Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 179, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1917 — Mr. Taggart’s Fine Action. [ARTICLE]

Mr. Taggart’s Fine Action.

Indianapolis Star. Former United States Senator Thomas Taggart is correct in his suggestions to the democratic press of Indiana that this is not a time to inject politics into any branch of the government that is attempting to prepare the state or nation for their part in the world conflict. It is, of course, as Mr. Taggart well says, a matter of regret that anyone should seek to question seriously the motives of men who are giving their entire time and energy to their country without any other reward than the comforting knowledge that they are doing their part and arle serving their people as best they can. It is characteristic of Mr. Taggart to come to the front voluntarily and defend Will Hays, chairman of the State Council of Defense, against the ’ insinuations that he is using that position to benefit himself politically. In fact, Mr. Taggart’s appeal on behalf of Mr. Hays and the council of defense should be analyzed very thoroughly by the members of both political parties—women as well as men—who are given to finding fault with their representatives in Washington. There has been too much criticism of the government by republicans and democrats who should have put their shoulders to the wheel the very minute that war was declared, but who have done little up to this time other than to find fault with everything that was done by the state as well as the nation.

The people should be proud of their government if it has made a good start in six months, as it certainly has. It is not profitable to indulge in regrets that it did not begin sooner. It is a hopeful sign that a feeling of revulsion is growing against the members of congress who have done nothing but impede the enactment of urgency war measures. The number of people who have sympathy with the members of congress who can not or will not differentiate between politics and duty to their country is growing smaller day by day. Mr. Taggart has been a partisan in politics for years—the acknowledged leader of the democratic party in Indiana and once its national chairman, but he is big and broad enough to come to the front for a republican partisan like Mr. Hays because he believes the latter is giving his very best efforts to the service of his state at this period. Mr. Taggart has set a fine example, which not only should be, but will be, followed by more people as the war progresses. For this is the people’s war. It does not belong to President Wilson because he happens to be at the head of the national government. It does not belong to congress or the senate, to any state or group of states. We are fighting for a common cause and are about to give to the very limit from our vast resources. This is no time to hold back and criticise or to play politics. Whatever political issues grow out of the conduct of this war can be settled after peace is declared —and that will be time enough for such work.