Although the Democrat', party was not in entire accord wit' W!! I the Republicans as a whole resistea mm swim all their might, he held Congress in session almost continuously till the great European War brought another series of problems before the country. But al ready the Wilson foreign policy was shown in his refusal to allow the army and navy to be used on behalf of money lenders or investors in Mexico and South America. He even went so far as to say at Mobile, in October 1913, that the United States would never again annex a foot of land against the will of those most concerned. This attitude bewildered European diplomats and it angered important elements in the United States. Wilson had an excellent op portunity to illustrate his foreign policy in Mexico where General Huerta rose to the presi dency through the assassination of Madero early in 1913. Huerta was favorably disposed tcward American investors in Mexico. Nilson refused to recognize Hucrta and by his atti tude compelled the overthrow of that leader, only to find that the two Mexican generals who had together fought Diaz and Huerta now fell to fighting each other. Wilson gave his support to Carranza, but the months and years that passed did not suffice to pacify the distracted country; and in 1916 Wilson was compelled to send expeditions into the country to compel re spect for American law and international rights The Mexican difficulty, however. soon paled into in comparison with the difficulties produced by the European NVar which began on 1 Aug. 1914. %Vhile the President was preparing for his first taking of the sense of the country on the policies he had put into practice, this great upheaval set men's thoughts upon other subjects. The election of 1914 resulted in a return to Congress of a ma jority of Democrats, must of whom were pledged to support the administration.
Meanwhile, on 18 August, Wilson declared in a proclamation to the country that all men must maintain a strict neutrality as between the warring powers. Leading public men and newspapers, regardless of party alignments, gave him hearty support; but as the war con tinued and cast its shadow over the whole world, the different elements of the composite country took sides. A particular source of ir ritation was occasioned by German propagand ists who did their utmost to break the coun try's neutrality; others of the same group tried to affect the course of the war by attempting the destruction of bridges and canals and by inciting strikes in munition plants from which the Allies derived a considerable portion of their supplies. Wilson took every possible oc casion to press upon the country the necessity of national unity, of devotion to the ideals for which the United States had been established and of refraining from deeds that might com mit the country to either side. He went so far even as to say that `there was such a thing as being too proud to fight.' He endeavored
to bring about peace in Europe by the offer of his services as a mediator. On 7 May 1915, a German submarine commander deliberately sunk the great British liner, the Lusitania, sending 1,154 persons to their death, of whom 114 were American citizens. The country was intensely excited; but Wilson felt that he could not then go to war. He demanded apology and repara tion and gave Germany solemn warning. Other ships were sunk during the year and other American lives were lost; but confronted with a national election in 1916, neither Wilson nor the Republican national convention of that year proposed war as a remedy. Nor did the Pro gressive convention, which Colonel Roosevelt dominated, suggest war. The leaders did not know what the people thought. The Republicans finally nominated Mr. Justice Hughes as their candidate and the Progressives confirmed him as their choice. The platforms dealt with domestic problems insisting on foreign affairs only in the commercial rights of the country.
Wilson was The 1Semocratic platform simply approved the Wilson policies and asked that he he returned to once on the ground that as President he had kept the out war \\ ilson was re-elected. his plurality reaching 581,041 votes Yet so close was the contest in the Electoral a re% er‘al of 2,000 votes in California would have made Mr Hughes President During the campaign \\ ikon had said that the rile neut r.ditv had leen about played out The l'rf attitude at this time toward the trnt,, Ir in Europe is best gathered from ho address at oonaha on 5 t tot 191o, in which in sod • 'It will take the long enotor• of to•tory to plain t hi• war, but h ',rope o,,ght to mi.midcr,tand us We are holdni f t be, arse we do feel concerned. )nit Oecause we exert the force of this nation we want to know what we are everting it for. . . . We to know whenever we act what the purpose is — what the ultimate goal is.' In the request for the passage of the so-called Adamson law, of the preceding September, he had asked for the ex tension of the United States eight-hour law to include workers in the railroad trains service A great strike was averted. He was about so make one more effort to bring the European war to an end, when Germany on 12 December asked for a conference of the warring powers for the purpose of securing peace. Germany did not disclose her conditions. Wilson sub mitted the German proposal to the Allied powers. The reply was a quick refusal. On Z2 Jan. 1917, \\ ilson spoke to the Senate m what was at once called a remarkable address The principal ideas that later became famous in the Fourteen Points were now suggested to Europe as a basis of peace. He esen said that a lasting peace could only be secured by a 'peace without victory.' He meant that the bitterness of a war to the 'last man' ought to he avoided.