given will bo applied to .the
relief of suffering and want almost unpar
alleled in modern history.
Attacks on the Long Vacation
IN half a dozen sections of the country there
is a revival of the agitation, that has had
many sporadic existences in the past, against
the long school vacation. It is declared by
its opponents to be* uneconomic in the worn:
Y sense, and to represent an actual waste from
which the ordinary American child finds it
difficult to recover, and frequently never re
covers.
It is obvious enough that the special con
siderations which in the days of the founda
tion of the American school system demanded
an extended vacation throughout the summer
months no longer obtain. Then the farmer's
hoys, and girls also perhaps, were needed in
the harvest field and for tin- performance ot
the farm tasks that the harvest season in
volved. No such necessity now confronts
our overwhelmingly urban population. It
has not been observed that trequirements
of the public schools are so onerous as to
threaten the collapse of the normal child's
meiitnl or physical health. What the system,
with .ts long vacation and frequent holidays,
actually does, according to Its critics, is to
deprive the ordinary young American of one
sixth of the time he can afford to devote to
his education.
The substitute plan most generally fa
vored is a kchool year divided into four terms
^ of twelve weeks each, separated by a week's
vacation Jt* advocates contend that this
affords ample periods of rest, far more ad
vantageous, lu the aggregate, than the three
months-takcn-at-a-gulp of the existing cus
Any bucU radical change as thin is a matter,
of course, for the consideration of the ex
perts. but to the lay mind it seems to possess
I mauv of the elements of sound sense. It
has gained a placo. at any rate, in the thought
of some advanced authorities on education
perhaps Richmond will hear something about
it at the Virginia Educational Conference,
which assembles here next week.
Injustice to President Wilson
REPORTS from Washington, that President
Wilson has determined to be drawn Into
war with Turkey "under no circumstances,
may be taken with just as many grains ot
diplomatic sail as the taste of the reader may
indicate. A knowledge of W oodrow Wilsons
character, ns obtained from his whole public
course and conduct of affairs, preclude* un
qualified acceptance of such a statement as
embodying the administration's views.
If the President has given his sanction to
anv announcement of this general character,
it pro ly was restricted to the circmm
staneov ader which the launch of the battle
ship "U i.aessee was fired on by Turkish land .
forces. It may well have been that ho ex- ,
pressed confidence that this incident could
be and would be, explained in a way that
would rob It of He most offensive aspect, or.
at the worst, as the act of some overzealous
subordinate, which would be promptly dis
avowed aud apologized for by superior au- |
thorlty.
All the probabilities point to such au ex
planation. accompanied by suitable apology
and reparation, being given. Of course. It
will be accepted by this government, which
Ih quite capable of understanding the excited
state of the public mind in Turkey and mak
Ing some reasonable allowance for its pio-l
ducts. . ., i
To say, however, that this country would
permit Itself to become Involved in war with j
Turkey "under no circumstances ' does not |
express the nation's view of the matter, and
it may be said with equal certainly that it i
does not express the view of the President.
We are a peaceful people, and wars of aggres
sion or conquest have no part in our theory j
of government, but. despite this, there are
plenty of circumstances, some of which, as
applied to Turkey, are quite easily concei\
able, under which we would take up arms.
lta<l Manners at the Telephone
TK there is one thing more maddening than
1 another, in this world of storm and stress,
and grief and tears. It is the constant ill
manners of users of the telephone. Despite
the fact that this Instrument has become a
I necessary part of our business and social
life, wo appear not to have learned to use
with that consideration and regard for others
which Is the right foundation of every so
cial code.
The telephone boor wo have always
us. Men and women who on othej- occa
sions are scrupulous In their observance of
the niceties and the reserves of human inter
course forget them all as soon as they pick
np the receiver. One of the worst of the
breed Is the Individual who summons you to
the telephone and then demands that you
Identity yourself, before consenting to state
his business. Of course, he would not be
have that way if he entered another mans
office or home, but would send In his card or
! his namo to the person he wished to ?ee
Another violator of the proprieties directs
the operator at his office switchboard to 'Get
Mr Jones on the phone," and then proceeds
to forget all about it, perhaps to leave hto i
desk, so thai when the unhappy Jones is ,
dragged from his affairs no one wants him
on the other end of the Hue.
These are Just specimen offenders. There .
are plenty of others. Somebody ought to
start n school of telephone manners. If the
attendance were measured by the need ol
instruction, the founder of that Institute j
would reap a large and sudden fortune.
