The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-10-26
TRUE UNDlLUTED ANlERICANISM.

Editor Reporter
We are at a critical period in the
affairs of our nation. By such state
ment l do not refer to our domestic
relations, for we are enjoying the
greatest era of prosperity within the,
history of our republic. Factories
are crowded with contracts many
months in advance of their ability to
deliver; the demand for labor is
greater than the supply, at wage
rate the highest known, and farm
products are commanding record
breaking prices. But ] refer to our
foreign policies in reference to our
relations as neutral to the belliger-
ent nations.
1t is folly to speculate what might
have happened in our relations to
them had President Wilson, pursued
different policy. Up to the present
time we do not know what we, as
nation, have gained through the far
seeing judgment and wisdom the
president has exercised. We have
assembled from a debtor to creditor
nation; we have advanced the COM
mercial marts of our country beyond
the dreams of man; the god of war
has not knocked at the doors of hap
py American homes to call the flower
of our civilization to the battlefield
for slaughter.
However, there is no occasion for
alarm so long as we assist and sup
port our real constructive statesmen
and leaders who stand for America
first in all things.
Should the republican party be re-
%v,r f0 h0 olnnfi0n
foreign policy would be reversed. Mr.
Hughes says so. But he does not say
Just what he would do. Since he will
not tell the people just what he will
do, they have right to guess. There
peace policy of President Wilson
and that is war policy. do not
believe that any true American,
whose moral principle stands high
er than his partisan principle, wants
our administration to make move
that might lead to war. The manu-
facturer, unless he be maker of war
munitions, does not; the merchant
does not; the farmer does not; the
mother who has raised noble sons for
American citizenship, and to maintain
the nations honor with resort to
arms if necessary, does not. The
natural conclusion is that some de-
signing politicians might be willing
to brook the chances of war to carry
out their mercenary motives.
The opponents of President Wilson
have assiduously refrained from at
lacking his domestic policies, for he
has met every pledge exacted of him
by the people; hence they have had
to conjure some issues in order to
inject little pep" into Mr. Hughes
campaign. So they have gathered
fragments of abated errors here and
there and woven them into crazy
patchwork of sordid criticism. Such
censure is the more harmful because
it emanates from source supposed
to expound the true doctrine of
Americanism. The hyphen issue was
made in America and the infant
industry was originally located at
Oyster Bay, but Mr. Hughes has so
adroitly pussy-footed from that to
the Susan B. Anthony amendment
and the walls of Mexico, that it would
be conjecture whether, if elected,
he would declare war against the
kaiser or erect monument to the
memory of Huerta.
1t comes from sources OF highest
authority that, should the American
people fail to give their endorsement
of President Wilson at the polls next
month, the German government will
abrogate it's submarine pledges to the
United States, and resumption of
ruthless submarine warfare may be
expected.
II there was ever time since the
Declaration of Independence favored
by incidental occurrences making
the election of the president of the
United States desirable by acclama-
ton, that time is now. And that ac-
clamation should be for Woodrow
Wilson.
Nothing would serve to take the
arrogance out of those nations hop
ing for the defeat of President Will
son, than our sending him back to
the White House by an unprecedent-
ed majority. The unification of
American spirit would be secure, and
the world would know that we, as a
patriotic people, renounce any i'm
ported admixture into our American
government for Americans and those
who adopt and love the untainted
freedom of our American institu-
tons.
r TT Morgan