The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1915-11-12
WILSON is
GREAT MAN
Our President Much Great
er Than His Party

|
today is the popularity, in some qua.
lers, of President Wilson. They are
lrying to capitalize that popularity in
10 party asset as an onset agains,
the liabilities Of their sins Of omis-
sion and commission. No one ques-
tions that President Wilson is greater
than his party. His complete control
over, and his facile manipulation OIL
| the last Congress, proved that. No
one questions that he Is more popular
than his party. He has an almost un
canny power of obtaining credit for
everything of good that may happen,
and shedding onto the shoulders OF
other individuals, or Of the party as
a whole, responsibility for the bad.
He is the luckiest man that ever sat
in the White House.
Just as the country was becoming
fully awake to the disastrous conse-
quences, both to the nations indus
tries and to its revenues, Of the tariff
law, for which he was mainly respOn-
sible. the war came and distracted
public attention from affairs at home.
Overshadowing as it did all else, it
offered the opportunity, Immediately
seized upon, to transfer the blame for
approaching national bankruptcy up
on circumstances which have nothing
whatever to do with it 1t arrificially
'evitalized our dying industries by
making them the main contributors
20 Europes needs. 1t forced up our
Oreign trade from a loss in u year
revious of more rhan twenty pei
;ent to hitherto unheard Of proper
.ons. 1t greatly relieved the interia
ional aspects of the Mexican situa.
ion, for be well assured that. had II
lot been for this war, situation was
developing due to our falterirg and
eusillanimous policy in regard to
Mexico, that would surely have
brought us into serious alteration,
# not war, with one or more Euro
)ean powers.
1t has seemed to me that we Re-
publicans on the firing line have been
altogether too mealy-mouthed about
discussing the Wilson policies, foreign
IS we'll as domestic. 1t is as though
an odor of sanctity pervaded the
maintenance Of our neutrality No
loubt very large portion of the
American people would approve any
olicy, the result of which has been
to keep US out of war. The American
people don't want war. We would
be foolish if we did, for VIC have hot
heen, and are not now, in the leas-
legree prepared for war, either of |
fensive or defensive. Practically we
have not been at war during this adj
ninistration, unless you count the
little one that we had with Mexico |
at. Vera Cruz. At that time Uncle
Sam showed his teeth Through Wood-
row Wilson and William J. Bryan,
his attorneys in fact, he demanded |
We sent the armed force of the Unit
ed States to Vera Cruz to enforce
our demand 1t is true that that apol
ogy was never made. We sailed away
with the taint Of insult to our Amer
can flag unremoved The blood OF
some American sailors, not many
perhaps, judged by modern standards,
but more than our entire navy lost
Turing our war with Spain, was left |
% mingle with the blood of peaceful
American men and their women out
ragged on Mexican soil, but still we
are at peace peace, at least, so
ar as the nations of Europe are con-
cerned.
We have continued to preserve our
'eutrality. Good, but why not. The
situa ion is not without precedent.
rbis is rot the first European war
within the memory of men here pres
Mt A Democratic President pre-
served our neutrality during the Cri-
mean war. A Republican President
,reserved it during the Franco-Prus
sian war. Another Republican Presl
.ent preserved our neutra-ty ou7in
the war between Russia and Japan.
Let Ire enumerated few of those
ledges and fcaye it to you to be the
1dges Of the fact ct their redemp-
ION. Rigid economy in contradlstlnc-
ion to Republican extravaganza; am
ple revenues for the support OF tne
government; industrial prosperity
under tariff law which provided lot
defective competition; redr ction IN
the cost Of living; free tolls for Amer
can chips in the Panama Canal; the
habilitation of the American mer-
chant marine; strict enforcement and