Iron Crosses
rpnu theory that military medals are val
1 uable In direct proportion to the in
frequency of their bestowal is not respected
by the Kaiser, who may safely be assumed
'to have studied this matter as he has every
Other detail of war. He presents the Iron
Cross, a decoration which rewards conspicu
ous service in war, in what amounts to whole
sale lots. The entire ship's company of the
Enidcn. lor example, this decoration had been
awarded, which has also been presented with
a lavish hand to soldiers.
In this the German practice diflers radi
cally from the English bestowal of the Vic
toria Cross, which is also the reward of valor.
This medal is given with a reluctant hand,
never io many men in a regiment or on a
ship it has been awarded only once or
twice in the present war. whereas the Iron
Cross finds new wearers pretty much every
clay.
The resemblance between the Iron Crows
and the Victoria Cross is probably not as close
as bad been supposed. Tlio German decora
tion rewards military service of any sort, it
appears to be in a way the insignia of a sort
of select military order, whereas the English
medal is. as its Inscription sets forth, "For
Valor." and so is more likely to be won by a
subordinate ofllcer or private than by a gen
eral. In any erase, the generosity with which
the Kaiser distributes the medals is an inter
esting sidelight both on his attitude towards
his armies and on the Gorman temperament.
In this conflict the war offices of all the
i ryitions employed, save that of the French,
have displayed great imaginative power, but
it the palm must he awarded it should go to
j the Russian word-painters. It is a curious
lact that the French, in the popular mind the
j most volatile of n at tons, should have re
j vealed, in this great national emergency, the
I largest capacity for patient endurance and
| restraint.
Authorities declare that in properly coo'*ed
meat there is no danger of foot-and-mouth
i disease infection and that it is perfectly safe
! to eat it. The only other preliminary ciues
tion is the ability to buy it.
The Hritlsh War Office keeps on denying
that a Russian army passed through England
to aid the allies in France. And the rumor
1 keeps on rivaling Ilanquo's ghost.
i
I Recruits to the "Do Your Christmas Shop
ping Early Cause" probably will confer more
I happiness at the coining holiday season than
: they ever have in the past.
Throwing waste paper, and other rubbish
on the streets is one sport likely to lose some
? its-popularity after December I.
Secretary McAdoo knew Just where to apply
when he wanted the cotton loan fund com
pleted.
SONGS AND SAWS
IjcI lllin Ilrnnre!
Wife has 110 right, a Buckeye Judgt? docrces
To empty hubby's pockets 'gainst his wishes.
Nor mVv she, while she shines ut suffrage tens,
Compel her tyrant man to wash the dishes'
But when The Cause, In Its assured expansion,
Has forced Ohio to Its stubborn knees
That Judge. will mourn he ever gave his sanction
To such outgrown and foolish views as these
Ilpttrr Protection.
She?What have you done with that pretty
pin you used lo wear?
He?Why It didn't seem exactly adapted to
this weather, so 1 left it with my undo when
1 took my winter- overcoat out of storage.
Cheer Up!
Cow of my heart, from out
thine eves
Shines forth a soul that's
miles and miles t
Above this world of gnats and
llles?
Oh,' why so tyire thy tender
smiles? N
Helping Sonic..
Grubbs?What is your special cause of
Thanksgiving this year?
Stubbs?Some of our relatives are not coming
to eat dinner with us. and we shall be able to
got along wish one turkey. ?
Ilciit for Theirt.
The seeker after knowledge hailed his father
just as that tired business man was about to
sink into an armchair.
"Say, dad," he exclaimed, "is football roally
the greatest of all games?"
"That," was the response, "depends somewhat
on the point of view. Unquestionably, It Is the
greatest game for the doctors."
The PcHNlmlnt Snyst
Whv can't something be done for tho spokes
men of the Republican party? They shriek
j calamity so much that 1'begin'to foel they arc
| Infringing my copyright.
>o Time to l.tiiRrr.
Sr.ld an Invalid soldier at York:
"i >f course. It's oult" easy to tork,
nut the fact of th" thing.
When the shells start to Ping.
Is that you want to run?riot to work."
THIS TATTIjKR.
CHats WitS Virginia Editors
' Editor George Greene, of the Clifton Forge
Review, who, like Editor Olck Ueirne of the
: Covington Virginian, has a keen ear for heavy
i firing In the neighborhood of Staunton, comes
j across with this: "'How Long Will the War
' Last'." Inquires the Scientific American. Which
j war. the one in Staunton or the European war?
