The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-02-19
Stand by the President.

The Springfield Republican (Ind.)
The Presidents journey to the Mid
die West to address q Jackson Day
gathering of Democrats was such a
departure from his policy of staying
in Washington and attending strictly
to the public business that the Indian
apolis address will command much
attention. Hitherto Mr.. Wilson has
been the opposite of loquacious in de.
Tending his administration; some of
his friends think that he has been far
too reticent in his relations with the
public in justice to his own policies.
/ If the President went fishing for a
sympathetic demonstration in his ia
vor in that connection he seems to
have been as successful in the VEN
ture as he was artistic in throwing
the bait. In general, the country has
not regarded very seriously the OPP
position by such persons as Mr..
Hearst and Governor Colquitt of
Texas to Mr.. Wilson's denomination.
The times are such that President
of shrewdness and great ability
should enjoy certain notable advant-
ages over his political foes. He GER
tainly has the advantage of the mi
tiative in government policy and can
make a positive instead of purely
negative record. An illustration is
the pending Government shipping bill.
! If by reason of the shortness of the
session the opposition is able to pre-
vent the measure from coming to a
vote, and this is able to kill it, the
opposition does nothing to help Ameri-
can foreign commerce move in great
err bulk on the high seas. But the
President, even in case the bill is de-
feated, will make a positive record
of seeking to relieve in some meas
ure the country's oversee trade of
burden which an unparalleled emer-
gency had Unexpectedly placed upon
it. In this event he must gain some
thing, even if his ship policy is open
to grave criticism. At least he did
what he could. His opponents did
what they could to have nothing done.
These are extraordinary times in
the worlds history and scarcely any,
thing in politics and government pol
icy, even in the United States, can
today he judged by precisely the
standards one would have used six
months ago. Political thinking needs
to be subjected to revision, and pre-
vious conclusions on most questions
in public affairs need to be reviewed
in the light of the new conditions that
have suddenly enveloped the world.
What one may have thought about
the tariff, or the currency, or the in
come tax, or the army and navy, or
Mexico, or the Philippines, or social
ism, or world federation. or interna-
tionai arbitration, or public taxation
and expenditures, or the essential eff
ficiency of democratic government
all may not unproftably be reviewed
in the light of those two long battle
fronts in France and Poland and the
possible outcome of this Armageddon
of the nations.
President Wilson finds himself at
the head of the United States Govern
ment in this tremendous world crisis
in an office of exceptional power and
to play the role of a great statesman,
perhaps one of the greatest in our
history, will be widened in so far as
he himself appreciates that opportu-
nifty in it's unique character, especial
ly as he appreciates his privilege to
guide his party and the nation with
reference to conditions as they now
are and without slavish adherence to
conditions as they were before the
world broke with its past on August
Il
The people as a whole, however,
must realize that in highly critical
period true Americanism dictates a
support of their government so far
sympathetic and unmistakable as to
keep it strong in the face of the out
side world. No other government
than that of Woodrow Wilson is now
possible for two years. At least he
is making it an American govern
ment, not semi-German nor semi
British government, but truly neutral
and friendly to all as an American
State, independent and puissant,
should be. During the remainder of
his term of office the President
should benefit from the desire of the
bulk of the nation to cooperate with
him along that line