theodore roosevelt-第60节

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tened　attitude　hitherto　assumed　by　the　Imperial　German　Government　in　matters　of　international　right；　and　particularly　in　regard　to　the　freedom　of　the　seas〃；　and　he　professed　to　have　〃learned　to　recognize　the　German　views　and　the　German　influence　in　the　field　of　international　obligation　as　always　engaged　upon　the　side　of　justice　and　humanity。〃　If　Mr。　Bryan　had　written　this；　no　one　would　have　been　astonished；　because　Mr。　Bryan　made　no　pretense　of　knowing　even　the　rudimentary　facts　of　history；　but　that　President　Wilson；　by　profession　a　historian；　should　laud；　as　being　always　engaged　in　justice　and　humanity；　the　nation　which；　under　Frederick　the　Great；　had　stolen　Silesia　and　dismembered　Poland；　and　which；　in　his　own　lifetime；　had　garroted　Denmark；　had　forced　a　wicked　war　on　Austria；　had　trapped　France　by　lies　into　another　war　and　robbed　her　of　Alsace…Lorraine；　and　had　only　recently　wiped　its　hands；　dripping　with　blood　drawn　from　the　Chinese；　was　amazing！　Small　wonder　if　after　that；　the　German　hyphenates　lifted　up　their　heads　arrogantly　in　this　country；　or　that　the　Kaiser　in　Germany　believed　that　the　United　States　was　a　mere　jelly…fish　nation　which　would　tolerate　any　enormity　he　might　concoct。　This　was　the　actual　comfort　President　Wilson's　message　gave　Germany。　The　negative　result　was　felt　among　the　Allied　nations　which；　struggling　against　the　German　Monster　like　Laocoon　in　the　coils　of　the　Python；　took　Mr。　Wilson's　praise　of　Germany's　imaginary　love　of　justice　and　humanity　as　a　death…warrant　for　themselves。　They　could　not　believe　that　he　who　wrote　such　words；　or　the　American　people　who　swallowed　them；　could　ever　be　roused　to　give　succor　to　the　Allies　in　their　desperation。

Three　years　later　I　asked　Roosevelt　what　he　would　have　done；　if　he　had　been　President　in　May；　1915。　He　said；　in　substance；　that；　as　soon　as　he　had　read　in　the　New　York　newspaper*　the　advertisement　which　Bernstorff　had　inserted　warning　all　American　citizens　from　taking　passage　on　the　Lusitania；　he　would　have　sent　for　Bernstorff　and　asked　him　whether　the　advertisement　was　officially　acknowledged　by　him。　Even　Bernstorff；　arch…liar　that　he　was；　could　not　have　denied　it。　〃I　should　then　have　sent　to　the　Department　of　State　to　prepare　his　passports；　I　should　have　handed　them　to　him　and　said；　'You　will　sail　on　the　Lusitania　yourself　next　Friday；　an　American　guard　will　see　you　on　board；　and　prevent　your　coming　ashore。'　The　breaking　off　of　diplomatic　relations　with　Germany；〃　Roosevelt　added；　〃would　probably　have　meant　war；　and　we　were　horribly　unprepared。　But　better　war；　than　submission　to　a　humiliation　which　no　President　of　this　country　has　ever　before　allowed；　better　war　a　thousand　times；　than　to　let　the　Germans　go　on　really　making　war　upon　us　at　sea；　and　honeycombing　the　American　people　with　plots　on　land；　while　our　Government　shamelessly　lavishes　praise　on　the　criminal　for　his　justice　and　humanity　and　virtually　begs　his　pardon。〃

*　The　advertisement　was　printed　in　the　New　York　Times　of　April　23；　1915。


Thus　believed　Roosevelt　in　the　Lusitania　crisis；　and　many　others　of　us　agreed　with　him。　The　stopping　of　German　intrigues　here；　the　breaking…off　of　diplomatic　relations；　would　have　been　of　inestimable　benefit　to　this　country。　It　would　have　caused　every　American　to　rally　to　the　country's　defense。　It　would　have　forced　the　reluctant　Administration　to　prepare　a　navy　and　an　army。　It　would　have　sifted　the　patriotic　sheep　from　the　sneaking　and　spying　goats。　It　would　have　brought　immense　comfort　to　the　Allies　and　corresponding　despondency　to　the　Huns。　For　Germany　plunged　into　the　war　believing　that　England　would　remain　neutral。　When　England　came　in；　to　redeem　her　word　of　honor；　Germany's　frantic　purpose　was　to　have　us　keep　neutral　and　supply　her　with　food　and　munitions。　Had　she　known　that　there　was　any　possibility　of　our　actively　joining　the　Allies；　she　would　have　hastened　to　make　peace。　Our　first　troops　could　have　reached　France　in　the　early　spring　of　1916。　They　would　not　have　been；　of　course；　shock　troops；　but　their　presence　in　France　would　have　been　an　assurance　to　the　Allies　that　we　were　coming　with　all　our　force；　and　the　Germans　would　soon　have　understood　that　this　meant　their　doom。　By　the　summer　of　1916；　the　war　would　have　been　over。