I As to tho latter we might make a near guess,
i but the former appears to have no end." Per
| haps the discerning t.rcene can tell us how
; long the fray lasted when there were two cats
j in Kilkenny and each thought there was one
j eat too many!
| The Petersburg Index-Appeal thus clears up
i a mystery: "Tho toy factories o* Pinghamton,
? X. V., are working three shifts in order to till
! orders. And the toymakers of Germany arc
! starving." Now we know where the new me
I clianical toys, "made In Germany," come from.
Commenting upon the free-for-all lied-Head
1 Defenders' Championship Contest, the 4,'ewport
! News-Press says: "It is ono of the wonders
j of the times that in all this illuminating dis
! ousslon. there lias been no mention of the- white
! horse." Meditating upon it, we must admit
, there is "horse tense" in the reflection.
"Roosevelt hasn't told us the names of those
'two powers which are planning to capture New
| York and San Francisco and levy ransom," the
| Staunton Dally News points out. Maybe he is
| floundering in a river of doubt.
The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot ushers out tho
j Trotter Incident In this manner: "Too much
j notice has been devoted by the .press to me
| insolence displayed by a Hoston negro towards
i President Wilson. Trotter is a chronic grumbler
j and agitator whose methods are looked upon
i by the more intelligent and conservative of his
' race as mischievous to the Interests of their
' race." Fortunately, Trotter is a form of black
! male that does not thrive in any community.
North or South.
The "Covington Virginian says: "The Ricli
i inond Times-Dispatch says that Richmond Is
j beginning to (eel the effects of a new era. Rich
mond Is as mucins we lied up over that Federal
I reserve bank as Atlanta was a decade or so ago
l when she was selected as the site for the new
I Federal penitentiary." Nevertheless, Richnuyid
i Is Justified in "swelling up." In popular par
I lance, Richmond Is a swell town. As for the
' bank, in the words .of the immortal Mulberry
| Sellers, "There's millions In it."'
j The Bristol Herald-Courier notes the fact that
' "England Is prenarlng to Issue an additional
I war loan of $1,250,000,000 and to raise 1,000.000
j additional troops," and adds this comment:
I "This country finds the policy of watchful wult
' ing much cheaper." When it is needed to put
into a bis stick tho cost of lumber is dreadfully
high.
Current Editorial Comment
There Is something half-humor
Foolisli otis. half-pitiful in the move
Host on mcnt among Host011 negroes to
v secure the exclusion from the
negroes schools o? their city of such
songs us ^Stephen (' Foster's
?'<?1?I Kentucky Homo" nnd ".Mass:r? in tin- Cold,
Cold Ground.'' The colored folk think the
singing of these compositions an insult to their
race, whereas they r. ally constitute one of a
very few contributions to American cultural
i development Inspired l>.\ the African. In making
? their protest, the lioston negroes slum a total
mi$urulers landing, both of the spirit in which
' MrS. Foster wrote and of the plneo ids composi
tions occupy In the public mitul. These two
! Bonus are among: the most beautiful melodies
that have been born on North American soil.
They have set a standard for folk song: loro
1 which, be it said with shame, modern writers of
songs for the people have quite failed to main
; tain. 'I*e Stephen Foster melodies are a thing
apart In the literature of American music. They
? are a distinct tribute to the race, whose repre
sentatives are now condemning them, and the
1 only excuse for the attitude of the Afro-Ameri
cans In the Hub is that they have been led
(astray by the example of certain thin-skinned
representatives of certain white races in tho
t United States who have shown similar sensi
j tiveness.?Detroit Free Press.
