THE UNITED STATES PRESIDENCY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3265, 11 October 1916, Page 51

THE UNITED STATES PRESIDENCY.

MR ROOSEVELT OUTSPOKEN

[By Cable.]

The "Presidential campaign _ is becoming heated. Mr Roosevelt has assailed President Wilson, declaring that he has sacrificed the national honour. His European and Mexican policies were cowardly, following the lines of least resistance in the hope ot political proiit. Mr .Roosevelt added: "i have been asked what I would have done had I been President when the Lus:tama was torpedoed. 1 would instantly have taken possession of all German ships interned in the United States, and then said to Germany: 'Now we will discuss, not what we will give, but what wo will give back.' " MR WILSON'S POLICY. President Wilson, speaking at an election campa:gn at Omaha, said: "The United States is not too proud to fight in any just cause, but will not fight for petty things." The Opposition press criticise this, asking if the Lusitania and Sussex sinkings and the Mexican border massacres are petty things. Mr Wilson, speaking with reference to the American attitude to the war, said it was very important that the statesmen of the world should understand America's position. America had kept apart from the world conflict not because she was indifferent, and not because she was uninterested, but because sho wanted to play a different part from that. "The war has obtruded upon us European objects which have never been disclosed. Europe must understand that before wo exert the force of this nation wo want to know what we areexcrtmg it for. There is as much fight in America as in any nation in the world, but we want always to hold the force of America to fight for the rights of mankind, not property. Wo want all the world to know we arc ready to use all our force to maintain peace among mankind." Mr Wilson further said: "We want to fook forward in the coming years—l wish I could say months:—to the preservation of peace ; n the interest of mankind. The starting of wars can never again be a matter for the decision of single nations. After the war America must join a league of nations to preserve the peace of the world. Washington advised us against entangling ourselves in European alliances, but we must not interpret that as meaning world alliances, for we arc part of the world." Pres ; dent Wilson's Omaha speech is interpreted in the. United States as a warning to Germany that i ruthless submarining is resumed, with consequent losses of American lives, America will fight; but she will not fight over questions of property interests involved in Britain's blockade and the mail seizure controversies with the Allies.

The speech is also interpreted as meaning that if President Wilson is re-elected he will do everything possible to br : ng America into a formal alliance -with the European Powers to prevent future wars by combining to force the belligerents to arbitrate over their differences. This is believed by many leading Americans to constitute the greatest, hope of the world's peace, with the United .States and the British Empire co-operating in a most intimate manner.