With the newspapers stirring up sentiments they would.
What newspapers? See Doenecke[1]
“Despite their indignation, Americans expressed surprisingly little warlike sentiment. Commenting on the same day the
Lusitania sank, British Ambassador Spring-Rice remarked concerning the conflict ‘The general feeling here is that the United States government ought to keep out of it.’ A compilation of about a thousand editorials, composed within three days after the sinking, revealed that just half a dozen wanted Congress to declare war - - Similarly, rudimentary Congressional polls reported that only one senator and three representatives believed that Germany had given the United States sufficient provocation for hostilities. The rest apparently thought that Americans should avoid ships that carried contraband,- - - Perhaps about one half of one percent of the entire population wanted to enter the clash. Wrote General Leonard Wood in his diary ‘Rotten spirit on the
Lusitania matter. Yellow spirit everywhere in spots.’ - - A Mitchell Palmer remarked ‘The
Lusitania was flying the British flag, and carrying munitions for the support of a belligerent.’ Why should Americans enter ‘a great war’ asked Ambassador Gerard, because someone want to travel on a ship where he can have a private bathroom? Even the contentious General Wood noted ‘You cannot cover 10,000 tons of ammunition with a petticoat’”
In short, had TR called for war in 1915, he would not have just been in a minority, but in almost a minority of
one. In reality of course, this wouldn’t have happened , as he was far too smart a pol to get into such a situation. He would have waited, confident that eventually the Germans would make his case for him, as, if he were still POTUS in 1917, they indeed would.
There would be arguably more tangible grievances against Germany than against Spain in 1898. Put some propaganda out about the Rape of Belgium and the actual ship sinking and you could get the public clamoring for blood.
There was already lots of propaganda on both issues (and others). It did not generate any warlike sentiment until America's own ships came under attack in 1917.
[1] Justus D Doenecke
Nothing Less Than War, Ch 3.
He wrote Rudyard Kipling stating that he would have pushed for war against Germany in August 1914.
When exactly?
In Vol 8 of his
Letters, the nearest thing I can find to that is a letter of Nov 4, 1914, in which he speaks of "our duty to interfere on behalf of Belgium" but goes on "I purposely abstained from saying the form this interference should take. If I should advocate all that I myself believe, I would do no good among our people, because they would not follow me." IOW he knew perfectly well that advocating war would be a waste of breath.