That the showing made by tho
Professors professors in relation to the war
i nn.pl., Is one that cannot be pointed to
| with pride is only too true. Mut
Influence jn ., Clr:nln way the charge that
this shows them to be little bet
! ter armed against intellectual weaknesses than
"the man in the street" presents a close analogy
j to what wo often hear said about the influence
! of tho daily press. Again and again It has
i happened that with the whole, or almost the
j whole, of what is spoken of as the Influential
j press arrayed upon one side In a campaign, tho
election has gone overwhelmingly in favor of
| til;- opposite side, and imniediat? ly ihia*o arlsis'j
' a churns of voices declaring that the inllncnci
I of the press 1ms., been shown to be nil. This
? sounds very plausible, hut, nevertheless, at the
i very next election, all parties and all candidates
are as eager as ever to get the support of these
same newspapers whoso Influence had just been
proved to lie nothing at all. What Is tho
explanation of this phenomenon? At is simple
I enough. The truth Is. thut the press hus a great
deal or influence, wltltln curtain limits; bat trial,
, an against tho deepest or most pervaalvd
currents of general feeling. It is powerless to
contend. And, In somewhat tho samo way, what
wo can expect from university training, and
from the habits of thought of the Bclontlst and
the scholar, Is a certain superiority
balance. In both tho .desire and the ahtllty to
view u question from all sides and to refraln
front Judging without knowledge. Of this
superiority, tho world Is constantly gettlng.tho
benefit In a thousand ways, though
that In the face of such a cataclysm In human
affairs as we are now going
"painful Inch" thus gained counts for little
nothing.?Now York Evening I'ress.
War News Fifty Years Ago
(Froin the Richmond Dispatch, Nov. 20. 1X64.)
There were renewed Indications yesterdaj
that the onemyNwas preparing for a new at tacit
on the north side of the James. It is pietty
generally agreed that they are soon to muko
this attack, and our people are getting ivauy
for thorn. Federal troops, reported by deserters
to be Irom Sheridan's army in the Valley, were
being massed yesterday / on tho lines between
Fort Harrison and James Itlvcr. v
All of the alleged new movement on tho north
side of the James looking to the capture 01
Richmond by the Federals depends on Butlers
Uutcli Gap canal. Can ho complete it In time
for tho purpose of bringing up the l- ede
lleet to assist the land forces, and will Ir be
any accent to tho enemy for .that P"rP08"
if he docs complete It, aro tho questions >et to be
settled.
Tho Northern .papers, just received, bring very
contradictory reports of Shermans movements
in the South. One report says he Is ?olng
the Atlantic Const, either to Charleston or
Savannah, and another says he will go north
ward. with Lynchburg as his object point, tin.
purpose being to get In behind Lee at some
point, and thus render assistance to t.raut.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ad Witcher. In his opera
tions In Western Virginia, has, like loirtst.
branched out In the naval business. He reports
I ofllclally that on the 7th instant he >turc,?J
land burned two Federal steamers on the Ulg
I Sandy Klver. the conflagration taking place at
Buffalo Shoals. The steamers burned were. the
! I.arnum' and the Fawn, and both were heftvjU
linden with small arms, ammunition and supplies
! for tiie Federal troops.
General Robert Ould and General Grant had
Ian Interview the other day on flag of truce
; boat, concerning the relief of prisoners on both
sides. General Ould made a Christian proposl
, tion to General Grant, and the latter. afUt
I listening to it. said: "All you ask shall b?
compiled with." Without Rolng into detail, it
may be said that under this agreement 1.001
hales of cotton will be immediately shipped
i from Mobile to New York for the relief of ton
! federate prisoners distributed throug..oui the
1 North." General Trimble, now confined at Fort
! Warren, will be paroled to take charge of this
cotton and sell it on tho New 1 ork maik. t.
: using the proceeds to buy clothing and othei
I supplies fur Confederate prisoners. At the same
time, a shipload of supplies for Federal prisoners
i in the South will leave New \ ork foi some
l Southern port.
I The cltv markets were better supplied with
i eatables yesterday than for a week past,, and
prices were marked down some b> the \endtrs.
I Good-beef sold Tor J3.5U and H per P?"n*' *
I reduction of SI per pound since three d^js a>,o.
The Voice of tSe People
r'oiincllmnn. Spare Tlione Tree*!
i To the Editor or The Times-Dispatch:
| sir.?Permit a reader to heartily indorse your
I sturdy opposition to the conversion of Bank
I Street into a buzz-wagon stand This Intended
'ordinance is another piece of
, tion" on the part of our learned (sic) U\i>
'rather, Observant citizens have long ago
? recognized the danger of auto, being P^ked on
I Main Street, thereby blocking right ?'? ? ?
of flic apparatus. Again, fire plugs on Hank
' Street are vital fnctors in combatting Main anil
Carv Streets conflagrations. Are these plngs to
he eternally obstructed or abandoned. The
?isneet of the obstruction and hindrance
nrogrcss of tire apparatus Is. It would seem,
more vUal than the "kick" of the merchants
located on thoroughfare in quest.on.
