OCR Text |
Show STANDING PAT. The United States could not do other-' wise than reject Germany's proposal to discuss a modification of submarine warfare war-fare against neutrals. As long as lawless law-less warfare continues in violation, of Germany's pledges it would be weak, dishonorable and foolish for the United States government to treat with Berlin: Ber-lin: Apparently Berlin was offering the United States a bribe in the form of preferential treatment for our ships. If we would consent to give Germany a free hand apainst Great Britain and all neutral powers except ourselves we would bo promised immunity for our tliips in the barred zones. No definite ! proposition was made, but the terms employed by Berlin indicated that Amorkan merchant ships were to be given the largest possible consideration consistent with a successful submarine blockade of Great Britain. . Only by abandoning principles of international law, to which wc have rigidly adhered and in defense of which we have broken off relations with Germany, could we come to any compromise with Berlin. Germany could not make its ruthless Mibbca warfare effective without stopping stop-ping contraband and foodstuffs are contra ha ml on the German list and, t hercfore, Germany could not permit American ships to take foodstuffs to Uuglaud. Nor could Germany hope to succeed without sinking merchant ships of belligerents on which Americans were tiaveling. To compromise would be to abandon many of the rights for which we have risked war. But above all the right most sacred to us is the right to the free use of the seas. It is a right that no power ever will be permitted to imperil in any future war. But if we abandon it now there will be no chance of our maintaining it in a future conflict. con-flict. If we followed Mr. Bryan s advice we would prevent anv of our ships from entering en-tering the war zones, and would keep all Americans, whether on business beut or not, from traveling on belligerent ships. "We would, at the command of Germany, lock ourselves in and permit the Teutons to wage the war as they please. It would be the same as permitting a mob to take possession of a city and plunder it. It would be even more disgraceful than that. It would be the same as it' the police force and all the citizens capable of restoring law and order should lock themselves in while the mob worked its will. The people of any civilized civi-lized community who would endure such a situation would not be worth much in the eyes of God or man. To pay such a price for peace would be to debase ourselves to the level of the broken-bpirited broken-bpirited dog who yelps and runs to shelter shel-ter every time a passer-by reaches for a missile. 1 Tho United States will gladly resume frieudly relations with Berlin as soon as submarine warfare is restored to its legitimate use?. |