The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1916-11-03
WILSON CAVE US
NATIONAL SAND
FOR PROSPERITY

NEW YORK. Nov 81
would call the great national
drama now being enacted be
fore ioo.ooo.o 900 Americans, The
Days Work. should cast
Woodrow Wilson as the leading
man and tho hero, II | were
considering II as melodrama. I
should cast Hughes for what
We call the comedy heavy.
Roosevelt would be slated for
what In the old theatrical days
we called the eutwood robber.'
"'Cutwood' was cloth drop
representing a forest scene and
IL was easily dropped down be-
tween two stage trees. The
robber WAS the fellow who
skulked across In front Of this
to staeeato music. In our play
the leading heavy 10 the man
OF wealth and the leading
Juvenile 10 the man who 10
working for the average days
wage"
was talking to Augustus
Thomas. tho foremost living Amerl-
can dramatist. In his quiet study
at the top OF the Empire building.
Il is here that he writes his plays
aud here that he works as art direc-
tor OF all the great frohman theat.
rical enterprises.
used TO De Laborer
had asked him. as a playwright.
To put In form what he thought OF
tho political play now being staged
before tho American voter. The
above Is his answer
IL was. OF course, given ioculariy.
Then Thomas became serious. lie
feels very keenly that the present
contest Is OF the greatest Import.
anec 20 the average American To
my surprise. he told mo that he had
worked as u youth as CLERK in the
railroad yards Ia his home town OF
ST Louis and al 10 had been master
workman OF No. Q. Missouri As
Hembly OF the old Knights OF Labor
II saw how the boys worked.
the s~itehmen. the firemen and
tho engineers. I knew their
long hours and their often In
adequate pay. am strong for
them"
When n man has for years writ.
ten plays that have made great
audiences laugh and cry. when In
"Alabama" he wrote play that
Henry Watterson said did moro to
end sectional feeling than all the
editorials he himself had ever
penn.d-then saying things with u
punch" comes natural. Here are
Just a few that Thomas put over
the plate And they came just llk-
this bling bling bling
4 am for Wilson for president
because under his leadership. for
the first time In 20 years, the soul
Of the nation has been articulate
"he has begun ard greatly
advanced a restoration OF gov
eminent 10 the people; he mas
taken from les thros, the grasp
Of plutoeraey. and from It's
pockets the fingers OF special
privilege.
Under him the expansion and
contraction OF the nations cur
rency. especially tho contraction.
has been placed In the peoples con
troll
Under his application Of tho In.
como tax great individual accumuia.
tons OF wealth-many OF thcm the
result OF legislative fayoritism-are
NJ last paying more nearly pro
portionato share OF the nations ex.
penseH.
Under Wilson the farmer pro
ducer who buys at retail prices and
must sell az Wholesale. has NJ last
a banking right to borrow. "a we'll
az other producers. who buy al
Wholesale prices and sell at retail.
"under Wilson the men who
chain childhood 20 factory ma
chimes car no longer make the
government a silent partner In
exploiting their product.
In his public utterances Wilson
has gladdened tho deconcy OF the
nation by substituting for class
NlfaIFs lfFHbHAi AHAAf anu NtANfft-
alton. the orderly discussion OF
measures. tendencies and ideals.
In this great European war ne
has preserved a true neutrality. ns|
the rabid dissatisfaction 81 the
partisans on both sides attests
win changing eircum-
stances In Mexico he has skill.
fully changed method and
eounteroheck. but never aband.
oned the guiding principles OF
helpfulness. charity and justice.
In this crucial period OF the ma.
tons life. the party which is show.
ing unexamplci capacity for con.
structlve work and is moving for.
ward AT n rapid pace. must not be
replaced by n standpat. egisceratel
and embalme6 cadayer facing back.
wards. and mounted on derd
horse
Hughes says our present
prosperity is founded on sand.
agree. Wilson furnished the
sandl"