The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-09-29
WHY I AM FOR HUGHES.

L / 04 E w
James R. Garfield, former secretary
OF the interior, today issued state
ment telling why he will support
Hughes for president. The state
ment follows:
Hughes is man of wisdom, cour-
age and action; his deeds have been
consistent with his words; as COVER
nor of New York he fulfilled his
promises; he acted with judgment,
foresight and vig0r; he feared no
party, no faction, no special interest;
he safeguarded the rights of all per-
sons; he did not yield to party ext
gency, nor truckle to popular favor;
he strove for justice and righteous
ness.
LAS justice of the supreme court
he steadfastly stood for human rights,
for popular government based upon
reason, for the wise construction of
the Constitution which makes that
instrument meet the needs of our
people as a nation, and guarantees
to the congress the powers to solve
our vital, social and industrial prob
lens.
HE is bound by no ties Of class,
faction or section, he believes that
the government should be admins
tered by competent men and women
for the benefit of all people, not by
party favorites for the benefit of
themselves and their party; he is in
sympathy with the best progressive
thought of our people; he believes
that women should be guaranteed
through the Federal Constitution
equal political rights and duties with
men; and above all, he stands for
the absolute protection of the lives
Of American men, women and chill
dren throughout the world.
"Our opponents object to criticism
of Wilson. They forget that the ad-
ministratiOn in power must necessar-
lily be on the defensive. It is not
the criticism that hurts, but the
truth and justice of the criticism.
"Wilson is not worthy of re-elec-
ton. Compare his promises with his
acts; his opinions when a teacher not
in politics with the opinions he now
expresses. A man should change his
opinion when he finds himself in er-
TOR, but it is most unfortunate if he
makes the change when he is a can
didate for office and when the change
seems popular.
He assailed a protective tariff
and tariff commission; yet he ap-
proved highly sectional tariff, and
now endorses tariff commission. He
was an ardent advocate of the merit
system; yet he has as president made
the most serious inroads upon the
merit system made by any president
In the last twenty-five years. He
talked about efficiency, but appointed
incompetent men to high office. The
people of Chicago ought not to forget
the actions of the Federal officials
who pretended to investigate the
Eastland disaster.
tariff and banking act would lift the
burden from the people and reduce
the cost of living. He found his tar
if failed to yield sufficient revenue
and is now strangely silent, on the
steadily increasing cost of living.
HE denounced the efforts of those
who would protect women and chill
dren by Federal laws against exploit
tation in industry, claiming that the
states alone could and should deal
with those problems. He now claims
credit for the Federal child labor law.
Unfortunately, it is a protective law
in name only. 1t is mere pretense,
a scheme to catch the unthinking
votes. No exploiter of child life need
fear the law.
1.-The Wilson doctrine of Too
proud to fight has bred weakness,
cowardice and disloyalty among our
people. Wilson preached unprepar-
edness until forced by an aroused
public opinion to change. Then in
haste he forced the enactment of the
Hay bill, which military exports and
the thousands of national guardsmen
now on the border know is poor
makeshift for real preparedness.
"People should not be fooled by
the catch phrase, Wilson has kept
us out of war The alternative of
our present conditions is not war,
but honorable peace based upon the
absolute protection Of the lives of
our citizens on sea and; land. In
this way only can we, gain the re-
spect Of other nations, and In this
way only would we deserve 1T.
Had Germany believed that Will
son meant what he said, there would
not have been the Lusitania horror
HAD Mexico believed that Wilson
really intended to protect Americans,
there would be Z totally different sit
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