Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-02-16
ROOT ATTACKS
FOREIGN POLICY
Of DEMOCRATS
In Address Before New York
State Republican Convention
Attacks Administration.
SAYS RESPECT OF WORLD
FOR U. S. WAS FORFEITED
Wilson Has Shifted His Ground
But the Democratic Party Is
: Still the Same.


President Wilson and the Democratic
administration toward the Internal
ional situations arising out of the
European war and the Mexican dis
turbances, and, as relating to domes
tic conditions, toward the tariff
were attacked by former United
States Senator Elihu Root today III
his address as temporary chairman
of the New York State Republican
Convention, in assembly here.
No other presidential election
since 1864 has been so fraught with
consequences so vital to national life
as the one now approaching, Mr
Root said, and all ordinary consider
ations which play so great part in
presidential campaigns ARE and
ought to be dwarfed into inslgnlh
cance." He promised that il the Re
publican party IS returned TO power
the people may expect foreign pol
icy which will leave mo doubt any
where in the world of Americas puE
pose and courage to protect and de-
fend her independence, her territory
and the lives and just rights OF her
citizens under the laws Of nations;
and that the people may expect. al.
so, that "the government will stand
for full and adequate preparation Dy
the American people for their own
defense"
Mr.. Root charged the present ad
ministratiOn with "the lack OF fore
sight to make timely provision for
backing up of American diplomacy
by actual or assured military force;;"
with "the forfeiture of the worlds re-
spect for our assertion of rights by
pursuing the policy of making threats
and of failing to make them good; "
and with "a loss of the moral forces
of the civilized world through failure
to truly interpret to the world the
spirit of the American democracy In
it's attitude towards the terrible
events which accompanied the early
stages of the war" These, said Mr..
Root, were the administrations
''three fundamental errors" The
temporary chairman said in part:
Duty to Criticize.
"FOr the first time in twenty years
we enter the field as the party OF
opposition, and indeed it is much
longer time, for in 1896, in all re.
spects save the tariff, the real op.
position to the sturdy and patriotic
course of President Cleveland was to
be found in the party that followed
Mr.. Bryan. 1t is our duty as the
opposition to bring the Democratic
party to the bar of public judgment,
to put it upon it's defense so far as
we see just and substantial grounds
to criticize it's conduct, and to ask
the voters of the country to decide
whether that party, organized as it
is, represented as it has been since
it came into power has shown it.
self competent to govern the country
as it should be governed, and wheth'
er its spirit, its policies, and its per-
formance are the best that the
American people can do in the way
of popular self-government.'
Discussing the domestic situation
before the European war began, Mr..
Root declared that during the eigh.
teen months OF Democratic control
there had been "a steady decrease in
American production, in exports and
in revenues, and steady increase in
imports and expenditures" Enter
prise had halted, he asserted, and
new undertakings no longer made
their appearance, and the country's
productive industries "were laboring
under a misfit tariff devised by the
Democratic party in spirit of sus.
picion, distrust and hostility towards
American business enterprise" and
transportation and commerce had be.
come dull and Respondent" The
tariff commission created under Re.
publican legislation to ascertain the
facts upon which tariff laws should
be based, Mr.. Root said. had been
driven out OF business and no sub
stitute provided. At Washington, he
declared, there was a nervous dread
lest somebody make money" and
"envy of business success" was an
element in the framing of legislation
and the administration of the laws.
Mr.. Root continued:
'The great war has not changed
the lesson which we had already
learned when it began. 1t has but
obscured further. demonstration. 1t
has caused an enormous demand for
some things which the United States
is able to produce in large quanti.
ties, and in these lines of production,
while other industries still languish,
there have been extensive employ.
ment of labor, great exports and a
great influx of money. But this is
temporary, it must soon cease, and
when the factories have stopped
end their laborers are no longer EN-
iloyed we must deal with situation
(Continued on Page Four