Middletown transcript., 1915-01-23
DEMOCRACY'S FLUKE


wishes from all classes of citizens Tor f
its success, than this one of President b
Wilson. o
The country was so heartily sick OF
Mr., Taft and his base reactionary poll P
cies that all the people even those who b
did not vote for Mr.. Wilson, were will q
ing to give hip fair trial; and' IN '
deed. in view of his excellent record as {
governor of New Jersey, they looked
to see him give the country an exam
ple Of wise, firm leadership. Nlt
But alasl though for time he seem
ed to do well, his administration is
more and more proving disappOint-
ment and that great body of intelligent
citizens who in these days of Stacker
partisan allegiance largely form that
omn,potent thing men call "public Opin-
lon'', are more and more concluding
that vet again the Democrotic party
and its president are showing them
selves incapable of running the govern
ment. Mr.. Wilson is the second Demo-
cratic president the people have chosen
In SO years, and if one may judge from
the popular expression at the ballot
box in November which reduced
Democratic House majority of LAT to
20. he is likely to be the last one for
probably another half century.
One blunder has followed upon the
heels of another. First came the
shameful surrender to Great Britain OF
the rights of our own coast-wise ship
ping in the Panama Canal our own
money had built, a surrender doubly
shameful because it had not been ex-
peeted, far less claimed by England and
what is more, was fatty at variance
with the Democratic platform as well
as with Mr.. Wilson's repeated utter
ances on the stump.
Then the inglorious smirching Of the
Nations fame, in the Venzuela mat
ter! This amazing confession of ma
tional dishonor, as \gratuitOus. as false,
Venezuelan politicians eagerly seized
upon as an excuse to blackmail this
country 10 the amount of $25 0O0, 900
This sum is either too much or toe
little. 1t the United States in building
the Panama Canal has been guilty oi
usurping Venezuelan territory, then th'
only proper reparation will be to turf
over the whole canal to that statel T'
be consistant Mr.. Wilson should restore
to Venezuela what he has not alread!
dragooned Congress into presenting t.
England.
The "watchful waiting" Mexical
policy has proved an utter fizzle. Vi
to date it has resulted in ths destruC
ton of about 81, 900, ,OOO,OOO of privat
property, over one-half owned b
Americans, and in the murder of 81
Americen citizens, and that absur
performance which cost dearly in bloc
and money. the taking of Vera Cruz
For what? To enforce a salute
the flag, which has not yet been giver
No better illustration is needed of th
contempt with which Mr.. Bryan's fe'
BILE, grape-juce craftsmanship is viev
ed by the half dozen grating grease
generals, than Carranza's action
Ievying extortionate tribute upon ce
tain English oil companies down ther
coupled with the threat of confscatiC
if not paid.
Mr.. Bryan's feeble remOnstranc
were contemptuously ignored, but Il
mere suggestion that the English Al
bassador take viz gorous action broug
Carranza down from his high horse in
jiffyl An English warship at Tampi
means something.
The whole foreign policy of this a
ministration is the jest of the chahc,
lories of Europel Mr.. Byran, o
Secretary of State premier" to u
their term-has made himself laug
ingstock there, and brought his hi
office into merited contempt.
! At time when the public busine
n was critical, and wherein delays mig
have been ruinous, this pedlar of Fl
phrases was gadding about the count
with motley crowd of lecturers, yOC
lers-and. if we err not, of dime mi
cum frealxs-raking in the shekels
Chautauqua enteEtainmentsl
Conceive for moment. if you cs
what all England, plus the COntineI
would say, were Premier Asquith tn
10 abdicate the weighty concerns
Of state to join some rowing band
comedians, juggIers, what not, a
frainaa about the counfrv aDoukinO