Evening star., 1916-10-09
The President On the Parties.

The President thus describes the op-
position:
Men of every sort and variety of
purpose. [ will not say united, but as
sociated for an unavowed object. More
interesting than that and more ominous
than that, shot through with every form
of bitterness, every ugly form of hate.
every debased purpose of revenge and
every covert desire to recover secret
power, party made up like the occu-
pants of the ancient Cave of Adullam,
of everybody disconnected and insur-
gent against existing circumstances, and,
therefore. not very happily in confer
ence with one another. What would
happen if the republican party should
succeed on the 7th of November' If
I were a leader of that party / would
be afraid to get elected"
One need not accept the Presidents s
description to be able to appreciate the
fact that if the opposition wins it will
confront a mans job, and find complete
harmony of purpose necessary in doing
the job. Many questions will have to
be decided; and on some of them re-
publicans in the past have divided.
Maybe the President had in mind the
difficulties his own party encountered
after its Adullamite victory in 1892, and
which cost it in the end sixteen years
of power.
OF his own party the President says:
"Some very interesting things have
han :,x ! he
last three years and a half. When
went to Washington | went with GER
tain men i'll my mind who had long been
influential in the counsels of Congress
who / was told were reactionaries-men.
I mean, in the democratic ranks. And
1 want to say for these men that no
wheel horse in harness ever pulled
harder than they did in the direction
of the party's program Of progress. So
that l can testify that back of me as
q leader of the party there is an organ
lied, enthusiastic and determined team
that is ready to do team work and obey
every signal"
Is the President sure of this grounds
If his party wins, will it "obey every
signal as readily during the coming
four years as it has done during the
past three and a half. Of course, he
will give all the signals.
The President commanded obedience
from the previous Congress, and from
the present Congress at the recent ses-
sion, because of his hold ON his party.
Nobody doubted from the moment he
entered the White House that he would
stand for a second term. Hence it was
plain from the first that if his party in
Congress antagonized him it would in.
jure Itself as much as him. 1t must
uphold him in order to be able to make
. contest worthy the name this year.
But, if reelected, the President, ex-
cept as he may try to name his sue
eessor, will disappear from the 1920
equation. He will be barred from an
other try at the presidency himself. So
that his signals" may not be "obeyed"
during his second term as promptly and
generally as they have thus far been
during his first
There are democrats-not as frank as
Henry Watterson-who are giving the
President what Mr.. Watterson describes
in his own case as "a qualified support" !"
They are not at all in accord with him
on some matters, and they are expect
ing him to press his own views with
vigor on Congress if the country gives
tho extreme likelihood that if the Presi-
dent is reelected and another demo-
cratic Congress is chosen the team work
the President promises may not come
up to the hopes his promises are caicu-
lated to arouse.