Show HOW THE WAR CAME TO AMERICA tho the following series ot of articles w were ere received from the committee on oil pi public blia a committee recently appointed by president wilson in ili the years when this ile republic public wits was still struggling for existence in the face of threatened encroach encroachments ments by hostile monarchies over the sea bea in fit order to make inaho the new world safe for democracy our forefathers established 1131 led here tile the policy that soon became known as the monroe doctrine warning the 01 world not to interfere fere in tho the political life of the now pur gur government pledged itself in return to abstain from interference in the political conflicts of europe and history has vindicated the wisdom in ot of this course we were then too weak to the destinies of europe and it was vital to mankind that we this first great experiment in government of and by the people not bo be disturbed by foreign attack reinforced by the experience of our national life this doctrine has leen been over ever since tile tho d dominating 0 n 1 element in tho tha growth of out oui foreign policy whether or not we could linao lave maintained it lit in caso case of on attack front from abroad it has of aneli s ich importance to ills that thai we vc were nt at all times ready to go to bor ir lit in its s defense and though since JL ji wits first enunciated our strength has grown hy by leaps and bounds although lit in that time the vats increase In creaso of out our foreign trade and 0 travel abroad modern modem trans part modern model n nulls mails tile the cables and the wireless havo have brought us close to europe and have made our I 1 isolation more moio and bore wore imaginary there liaa has bebra until tho the out berak of the peront conflict small desire on oil 0 our ur part to abrogate or even amend th the old familiar tradition which has tor for so long given us peace in both conferences at tile the hague blague in ili 1899 and 1907 wo we this policy As AB our glod the first convention in regard ta to arbitration they read into the minutes the his statement nothing contained jn in this con call volition ahall lio be so oo its as to re quire tile the united slates ot of america to depart front from its ita traditional polley policy of tint not intruding upon or itter interfering fering with or entangling itself lit in tile the political questions or policy or internal administration of any foreign state nor noi shall anything contained it in tile the said convention be construed tp to fin m ply a relinquishment by the united unito I 1 stales of america of its traditional I 1 attitude toward purely american questions at the hague we pledged ourselves lit in case we ever went to war to observe certain broad general ru rules I 1 es of decency and fair lighting fighting hut but at the same time wo we cleared ourselves from any ie responsibility for tore fare ing othe batons to observe similar pledges and in 1906 when our delegates took part lit n the algeciras con can forence forc which was to reg regulado regula ulato tn the affairs of tho the distracted kingdom of they followed the same formula there while acquiescing in the now new regime which guaranteed the independence and integrity of we explicitly announced that hat we assumed no police response tor for the enforcement of the treaty and if any honest doubt was left as to our attitude in ili regard tu the enforcement of old world agreements ree cee ments it was diss polled five years later when our government refused to protest against tho the overthrow of the acte d algeciras wo we declined to 0 o bo be drawn into quarrels abroad which might endanger in tiny any way our traditional policy our second groat tradition lit in liter national rolat relations ione has been our per al alstedt stent effort to secure it u stable find and agreement of tile the nations upon such puch code as would assure to all tilt tho world a just juat free dom doln of tho seas this effort was born ot of our vital need for although it was possible for tile tho republic to keep keel aloof from tile the nineteenth century disputes that rent kent tile the conanon Con frion rt nii Blu ropo wo we could no lie bo be indifferent to the way in which war wits was conductor conduct nil od at sea in those early years of our national life when wo we were still but a tow few ranged along the atlantic coast wo we a seafaring people at H n time when our frontiersmen had not yet reached tile tho tile the tamo famo of our during aring clipper ships has spread to till all tile the seven seas bo 80 while we auld watch atch tile the triumphant and the countermarch counter march of at napoleons grand army with detached it concluded ou oil vaga rage 8 HOW THE WAR WAK CAME TO AMERICA concluded from pago 1 difference cc tits ills continental blockade and tho british orders lit in council at inco affected tho the lives ot of our citizens intimately niti and disastrously so etwas it was lit in the case 0 of tile tho barb irv we wa had no interest in tile land quarrels and civil wars ot of tile barbary states but wo we coughl ehwa tor obstructing tile the ille the saag blaa and alva tit in tile tho decades ever since although tile the of our deop le ie has been engrossed lit in the immens labor ot of winning the west our do de partin lit of state has never lost sight of tile the compelling interest that WE wc have upon the seas and has constantly striven to gain the assent ot of all nations to lo a maritime codo code should bo be trained framed and enforced by a joint responsibility various watchwords have arisen in this long controversy tro trover versy a y yo wo have leavo urge the abilay of private property at sea wo we havo hav asli ed d 6 for a liberal free list and a n narrow arrow definition of contraband B but u t our main insistence has not been on uny 11 y such details one salient idea has guided our diplomacy tito the law ot of the sea must be founded not nol on might but on right and a coin common moll accord upon a code binding all alike which cannot cannot be changed r set bet aside by the will of any one nation our ideal has haa been not a weakening but a strengthening of legal restraint by the iroe free will and agreement ot of all wo we have asked netting for ourselves that we do not ask tor for the whole world the seas will never be tree free lit in our american meaning until all 11 who sail thereon have had a voice lit in framing sea nea laws lawa tito the just governance of the seas must rest on oil the colis consent elit of toh tell governed |