It is well to note that the greatest fire hazard
in the c v is abutted by Bank Street and
bounded bv Main. Franklin. Twelfth and
Governor or Thirteenth ?treets
raze portion of this dangerous block <whl .h
underwriters would have condemned, in all
probability, eWept for the proximity of the
;rauSUfuVKCapl!ol Square's souther'ly '"arboreous
I b?Wh v. if this "class legislatloiy.conUnues
\T' wliifm ar
j taxpayer's, at that) UI a., hm.Viv
s
! thr autoUt can '?f'?-?h .Irink. non
'wVSnT -e of
alcoholic * ;\^r^;.0Uk0r.Mlke era?c th. rank
JHfc crank of our city machlnerV
Richmond, November IS. 1914
lloiibtH Women's Superiority.
>??Ihe S
proKressi\o vvoioj-n |U.. Virginia, and to
the social stat*. i>> . for ,..,Ual suffrage,
hutVamnofihe'klnd thai would make It appear
that women are netter man inny rcaiiy are,
that is, morally better than men. and, therefore,
more likely to, or more competent to vote. The
truth is that though women might be equal
to men morally and Intellectually, the part Is
they are not?that Is, the average of one Hex Is
below the average of the other. Though men
have nevei; yet had real freedom, yet they have
had more freedom than the women, and by thin
means, and solely due to this freedom, the men
have by slow degrees for 3.000 years oliinhed up
to 1 he plane of life on which we live to-day.
ICxoept In a very few instances the women
have byen, what is called in sociology, a shel
tered class That is a polite way of saying she
was a slave of man through the power of cus
tom and common usage, Remember, I am re
ferring to the average woman, not to the Roman
matron like Patricia, or the Knglish dame with
her chivalrous squire or the Southern lady with
the Old Virginia gentleman for a husband?
1 refer to the untold millions of women whose
sons and daughters make up the civilized world
to-day. ^
The women who have gotten loose from the
Old World habit of thought, demand equal suf
frage as a right. It is their natural and in
alenlable right! The other women who are In
different, or untlsuffrage. need the vote for its
social value, for the ballot mean; social respon
sibility, which means growth, and growth for
the average woman means much for the race
of men. .
EDMOND KONTAIN'K.
Charlottesville, Va., November 17, 1914.
The BrightSide of Life
Choice of ICvIIm.
"Don't you object to paying this war tax?"
"Well, 1 don't know. Hut I reckon I'd much
rather have the tax than the war."?Detroit
Free Press.
Modi tied.
"I'm n glutton for work!" boasted the man.
But his wife overhead him, and aske.1 him to
spilt some wood.
"Kr?I moan an epicure!" the man hastened
to coi reel himself.?I'uck.
Dornn't Iteprnt ICnoiich.
"I'rof. Mynde Is a lender fimong the phycholo
gists, don't you think?"
"I think nothing of the sort. On page lp7
of his latest book the word .'function' occurs
only four tlmeo and on page 30-f ho use? the
word 'reaction" only twice."?Life.
Victims of the Foot and Mouth Disease
One ot (be hoy* Beat Cartoons.
OUR "VISIONARY" PRESIDENT
From an Article by George Creel in Century Magazine
America Is n nation of incurable
drfftmers. The heart of the people 1b
1 not found in ledgers, their aspirations
j are not expressed in profits, ami never
' at any time have schemes of purely
( material advancement possessed the
I largest appeal.
This in the explanation of Woodrow
j Wilson. To attempt an Interpretation
I of "Ills hold upon the popular Itnngl
j nation in terms of strict mentallt\ Is
j to commit one's self to the patent ali
? surdity 'that he Is the llrst President
1 with brains. Others have matched him
in Intellectual grasp, and what sets
him apart, even as It set Lincoln apart,
is nothing else than ~fin exact com
prehension of passionate Idealism no
the animating impulse of America,
j Vision, spirit, ideals, wltnoui tno clue
j afforded by these dream words Woucl
row Wilson is a blank, the United
States stammering and unintelligible,
i Democracy never has been, and never
? can be. other than a theory of spiritual
? progress, and those who view It as a
mere program of prosperity place their
I feet In a"t>llnd path.
What larger confirmation is needed
, than the present impregnable position
of Woodrow Wilson? Me lacks color,
| exhibits no ^mastery of specta ular
j values, makes no dramatic tours, con
! tributes little to the thing called
i "human Interest," that queer newspaper
'compound of anecdote and unconven
j tlonal Incident; yet no man since Lin
(coin has niched himself so Ineradlcably
j in the confidence of the people.
