They feel that if he takes another insult--keeps taking them--and is satisfied with Bernstorff's personal word, which is proved false in four days--he'll take anything.

And the British will pay less attention to what we say.
That's inevitable.

If the American people and the President accept the _Arabic_ and the _Hesperian_ and do nothing to Dumba till the Government here gave out his letter, which the State Department had (and silently held) for several days--then nobody on this side the world will pay much heed to anything we say hereafter.
This, as I say, doesn't mean that these (thoughtful) people wish or expect us to go to war.

They wish only that we'd prove ourselves as good as the President's word.

That's the conservative truth; we're losing influence more rapidly than I supposed it were possible.
Dumba's tardy dismissal will not touch the main matter, which is the rights of neutrals at sea, and keeping our word in action.
Yours sincerely, W.H.P.
P.S.They say it's Mexico over again--watchful waiting and nothing doing.