Think　what　this　implies！　Two　years　and　a　half　of　fighting　would　never　have　taken　place。　At　least　three　million　lives　among　the　Allied　armies　would　have　been　saved。　Russia　would　have　been　spared　revolution；　chaos；　Bolshevism。　Some；　at　least；　of　the　myriads　of　massacred　Armenians　would　not　have　been　slain。　Thousands　of　square　miles　of　devastated　territory　would　not　have　been　spoiled。　A　hundred　billions　of　dollars　for　equipping　and　carrying　on　the　war　would　never　have　been　spent。　All　this　is　not　an　idle　dream；　it　is　the　calm　statement　of　what　would　probably　have　happened　if　President　Wilson；　after　the　Lusitania　outrage；　had　dared　to　break　with　Germany。　History　will　hold　him　accountable　for　those　millions　of　lives　sacrificed；　for　the　unspeakable　suffering　which　the　people　of　the　ravaged　regions　had　to　endure；　for　the　dissolution　of　Russia；　which　threatened　to　throw　down　the　bases　of　our　civilization；　and　for　the　waste　of　incalculable　treasure。　President　Wilson's　apologists　assert　that　the　country　was　not　ready　for　him　to　take　any　resolute　attitude　towards　Germany　in　May；　1915。　They　argue　that　if　he　had　attempted　to　do　so　there　would　have　been　great　internal　dissension；　perhaps　even　civil　war；　and　especially　that　the　German　sections　would　have　opposed　preparations　for　war　so　stubbornly　as　to　have　made　them　impossible。　This　is　pure　assumption。　The　truth　is　that　whenever　or　wherever　an　appeal　was　made　to　American　patriotism；　it　met　with　an　immediate　response。　The　sinking　of　the　Lusitania　created　such　a　storm　of　horror　and　indignation　that　if　the　President　had　lifted　a　finger；　the　manhood　of　America；　and　the　womanhood；　too；　would　have　risen　to　back　him　up。　But　instead　of　lifting　a　finger；　he　wrote　that　message　to　Germany；　praising　the　Germans　for　their　traditional　respect　for　justice　and　humanity。　And　a　long　time　had　yet　to　pass　before　he　made　the　least　sign　of　encouragement　to　those　Americans　who　would　uphold　the　honor　of　the　United　States　and　would　have　this；　the　greatest　of　Republics；　take　its　due　part　in　defending　Democracy　against　the　Huns'　attempt　to　wipe　Democracy　off　the　earth　forever。

Having　missed　his　opportunity　then；　Mr。　Wilson　could　of　course　plead　that　the　country　was　less　and　less　inclined　to　go　to　war；　because　he　furnished　the　pro…German　plotters　the　very　respite　they　had　needed　for　carrying　on　their　work。　By　unavowed　ways　they　secured　a　strong　support　among　the　members　of　the　National　House　of　Representatives　and　the　Senate。　They　disguised　themselves　as　pacifists；　and　they　found　it　easy　to　wheedle　the　〃lunatic　fringe〃　of　native　pacifists　into　working　for　the　domination　of　William　of　Hohenzollern　over　the　United　States；　and　for　the　establishing　of　his　world　dominion。　The　Kaiser's　propagandists　spread　evil　arguments　to　justify　all　the　Kaiser's　crimes；　and　they　found　willing　disciples　even　among　the　members　of　the　Administration　to　repeat　and　uphold　these　arguments。

They　told　us；　for　instance；　that　their　massacre　served　the　victims　of　the　Lusitania　right　for　taking　passage　on　a　British　steamship。　They　even　wished　to　pass　a　law　forbidding　Americans　from　traveling　on　the　ocean　at　all；　because；　by　doing　so；　they　might　be　blown　up　by　the　Germans；　and　that　would　involve　this　country　in　diplomatic　difficulties　with　Germany。　Next；　the　Germans　protested　against　our　selling　munitions　of　war　to　the　Allies。　Neither　custom　nor　international　law　forbade　doing　this；　and　the　protest　stood　out　in　：stark　impudence　when　it　came　from　Germany；　the　country　which；　for　fifty　years　and　more；　had　sold　munitions　to　every　one　who　asked　and　had　not　hesitated　to　sell　impartially　to　both　antagonists　in　the　Russo…Japanese　War。　By　playing　on　the　sentimentality　of　this　same　〃lunatic　fringe；〃　the　German　intriguers　almost　succeeded　in　driving　through　a　bill　to　stop　this　traffic。　They　knew　the　true　Prussian　way　of　whimpering　when　bullying　did　not　avail　them。　And　so　they　not　only　whimpered　about　our　sending　shells　over　to　kill…　the　German　soldiers；　but　they　whimpered　also　over　the　dire　effects　which　the　Allied　blockade　produced　upon　the　non…combatant　population　of　Germany。　These　things　went　on；　not　only　a　whole　year；　but　far　into　the　second　after　the　sinking　of　the　Lusitania。　Roosevelt　never　desisted　from　charging　that　the　person　ultimately　responsible　for　them　was　President　Wilson；　and　he　believed　that　the　President's　apparent　self…satisfaction　would　avail　him　little　when　he　stands　at　the　bar　of　History。

It　may　be　that　an　entire　people　may　lose　for　a　time　its　sense　of　logic。　We　have　just　had　the　most　awful　proof　that；　through　a　long…continued　and　deliberate　education　for　that　purpose；　the　German　people　lost　its　moral　sense　and　set　up　diabolical　standards　in　place　of　those　common　to　all　civilized　races。　We　know　that　religious　hysteria　has　at　different　times；　like　the　influenza；　swept　over　a　nation；　or　that　a　society　has　lost　its　taste　for　generations　together　in　art；　and　in　poetry。　We　remember　that　the　Witchcraft　Delusion　obsessed　our　ancestors。　It　is　not　impossible