theodore roosevelt-第59节

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e　possible　implications　of　this　war。　On　August　18th；　President　Wilson　issued　the　first　of　his　many　variegated　messages；　in　which　he　gave　this　warning：　〃We　must　be　impartial　in　thought　as　well　as　in　action；　must　put　a　curb　upon　our　sentiments　as　well　as　upon　every　transaction　that　might　be　construed　as　a　preference　of　one　party　to　the　struggle　before　another。〃　He　added　that　his　first　thought　was　of　America。　Any　one　who　analyzed　his　message　carefully　must　have　wondered　how　it　was　possible；　in　the　greatest　moral　issue　which　had　ever　been　thrust　before　the　world's　judgment；　to　remain　impartial　〃even　in　thought〃　between　good　and　evil。　Perhaps　it　was　right；　though　hardly　necessary；　to　impress　upon　Americans　that　they　must　look　after　their　own　interests　first。　Would　it　not　have　been　more　seemly；　however；　especially　for　President　Wilson；　who　on　the　previous　Fourth　of　July　had　uttered　his　sanctimonious　tribute　to　the　superiority　in　virtue　of　the　United　States　to　all　other　nations；　to　urge　his　countrymen　to　put　some　of　this　virtue　into　practice　at　that　crisis？

But　the　masses　did　not　reason。　They　used　his　admonition　to　remain　neutral　〃even　in　thought〃　to　justify　them　in　not　having　any　great　anxiety　as　to　who　was　right　and　who　wrong；　and　they　interpreted　his　concern　for　〃America　first〃　as　authorizing　them　to　go　about　their　affairs　and　profit　as　much　as　they　could　in　the　warlike　conditions。　Some　of　us；　indeed；　took　an　opposite　view。　We　saw　that　the　conflict；　if　fought　to　a　finish；　would　decide　whether　Democracy　or　Despotism　should　rule　the　earth。　We　felt　that　the　United　States；　the　vastest；　strongest；　and　most　populous　Republic　in　the　world；　pledged　to　uphold　Democracy；　should　throw　itself　at　once　on　the　side　of　the　European　nations　which　were　struggling；　against　great　odds；　to　save　Democracy　from　the　most　atrocious　of　despots。　Inevitably；　we　were　regarded　as　incorrigible　idealists　whose　suggestions　ran　counter　to　etiquette　and　were；　after　all；　crazy。

For　several　years；　Roosevelt　had　been　a　contributing　editor　of　the　Outlook；　and　although　his　first　instinct；　when　the　Germans　ravished　Belgium；　was　to　protest　and　then；　if　necessary；　to　follow　up　our　protest　by　a　show　of　force；　he　wrote　in　the　Outlook　an　approval　of　our　taking　immediately　a　neutral　attitude。　Still；　he　did　not　let　this　preclude　stern　action　later。　〃　Neutrality；〃　he　said；　〃may　be　of　prime　necessity　to　maintain　peace　。　。　。　but　we　pay　the　penalty　of　this　action　on　behalf　of　peace　for　ourselves；　and　possibly　for　others　in　the　future；　by　forfeiting　our　right　to　do　anything　on　behalf　of　peace　for　the　Belgians　at　present。〃　Three　years　afterwards　these　sentences　of　his　were　unearthed　by　his　enemies　and　flung　against　him；　but　his　dominant　purpose；　from　the　start；　was　too　well　known　for　any　one　to　accuse　him　of　inconsistency。　He　assumed；　when　President　Wilson　issued　his　impartial　〃even　in　thought〃　message；　that　the　President　must　have　some　secret　diplomatic　information　which　would　vindicate　it。

As　the　months　went　on；　however；　it　became　clear　to　him　that　Mr。　Wilson　was　pursuing　towards　the　European　War　the　same　policy　of　contradictions；　of　brief　paroxysms　of　boldness；　followed　by　long　periods　of　lassitude；　which　had　marked　his　conduct　of　our　relations　towards　the　Mexican　bandits。　He　saw　only　too　well；　also；　into　what　ignoble　depths　this　policy　led　us。　Magnificent　France；　throttled　Belgium；　England　willing　but　not　yet　ready；　devastated　Serbia；　looked　to　us　for　sympathy　and　help；　and　all　the　sympathy　they　got　came　from　private　persons　in　America；　and　of　help　there　was　none。　Meanwhile；　the　Germans　undermined　and　gangrened　the　American　people。　Every　ship　brought　over　their　slyest　and　most　unscrupulous　propagandists；　who　cooperated　with　the　despicable　German　professors　and　other　agents　already　planted　here；　and　opened　the　sewers　of　their　doctrines。　Their　spies　began　to　go　up　and　down　the　land；　without　check。　Count　Bernstorff；　the　German　Ambassador；　assumed　to　play　with　the　Administration　at　Washington　as　a　cat　might　play　with　half　a　score　of　mice；　feeling　sure　that　he　could　devour　them　when　he　chose。　A　European　gentleman；　who　came　from　a　neutral　country；　and　called　on　Bernstorff　in　April；　1915；　told　me　that　when　he　asked　the　Ambassador　how　he　got　on　with　the　United　States；　he　replied：　〃Very　well；　indeed；　we　pay　no　attention　to　the　Government；　but　go　ahead　and　do　what　we　please。〃　Within　a　fortnight　the　sinking　of　the　Lusitania　showed　that　Bernstorff　had　not　boasted　idly。

