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theodore roosevelt-第78章

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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; therefore; that between 194 and 1918 the American people passed through a stage in which it threw logic to the winds。 This would account at least for its infatuation for President Wilson; in spite of his undisguised inconsistencies and appalling blunders。 A people who thought logic ally and kept certain principles steadily before it; could hardly otherwise have tolerated Mr。 Wilson's 〃too…proud…to…fight〃 speech; and his message to Germany after the sinking of the Lusitania; or his subsequent endeavor to make the Americans think that there was no choice between the causes for which the Allies and the Teutons were fighting。 Was it not he who said that Europe was war…mad; and that America had better mind her own business; and look the other way? Did he not declare that we were forced into war; and then that we were not? That a President of the United States should assert or even insinuate these things during the great War for Humanity …and by Humanity I mean every trait; every advance which has lifted men above the level of the beast; where they originated; to the level of the human with its potential ascent to heights undreamed ofis amazing now: what will it be a generation hence?

Roosevelt watched impatiently while these strange phases passed before him。 He listened angrily at the contradictory utterances。 He felt the ignominy of our country's being at such a depth。 He knew Germany too well to suppose that she could be deterred by President Wilson's messages。 He saw something comic in shaking a long fore…finger and saying; 〃Tut; tut! I shall consider being very harsh; if you commit these outrages three more times。。〃 To shake your fist at all; and then to shake your finger; seemed to Roosevelt almost imbecile。 Cut off from serving the cause of American patriotism in any public capacity; Roosevelt struggled to take his part by writing。 Every month in the Outlook; and subsequently in the Metropolitan Magazine; he gave vent to his pent…up indignation。 The very titles of some of his papers reveal his animus: 〃Fear God and Take Your Own Part〃; 〃A Sword for Defense〃; 〃America First: A Phrase or a Fact?〃; 〃Uncle Sam's Only Friend is Uncle Sam〃; 〃Dual Nationality〃; 〃Preparedness。〃 In each of these he poured forth with unflagging vehemence the fundamental verities on which our American society should rest。 He showed that it was not a mere competition in letter…writing between the honey…worded Mr。 Wilson and the sophisticated Bernstorff or the Caliban…sly Bethmann Hollweg; but that God was in the crisis; and that no adroitness of phrase or trick of diplomacy could get rid of Him。 He showed that there could not be two kinds of Americans: one genuine; which believed wholly and singly in the United States; and the other cunning and mongrel; which swore allegiance to the United Stateslip serviceand kept its allegiance to Germanyheart service。 He lost no opportunity to make his illustrations clear。 On resigning as Secretary of State after the sinking of the Lusitania; because President Wilson insisted on mildly calling Germany's attention to that crime; Mr。 Bryan addressed a large audience of Germans。

Then Roosevelt held him up to the gaze of the American people as a man who had no true Americanism。 Lest I should be suspected of misinterpreting or exaggerating Roosevelt's opinion of President Wilson; during the first two years of the war; I quote two or three passages; taken at random; which will prove; I hope; that I have summarized him truly。 He says; for instance:

Professional pacifists of the type of Messrs。 Bryan; Jordan; and Ford; who in the name of peace preach doctrines that would entail not merely utter infamy; but utter disaster to their own country; never in practice venture to denounce concrete wrong by dangerous wrongdoers 。。。。 These professional pacifists; through President Wilson; have forced the country into a path of shame and dishonor during the past eighteen months。 Thanks to President Wilson; the most powerful of Democratic nations has refused to recognize the binding moral force of international public law。 Our country has shirked its clear duty。 One outspoken and straightforward declaration by this government against the dreadful iniquities perpetrated in Belgium; Armenia; and Servia would have been worth to humanity a thousand times as much as all that the professional pacifists have done in the past fifty years 。。。。 Fine phrases become sickening when they represent nothing whatever but adroitness in phrase making; with no intention of putting deeds behind the phrases。

After the American messages in regard to the sinking of the Lusitania had brought no apology; much less any suggestion of redress; Roosevelt said: Apparently President Wilson has believed that the American people would permanently forget their dead and would slur over the dishonor and disgrace to the United States by that basest of all the base pleas of cowardly souls which finds expression in the statement: 〃Oh; well; anyhow the President kept us out of war!〃 The people who make this plea assert with quavering voices that they 〃are behind the President。〃 So they are; well behind him。 The farther away from the position of duty and honor and hazard he has backed; the farther behind him these gentry have stoodor run。

Finally; Roosevelt stated with deadly clearness the position into which Wilson's vacillating policy had driven us:

The United States has not a friend in the world。 Its conduct; under the leadership of its official representatives; for the last five years and; above all; for the last three years; has deprived it of the respect and has secured for it the contempt of every one of the great civilized nations of mankind。 Peace treaties and windy Fourth…of…July eloquence and the base materialism which seeks profit as an incident to the abandonment of duty will not help us now。 For five years our rulers at Washington have believed that all this people cared for was easy money; absence of risk and effort; and sounding platitudes which were not reduced to action。 We have so acted as to convince other nations that in very truth we are to
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