The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-06-30

its hyperbolic expression of sympathy,
its horror and indignation at Mexican
outrages, its denunciation of what it
terms "indefensible methods of in
reference of the administration,
and the pledge Of its "aid in restor-
ing order and maintaining peace in
Mexico" Not word of how the
horrors it mentions could have been
prevented or how they would now pro-
pose to prevent them. What would
the Republicans have done? In what
way would they have "acted firmly
and promptly? There was but one
way to stop the revolutionary butchery
and anarchy-al other ways were
tried by President Wilson-and that
was armed intervention and invasion,
which would have been war. Would
they have taken that last resort
They don't dare say so--they only
condemn without reason and evade
the issue. When Mexican bandits be-
gan to invade our border, numbering
and robbing our citizens, then the
President acted firmly and promptly
by sending into Mexico an expedi-
tionary force to run down the bandits,
giving the de facto government to
fully understand our friendly inten-
tions. Carranza, instead of respond
ing to our friendly intentions, which
would have greatly strengthened his
government, took umbrage and actual
ly shielded his own enemies, the ban
fits. They joined forces, to all intent
and purpose, to resist any interference
with their family slaughter; and to
protect our own border and the lives
of our citizens, it looks as if war can
not be averted Would earlier arm
ed intervention--and that is the only
construction that can be placed upon
the wording of the platform-have re-
suited differently? Was it not better
to try friendly and peaceable means
first, as long as there was any hope?
The Republican platform is not only
inconsistent in this matter, but it is
outright hypocritical and insineere.
The platform doesn't mention the
income tax, the Federal Reserve
banking law, necessary and remedial
measures that it neglected or refused
to enact; it pretends to favor rural
credits but sneers at the rural credits
sysem recently enacted by Congress
before it has even had an opportunity
to be tested. Why did not the Re-
publicans, when they were in power,
enact a rural credits ysstem? They
never thought of such a thing until
constructive Democracy took it up.
And as to military preparedness, they
left the army, after their forty years
of governmental control, in am ineffi-
cient condition, and the present adj
ministration has been trying to bring
order out of chaos, efficiency and suf-
ficiency out of ineficiency, with Re-
publican Representatives throwing
all the obstacles they dared in the
way of the Administrations efforts.
Yet they hypocritically condemn the
Democrats for not correcting in a
year or two their blunders and neg
lect of years sanding. And the mer-
chant marine-oh, yes; their platform
of principles" throws up its fgura-
tive hands in horror at government
ownership of vessels, but it wants the
government to substitute private
steamship comprehensive them he
peoples money to encourage them to
build more ships. No, the platform
doesn't use the word "subsidize"-
that word is anathema in the peoples
ears-but that is what he "weasle
words" mean.
For "weasle words" Offering gen
eralities, and "pussy-footing" the
Republican platform is mastery eff
fort at side-stepping.
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