Roosevelt　understood　the　harm　which　the　German　conspiracy　was　doing　among　our　people；　not　only　by　polluting　their　ideals；　but　actually　strengthening　the　coils　which　the　propagandists　had　been　winding；　to　strangle　at　the　favorable　moment　American　independence　itself。　We　discovered　then　that　the　process　of　Germanization　had　been　going　on　secretly　during　twenty　years。　Since　England　was　the　chief　enemy　in　the　way　of　German　world　domination；　the　German…Americans　laid　themselves　out　to　render　the　English　odious　here。　And　they　worked　to　such　good　purpose　that　the　legal　officers　of　the　Administration　admonished　the　American　people　that　the　English；　in　holding　up　merchant　vessels　laden　with　cargoes　for　Germany；　committed　breaches　against　international　law　which　were　quite　as　heinous　as　the　sinking　by　German　submarines　of　ships　laden　with　American　non…combatants。　They　magnified　the　loss　of　a　cargo　of　perishable　food　and　set　it　against　the　ferocious　destruction　of　neutral　human　beings。　Senator　Lodge；　however；　expressed　the　clear　thought　and　right　feeling　of　Americans　when　he　said　that　we　were　more　moved　by　the　thought　of　the　corpse　of　an　innocent　victim　of　the　Hun　submarines　than　by　that　of　a　bale　of　cotton。

These　enormities；　these　sins　of　omission　and　commission；　of　which　Roosevelt　declared　our　Government　guilty；　amazed　and　exasperated　him；　and　from　the　beginning　of　1915　onward；　he　set　himself　three　tasks。　He　wished　to　expose　and　circumvent　German　machinations　over　here。　Next；　he　deemed　it　a　pressing　duty　to　rouse　our　country　to　the　recognition　that　we　must　prepare　at　once　for　war。　He　saw；　as　every　other　sensible　person　saw；　that　as　the　conflict　grew　more　terrible　in　Europe　and　spread　into　Asia　and　Africa；　we　should　be　drawn　into　it；　and　that　therefore　we　must　make　ready。　He　seconded　the　plan　of　General　Leonard　Wood　to　organize　a　camp　for　volunteers　at　Plattsburg　and　other　places；　and　what　that　plan　accomplished　in　fitting　American　soldiers　to　meet　and　vanquish　the　Kaiser's　best　troops；　has　since　been　proved。　President　Wilson；　however；　would　not　officially　countenance　any　preparation　which；　so　far　as　the　public　was　allowed　to　know　his　reasons；　might　be　taken　by　the　Germans　as　an　unfriendly　act。　Finally；　Roosevelt　labored　unceasingly　to　revive　and　make　militant　the　ideals　of　true　Americanism。

That　the　Germans　accurately　gauged　that　President　Wilson　would　not　sanction　any　downright　vigorous　action　against　them；　was　sufficiently　proved　on　May　7；　1915；　when　German　submarines　torpedoed　and　sank；　at　two　o'clock　in　the　afternoon；　the　British　passenger　steamship　Lusitania；　eastward　bound；　a　few　miles　south　of　the　Point　of　Kinsale　on　the　Irish　coast。　With　her　went　down　nearly　thirteen　hundred　persons；　all　of　them　non…belligerents　and　more　than　one　hundred　of　them　American　men；　women；　and　children。　This　atrocious　crime　the　Germans　committed　out　of　their　stupid　miscalculation　of　the　motives　which　govern　non…German　peoples。　They　thought　that　the　British　and　Americans　would　be　so　terrorized　that　they　would　no　longer　dare　to　cross　the　ocean。　The　effect　was；　of　course；　just　the　opposite。　A　cry　of　horror　swept　over　the　civilized　world；　and　swiftly　upon　it　came　a　great　demand　for　punishment　and　retribution。

Then　was　the　moment　for　President　Wilson　to　break　off　diplomatic　relations　with　Germany。　The　very　day　after　the　waters　of　the　British　Channel　had　closed　over　the　innocent　victims；　President　Wilson　made　an　address　in　which　he　announced　that　〃a　nation　may　be　too　proud　to　fight。〃　The　country　gasped　for　breath　when　it　read　those　words；　which　seemed　to　be　the　official　statement　of　the　President　of　the　United　States　that　foreign　nations　might　out　rage；　insult；　and　degrade　this　nation　with　impunity；　because；　as　the　rabbit　retires　into　its　hole；　so　we　would　burrow　deep　into　our　pride　and　show　neither　resentment　nor　sense　of　honor。　As　soon　as　possible；　word　came　from　the　White　House　that；　as　the　President's　speech　had　been　written　before　the　sinking　of　the　Lusitania；　his　remarks　had　no　bearing　on　that　atrocity。　Pride　is　a　wonderful　cloak　for　cowards；　but　it　never　saves　them。　Perhaps　the　most　amazing　piece　of　impudence　in　Germany's　long　list　was　the　formal　visit　described　by　the　newspapers　which　the　German　Ambassador；　Bernstorff；　paid　to　Mr。　Bryan；　the　Secretaryof　State；　to　present　to　our　Government　the　formal　condolence　of　Germany　and　him　self　at　this　painful　happening。　Bernstorff；　we　know　now；　planned　the　sinking　and　gave　the　German　Government　notice　by　wireless　just　where　the　submarines　could　best　destroy　the　Lusitania；　on　that　Friday　afternoon。

Ten　days　later；　Mr。　Wilson　sent　a　formal　protest　to　Germany　in　which　he　recalled　〃the　humane　and　enlightened　attitude　hitherto　assumed　by　the　Imperial　German　Government　in　matters　of　international　right；