The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-09-10
AN EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT.

AN EFFICIENT GOVERNMENT.
Whatever of evil the war of ma
tons may have brought upon us
Americans, the country is indebted to
! it for a clear revelation of the eff
cheney of the administration of Pres
dent Woodrow Wilson. The great
machinery of government has func-
toned quickly and we'll. If we have
seen in England a fairly amazing sub
siding of popular passion, but yester-
day threatening civil war, we have
witnessed on this side of the water
a similar and most praiseworthy
readiness to rise above craftsmanship
and stand by the President in his
effort to take in all possible sail and
render the ship of state as safe as
may be in the hurricane that has
suddenly burst upon it. Quietly and
effectively every disposition has been
! made, without the slightest blowing
of trumpets or hurrahing about it;
if anything has been overlooked
which might have been foreseen, it
has yet to appear.
While the credit for all this belongs
to many men, the chief praise is, of
course, due to the captain, who, face
to face with most distressing per-
sonal bereavement, yet continued to
Wreak himself upon his work pre-
cisely as if his mind were completely
at ease as to all private affairs. He
has met the national emergency with
the same poise and skill with which
he has held Congress to it's work from
the very inception of his administra-
ton. The sneered-at college profess
sor has shown again not only what it
means to have communed with the
worlds philosophers, but has demon
strated tho supreme value of rigid
mental discipline as well. His hand
on the helm has never wavered; his
own GOODNESS and steadiness under
conditions which might have snapped
many physically stronger man
have won him the unbounded admira-
ton of the corps of newspaper men
who have daily found him about the
only outwardly unruffled man in the
intense heat and fearful strain of
Washington. They will not soon for
get the eloquent words with which he
outlined to them the gravity of the
war crisis and the duty of the press
words spoken primarily for them, but
which they demanded for publication.
And the public will not forget that
his message rendering the good Off
ces of this government to the war
ring nations of Europe was written at
the bedside of his dying wife. In
every way in this grave emergency
he has given fresh proof of marked
fitness for the hcadship of the ma
ton.
1t was Mr.. Wilson who seized the
opportunity to press for the confirma-
ton of the nomination of Mr.. War
burg, end quickly selected Mr. Delano
to fill the Vacancy created by the
withdrawal of Mr.. Jones. Under his
direction the Aldrich-Vreeland act,
providing for an emergency banknote
currency, was put into force, to the
great relief of the financial world.
The President himself moved to have
Congress amend our shipping laws to
meet the emergency on the ocean; If
the result of this is not yet clear, it
is certainly step in the right direc-
ton, and will doubtless be followed
by others. And his administration
is entitled to special praise for
cooperating vigorously in the or
ganization of strong committees
to deal with all phases of the business
situation as the emergencies may
arise-a bit of constructive states
deserving higher praise and
greater attention than it has received.
To all of this must be added the
prompt measures for the relief of the
stranded Americans abroad-all OF
which were submitted for Presiden-
tial approval-and the constant keep
ing in touch with our foreign ambas-
sadors, who have had to assume
heavier burdens than have ever fall
en- to the lot of American diplomats.
The administration has also acted
and most wisely in dealing
with the enforcement of our own
the President himself
writing a letter directing army and
navy officers to refrain from all COM
ment on foreign happenings, and
particularly the military operations.
That all Of this has been appre-
ciated by the public is obvious from
the changed political atmosphere in
So far from being i'm
patient to return home, Congress- I
men are ready now to stay on as long
az the leader in the White House de-
mands it. The Senate has speeded up
it's own business so that its deck may
be cleared of the trust bills, and 1t
may be re ady for any action the ma
TONS, situation may then warrant.
that 90 keen politician 20 Mr..
Roosevelt has called on his proposed
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