The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-20

THOMAS l.. RE1LLY.
 in the minds of all>
 Since that time, however. the Dem ocratic party has accomplished other notable things that will make the last Congress one of the greatest in the. history of our government. A tar if commission, a non-partisan tarif commission. consisting of three Dem .ocrats and three Republicans, has been created by lAw. This commits sion will consider the needs of the manufacturing and farming interests of the country according to the needs of each particular industry or group of industries so far as duties or tar ifs arc concerned It will act toward those great activities as the Inter state Commerce commission acts to- ward transportation matters and after full investigation and hearing will recommend to the Congress the rates of tariff or duty that are fair in view of what the difference in the cost of production at home and abroad may be found to be-
 -sFhe non-partisan feature takes the tariff out of politics and politics out of the tariff ara that is what the business interests of the country need It is no longer the party football and yet the Republicans are trying to make it an issue The mar who Tn view of this commission tries to nia ke the tariff a party issue can be justly called business disturber and agi- tator and should have no standing in the business world or among men who have interest in seeing the coun- try forge ahead along the most en- frightened lines He can only be look ing after selfish interests that care little for the common good
 -Iegislation has been passed and signed by the President that places the army and the navy on the road to a preparedness for aIl emergencies that can possibly arise. That pre- paredness program would not be nearly so great or 90 costly if the Re- publican party, which had been in un- interrupted control of tile affairs of the nation for 1e years had done a small part of its duty in that regard After that period of neglect 1t now has the consummate nerve to critlcise the Democrats for not completing Tn three years what the Republican party failed to initiate in 1S-
 'In the closing hours of Congress when the country was threatened with the greatest strike in the his- tory of the country or the world, strike that would have resulted in un- told loss unparalled misery and prob ably appalling loss of life; when fail- ure to act promptly and decisively meant the taking of the step that would tie up the railroads of the coun- try, the President acted and acted bromptly when all other means to prevent the strike had been exhaust ed. The order to strike at 7 o'clock on Labor Day, Sept. 4, had been is- sued: The railroads had notified, the factories that an embargo had been put on all shipments that were not in the freight houses at midnight on Thursday, Aug. 31. The nation was in a panic almost because it was realized that while arbitration was a principle that all believed in there was no way of getting it, unless both sides would agree. Something must be done and done quickly. Legislation was en- acted and the bill was signed by the President few hours before the strike time and the calamity was averted.
 "Ne one claims the legislation is perfect. It is temporary and it may have to be changed. But was no time for nicetiesfa and techicalities. It was time for action simply and the Congress and the President acted. And now the Republican candidate for the Presidency and all of his satellites in their barrenness of all other issues have seized upon this strike-prevent- ing legislation as the hope of their salvation and the 100 per cent. can- didate proposes to fight it out on that line. We welcome the issue.
 Would MT. Hughes if he were President have vetoed the Atkinson bill that prevented the strike? Will he answer? Probably net-he will simply continue to criticise.
 "If that legisla tion was unconsti- ttutionsl and woefully bad in princi- pie will Candidate Hughes go into tbe l, seventy-five districts of the seventy five Republican members of Congress- who voted for the bill and urge the Republicans to defeat those coneress- men who are up for reelection? Of course he will not He would if he were the para son of political virtue that his friends claim him to be. More than half of the Republican mem bers of the House voted for the Ada.,
 son bill. Again what is MT. Hughe, going to do about them?
 of the strike had taken place as. if surely would if that Legislation had not been enacted just as it was. Mir HuEhes and the Republicans without exception would be busily engaged in criticis'ng the President for not talk ing the stand he did
 ''The c. O. P. has become the c. I. P. It is no longer the Grand Old Party; it is the Grand Issue!ess Party. Barren as 1t is, it is calliny pro- gressive, go-ahead men who left 1t to return. Its sterility is only enualled bv it's brazenness. Why should any real progressive return or think of