The Washington herald., 1913-03-02
THE POLITICAL SITUATION

A great change is about to occur il
the political history of the country.
Within L few short hours the Repub
tcan party, which has been in powe
for sixteen years, is to be displaced
and another great political organiza
ton is TO be invested with the rein!
OF government. In more than half ;
century there have been only two Dem
ocratic administrations, and at the heac
of both of these was the same man
Even OF these two terms only one wa:
marked by complete Democratic SUI
premacy. Since Cleveland went out oi
the White House new generation has
grown up. There arc millions of pco,
pie i'll the United States to-day who
cannot remember when the Democrats
were in power
10, the inauguration next Tuesday is
something more than the usual Undue
ton OF a President into office. II
means new policies, different theories
OF government radical change from
the experiences of the last sixteen
years. For the Democratic party is 10
be in complete control and can carry
ITS programme into fullest execution.
With a Democratic President in the
White House and Democratic major
1ty IN both Houses of Congress, the
party finds no obstacle anywhere.
What OF the man who is to guide
the destinics of the nation, and what
OF the conditions which confront him?
1t can be said truthfully that no man
ever entered the White House with a
larger degree of well-wishing than
Woodrow Wilson will enter it next
Tuesday
The hope OF success for his admin
lStratlon is not entirely unsclfish. We
are a great nation, and our interests
are manifold and vital While all of
us may be partisans at heart, we have
too much at stake, from material
point OF view, to deliberately desire
anything but continuance of the peace
and prosperity which we have so long
enjoyed. In addition TO this, the new
President commands the respect and
esteem of the American people. He is
honest and God-fearing, a man of ideal
private life, and with a blameless pub
lie character. He is Il scholar. thor
oughly acquainted with the history Of
his own country, ana eonversant with
the affairs OF other nations. lie has
his faults and his shortcomings. in
cludlng the pedagogueS natural regard
for his own views. disposition to in
dulgc III theory and lack of national
experience, but all of these weigh but
lightly in the public mind. The dis
position TO give him more than the or
binary opportunity to demonstrate his
ability and his capacity is universal
There has been no captious criticism
OF anything which he has said or done
since his election He is given every
where the credit for honest intention
For his own sake. as well as for the
sake of the nation, he is given a hearty
Godspeed.
First OF all, everybody is hoping. and
indeed. is expecting, that history will
not repeat itself.
. The memory of the last Democratic
administration is not willingly n he
recalled. Woodrow Wilson has in his
history vividly described it as a DE-
riod of dire distress, out of which the
country emerged with feeling of pro-
found relief With a sense of onti-
mism, the country entertains the CON-
viction that our prosperity is not to he
disturbed There is a loudly expressed
belief that the changes which are i'm
minent in the tariff schedules will not
adversely affect business. Ii is asserted
that the Democrats will not. after all
carry into literal effect their platform
declaration that protection is unoons,i-
tutionaL They are credited with the
ability to devise a tariff which will
end monopoly, and lower the cost of
living without closing a factory door
Or decreasing the wage of a single
workman. 1t is sincerely to be hoped ,
that this can all be accomplished. AT !
any rate. the country has, up to the
present time. persistently declined to ,
be frightened. Business has pursued ,
the even tenor of its way, and there t
has been no menace of a panic. {
In this spirit of aoquiescence with a
The changed political conditions, there 1
IS much hope for the future. 1t means S
that the feeling of partisanship has j
,cen held subservient TO the larger re- r
gard for the county's welfare. IfIt