He has had the vision to km- beneath
tho stagnancies of materialism down to
the well-springs of an Intense spiritu
ality. Ho does ?not mistake back
waters for the living stream. Tljo In
sistence that he Is the last word In
well-ordered Intellect, a personality as
.'cold and remote as though Kant's
i "Critique of Pure Jleason" were gnl
1 vanlzed Into action. Is tho stupidity of
j muddlers who have lost all touch with
the elemental simplicities. As one fol
lows the man from his entrance into
public life, the "thing-machine" theory
becomes Increasingly absurd, for at
every point there is plain Indication
of white-heat passion, and indubitable
evidence of an Instinctive devotion to
democratic ideals far more dominating
than the mere convictions that prooecd
from conscious thought.
' For purposes of striking Illustration,
i the European conflict could not have
hcon precipitated at a more dramatic
time. What the Mexican problem was
to the United States, the P.alkan prob
lem was to Europe, and at the moment
when frank idealism has safeguarded
against the horrors of needless war.
European materialism has dragged Old
World civilization hack to the Jungle
stage.
Across the sea the youth and flower
? of great races are being rushed to
' death. Millions of precious lives, rich
| in possibilities of creation and prodnc
| tion, are being blown away on the
I winds of a vast destruction, and the
inarch of human progress ends In
bloody trenches. In the red light that
streams from this death-grapple it has
become possible for the peoolc of
America to see clearly old paths ami
new roads, to mark the abysses that
have been edged and the heights that
may be gained.
There can be small doubt thai a prac
tical President would have recognized
I! tier til. for it was obviously the course
dictated by self-interest as well as by
the surface ferment of public opinion.
Hacked by the approval of the United
States. the dictator could have
strengthened himself In such manner
as to restore a semblance of peace and
to protect American concessions, requi
sites that would have permitted Presi
dent Wilson to wash ills hands in up
! proved Pilate style.
?Vothing could have been more skil
ful than the fashion In which these
concesslonnnlres, working through a
venal press and equally venal public
men, identified tlioir threatened'profits
with "the nation's honor*" Jingoes
were aroused. likewise those whse
only estimate of national greatness lies
in military achievement, also the youth
of the country, with youth's usual reck
less passion for the hazards of ud
i venture.
There is every certainty that in the
beginning intervention would have
been supported unstintedly by the peo
ple. 10veil a.t^we have seen the Social
ists of Europe. pbdged to peace, swept
away by high tides of racial feeling,
so would every pacificist protest in
tho United States been drowned out ay
the boom of the first American gun.
War is always glorious until tho lists
of dead and wounded begin to coine,
and It muaf be remembered also that
for years It has been the custom for
public men to soothe the people with
the laudanum of brag and bluster !
Judged bv every fact in the ca?e.
Woodrow Wilson's repudiation of Hu
crtn was in no sense the result of a
carefully reasoned determination, but
unmistakably the Instinctive reroll of
tho democratic spirit. Mental pro
cesses are never free from the Im
pingements of self-interest. It Is only,
In the unthinking passions of idealism
that there is found the courage to do
tho right thing rather than that which
is expedient and opportunistic. |
The Issue of tho "Panama (.'anal tolls
controversy had 'already given plain j
indication that the people of the'
United States wens responding to
Woodrow Wilson's appeal to sub
merged Ideals. ?
It Is true enough that thcro were no
II" In that clause In tho Hay-Paunce
foto treaty which eald that "tho canal
shall bo froe and open to vessels of
\
I commerce ami of war of aiI nations ob
| serving these rules on terms of abao
; lute equality." Langua;?*) could not
| be more explicit.
1 "i'lie forces of privilege, however, had
? the same vital Interest In compelling
tho violation of thin treaty as In *e
| curing tho recognition of lluerta. for
' In toll exemption^ the coastwise ship
! pin? monopoly saw chance to obtain
j the subsidies dented by a fixed public
policy.
1 It wit# the first lest of strength be
; tw#en an awakened idealism and an
Intrenched materialism. Who can have
| forgotten how. In tho opening days of
i the debato, servant* of privilege leaped
: at what seemed fair opportunity to
work the President's defeat and humil
iation? Does any one Imagine that
theSe practical politicians were moved
to ultimate support by any softening
process of Idealism? It Is unthinkable
! Opposition wau relaxed because they
felt the menace of a people's anifer.
