Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1918 — DEMOCRATS PLAY AT POLITICS [ARTICLE]

DEMOCRATS PLAY AT POLITICS

TIME IS TOO SERIOUS TO TRY TO MAKE POLITICAL HEROES. Vice-President Marshall, Senator Lewis of Illinois and Governor Cox of Ohio, and many'other distinguished Democratic politicians, have been up in Wisconsin making speeches to try to persuade the people of that state to defeat the Republican candidate, Representative Lernoot, in the special election for senator to be held on April 2. One would think that the VicePresident might be able to find some problems at Washington that should receive his attention. The same may be true of Senator Lewis. It is also possible that the governor of Ohio has some official duties he might attend to at the capitol of his state. President Wilson has sent Marshall into Wisconsin, and more than that he has sent a message urging the election of Davis, the Democratic nominee —— -

Representative Lenroot has made a splendid record in the lower house of congress. He made his race for the nomination for senator on absolute loyalty grounds. He has voted for every measure that has come before the congress, since the war that was for the purpose of assisting in the prosecution of the war. Yet this great non-partisan administration has turned its big guns on him and is trying to defeat him.

In face of the above there is a tendency on the part of the party in power to insist that partisanism be laid aside. We are asked to be paOne who feels an anxiety for the outcome of the war and who dares to ask questions is called disloyal The facts of the matter are that the Democratic party today is as it always has been, thoroughly incomp.?.:ent Early in rhe administration o* Woodrow Wilson panic threatened th--, c ountry and the party was saved from its usual hard times regime by the war. Then a failure would simply have meant a lull in the great industries of the country, accompanied by soup houses and an army of the idle and unemployed. Now, at this critical time it means vastly more. The lack of vision al--1 >wed two of the most sacred years of the life of this republic to pass by with no concern as tc the impending ?.or id menace, growing rtf ore threatening and more fearful every dav. Great statesmen like Theodo-c Roosevelt and many others urged that we begin to prepare. That we build more ships, more guns and that we take some notice of the fact that we were sweeping on toward a condition that would mean our ruin. The answer to this clear warning of reason was that he kept us out of war, and that one would rather be a live coward rather than a dead hero. Mr. Wilson was elected with the belief that |ie would keep this nation out of war but the electoral college had barely adjourned until he found it absolutely necessary to declare war on Germany. In this last act he had the most loyal support offcthe country. Since that day he has not asked for a single necessary thing ‘ which has not been granted. He asked for soldiers and the reply of the congress was the enactment of the conscription law by which he may have anytime he wants them, millions of the best soldiers on earth. He asked for money and. laws to raise vast sums from revenue, income and excess taxes have been put in operation. Every bond issue has been over-subscribed. They will continue to be oversubscribed. The great organizations of the Red Cross, YoUhg Men’s and Women’s Christian Associations and the Catholic Order of Knights of Columbus are doing a work that can only be supported by those whose loyalty is as deep seated as parental love. Never in the history of any nation has the minority party been so anxious to assist the party in power to effectively handle the problems in hand, as had the Republican party during this critical srisis. A year has passed since the nation declared war. The president has been granted autocratic powers. Everything in the way of men and money has been provided and yet we are not at this moment as effective in this war as we should be. From across the sea comes the mournful cry—“ Give us more men.” At this very moment the possibility of defeat faces the noble soldiers of America and her great allies. We are*, still working on the models of our airplanes and machine guns. Anxiety is gnawing at the very heart of mothers and fathers who have sons in that conflict and they feel that they have a right to know what is being done fb help these sons win a victory over the Hun. Great promises made by the secretary of war have not been fulfilled. Germany knows our weakness and her awful drive at this time is for the purpose of trying to bring about a decision before this great nation can become effective. The time has come when those with whom we have trusted the fate of our boys, those to whom we have pledged everything we have in the world, must assure us that efficiency to the greatest degree and nothing short of that will be tolerated. The time is here whep a plain,