Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-06-24

President Wilson's Self-Indictment.
The New York World, which pro-
fesses to be President Wilson's best
friend, pronounces his course on the
tolls repeal question "the most seri-
GUS blunder of the Presidents politi-
cal career'. 1t adds that ''it was an
error into which he should not have
fallen, for it involved the sacrifice of
democratic principle, and he was
given plain warning in ample time"
President Wilson knew exactly
what he was doing when he endorsed
the democratic platform, and when,
addressing an association of farmers
at Washington Grove, N. j., on Au-
gust 10, he fatty endorsed tolls ex
emption at Panama. In that speech
he said:
One of the great objects in cutting that
great ditch across the Isthmus of Panama is
to allow farmers who are near the Atlantic to
ship to the Pacific by the way of Atlantic
ports; to allow all the farmers on what
may, standing here, call this part of the con-
= Ilutub 10 Dlu an outlet at pOrLs Vi the gun or
the ports of the Atlantic seaboard, and then
have coastwise steamers carry their products
down around through the canal and up the
Pacific coast or down the coast of South
America.
Now. at present there are no ships to do
that, and one of the bills pending-pa /
believe, yesterday by the Senate as it had
passed the House-provides for free tolls for
American ships through that canal and pro
hibits any ship from passing through which
is owned by any American railroad com pany.
You see the object of that, don't you? Zap
plause.) We don't want the railroads to COM
pete with themselves, because we under
stand that kind of competition. We want
water carriage to compete with land carriage,
so as to be perfectly sure that you are going
to get better rates around the canal than you
would across the continent. .
Our platform is not molasses to catch flies.
1t means business. 1t means what it says.
1t is the utterance of earnest and honest
men. Gentlemen who talk one way and vote
another are going TO be retired to a very quiet
and private retreat.
Commenting ON the Presidents
direct reversal of his position on the
Panama tolls question, bringing him
self under his own singing indictment
expressed in the last paragraph
quoted, the Washington Post says:
Democrats everywhere must now face the
people on the record as made by their ma
tioaal leader. His act is the party's act. His
judgment is the party's judgment. His error
is the party's error. Every candidate for Of
fee must bear the brunt of this irretrievable
error of judgment. The party is placed in
the position of rejecting and violating its
own promise to the people. 1t is aligned
with the railroads which seek TO cripple COM
petition through the Panama canal. 1t stands
opposed to the free use of the canal by the
American people and in favor of imposing
tolls which will enable the overland railroads
to charge higher freight rates. 1t is against
any reduction in the high cost of living
through the use of the canal.
President Wilson will find the
voters of the country in hearty ac-
cord with him in one respect:
ssGentlemen who talk one way and
vote another are going to be retired
to very quiet and private retreat"