Too much significance cannot bo at
tache! to this victory. The Issue war
i clean-cut between money and justice,
| between practicality and principles, be
i twecn the arrogant privileged Inter
ests and the unorganized mass. In
; the utter rout of tho prolit-inoigera.
it may be seen how little * they ex
pressed or represented the deep, under
j lying passions of America.
The tariff furnishes still another cane
in point. Kven though the Democratic
k promise of revision downward had
been explicit, the fact that many Dem
. ocratlc .States relied heavily upon pro
tected industries soon evolved a spirit,
of compromise and evasion. Mart
Woodroty Wilson been a thinker along
? practical lines, as laid down by years
I of custom, he would have conciliated
j the protectionists in his party by con
: sentlni; to less than absolute redemp
| tlon of the tariff pledge.
i The larger good of the Wilson poli
cies, to be sure. Is found In a peo
ple's recovery of faith, ideals, and self
respect, but there are tremendous re
turns, nevertheless, that can be meas
ured In dollars and cents. In summing'
up these tangible benefits, there Is an
almost Indecent exposure of material
ism and the sham practicality that It
lias been preaching.
Woodrow Wilson is in no senAe 3
herald. The revolution of betrayed
| idealism has been In progress for more
than r century, and In tha^ast decade
particularly there has been steady as
sault upon evil and outworn institu
tions. These passionate Kroplnns of
the spirit in the direction of ideals pro
fessed atid not practiced have merely
lacked Rreat leadership and authori
tative expression. This Is what Wood
row Wilson ?:iVi?:-. lie conies as 3
leader, as a. nucleating force, as a cleat,
rallying cry to the almost mystic pas
sions that are peculiarly the domi
nant noto of the day. Me tits the
need of thi? bloodless revolution au skin
fits tho hand, bringing purpose and
courage ti" the htrutjRle for nobler ful
filment of the hopes and aspirations
that thrilled those who first sought
refuge in the new world from the op
press.ons of the old?the struKgle for
i enl democracy.
It Is contended that the ItooBOvelt
administration ushered in a new order,
and in a certain sense this is true. He
denied tho established assumption that
great magnates could do no wrong, and
with his cry of "personal a<uiIt" aroused
the conscience of the people to fever
heat. There Is no intent to take away
from the value of his services, and
yet his activities, although honest,
were essentially oligarchic, and miles
removed from an understanding of
democracy.
Mr. Roosevelt differed from his prede
cessors only in that he demanded pun
ishment for the evil-doers of special
privilege, it was not the system with
which he quarreled, but with Indi
vidual malefactors. Under analysis he
is Keen ti? believe In control, not free
dom, and in protection rather than In
the abolition of the evils that necessi
tate protection.
< Ills Intent was to do good for the
people, according to his own Ideas ot
good, rather than to let people do good
for themselves according to their Ideas,
it cannot be found that he dissented
fundamentally from tho hlnnd theory
that all intelligence is vested in a
choice few or that prosperity is a class
product, and even to-day lie betrays
a feeling thai-the radical movement is
the pot property of high-minded lords
of the* manor with leisure on their
hanrits.
As a matter of fact, there is every
ground for the assertion that Mr.
Itooscvelt's contributions to the causo
of democracy were far less important
than those of Mr. Taft. Whore the
former worked In kaleidoscopic colors,
the latter's effects were In unrelieved
black .and white. Mr. Tuft's belief In
the necessity and virtue of a ruling
class was religious in its fervor, and
in no wise did he attempt to hide it
or confuse It. As consequence, Itts
provoked conlllct, Challenged com
parisons, gloried In solemn assevera
tions of his faith, all to tho end that,
the battle-lines were clearly drawn.
Mr. Uooscvelt colored and obscured the
aristocratic features of Amorlcan liro;
Mr. Taft Isolated them so perfectly that
the hour of revolt was hastened im
measurably. Hoth of them, Tii their
different ways, paved tflo way for
Woodrow Wilson.
% Let It lie satd again that not since
Lincoln, not since Jefferson, has any
man so~ Toll and expressed the pas
sionate Idealism that Is tho soul of
America. To a revolt that was vague
and sporadic,, he brought no beggarly
contributions of expediency arid oppor
tunism, but the clear, Inspiring cor
talntlee of a llfettflTJ.