The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-30

utterances?
 The people are entitled to know whether MT. Hughes means, if elect ed, to embarrass the Allies in their struggle for the freedom of the world simply to save a few days in the de- livery of mails, or to assist the agents of Germany in this country in their campaign of lying spying and con- spiring. The people are entitled to know whether MT. Hughes intends, If elected, to keep this government neutral as MT. Wilson has done, or whether he intends to take sides. and if so, which side. Until he clears this matter up the man who votes in the dark may be voting for some form of intervention in the European war on the side of Germany, Austria and Turkey and against the cause of liber- ty. democracy and law
 As to Mexico, there is only one question and MT. Hughes declines to answer it. This country can either continue to pursue the policy of MT. Wilson, subject to all its embarrass- ments and delays, or it can intervene with an army of conquest. Does MT. Hughes favor the latter course :? Everyone has right to know, but
 
 may well mean vote for a 25-year occupation of Mexico, the loss of all respect for this country in South America, and the abandonment of our ideals of self government.
 Getting no assistance from the Re- publican candidate beyond what is furnished by his evasions and per- sonal boasts, we must turn to the platform and history of the Republi- can party for enlightenment as to its purposes if successful in this cam paisn. Here we are to some extent on solid ground. We are told that the tariff should be raised again, that is, that the iniquities of Mo Kinleyism and Dingleyism should be revisited upon the people in order to swell the profits of the manufactur- ing classes at the expense of all the rest. And, although we are not told, we know that the success of the Re- publican party means a cabinet of millionaires and promotion lawyers, and the filling of our foreign embas- sies by men who can spend $1OO,OOO year besides their salaries.
 |, No better proof of the difference between the two parties can be given than that furnished by their attitude toward the vexed question of pre- paredness. Within twelve months after President Wilson's inauguration, and despite the fact that if there was inefficiency in the army and navy, it must have been the fault of the Republican administration during the preceding eight years, the most vio- lent attacks were made on the Presi- dent and his cabinet for the insult ficiency and demoralization of these branches of the national service Sub- sequently, when the President was forced by the events which were talk ing place in Europe to revise his views about the proper size of our army and navy, and recommended a great increase in the appropriations for both, he was accused of vacilla- ton and denounced for changing his rpind. This, we take it, he did; but SD did every other thinking man in the United States when he under stood the military lessons of the Eu- ropean war and realized that there was at least one great power that was ambitious to dominate the world ard to that eEd was willing to violate every principle of international law and every rule of Christian morals. The result of the extraordinary ap- propriations voted by Congress at President Wilson's request, and of his wise use of the militia during the past six months, is that our navy will soon be as efficient as the defence of the country requires, and that the army is probably in a better condi- ton than at any time since the close of the Civil War.
 The difference between the prin- ciples of President Wilson and the Republican party is that Mr. Wilson wants an army and navy for defence, while the McKinley-Roosevelt type of Republicans want one for the spoil- ation of countries that cannot fight, like Colombia, Mexico and Spain. | There is no/reason why anyone who has been a Democrat, although he may notl ike some of the policies of the present administration, should not support MT. Wilson with enthu- siasm on account of his ability to se- cure the more fundamental objects of the party; and those independent voters who have been acting with the | Democracy on the tariff and other issues will make a terrible blunder if by their votes they plunge the coun- try into another orgy of government | by money presided over by a man who either has no definite views on the important questions of the day, or, if he has, is afraid to state them. |