The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-30
(By Nathan Matthews, Former Mayor utter
 of BoSton.) TT

(By Nathan Matthews. Former Mayor of Boston.)
 Whether we are influenced by the achievements of the past or by the promises and probabilities of the future, our vote should be cast for
 MT. Wilson.
 So far as the record of the past three years is concerned, while we
 may think that mistake have been
 made, we cannot deny that no party in the history of this country has brought about so many needed re- | forms in so short g. time. More for tunate than President Cleveland, MT. Wilson has had a working majority
 behind him in both houses of Con- Civil War the Democratic party has
 been able to show what it can do | when it has the power.
 Among the positive results have been a. real though moderate reduc- ton in the tariff, the establishment of our finances upon a sounder basis than at any time since the passage of | the National Bank Act, the placing for the first time of our army and navy upon a proper footing. In the conduct of foreign affairs we have
 redeemed the honor of the nation in the matter of the Panama Canal tolls,
 we have kept our faith with the peo- pie of Mexico and South America, and the dignity and neutrality of the government has been maintained in the difficult situation created by the European war. These results have been obtained in part by the cooperation by Republi- can members of Congress-; but, in the
 main, in spite of their opposition;
 and they would not have been pos sible but for the forceful and persis-
 tent leadership of President Wilson. | It goes without saying that this great work, undertaken as it had to
 be in the middle of difficulties greater than any that have beset the govern
 ment since 1860, has not been accom- plished without mistakes. Inefhciency
 has been the handmaid of democracy
 in every land and age. and this coun- try in the twentieth century is Qo ex- ception. Great financial reforms not be brought about, gross economic | abuses corrected, and the whole mi1i- | tary system of nation changed in | three short years without the com-
 mission of some legislative and ad- ministrative errors. These can be settled in the future. Much less can | the foreign affairs of democracy be conducted without friction or mis- take when half the world is at war and our most troublesome neighbor in a state of anarchy. The main re- suits have, however, been obtained in spite of these drawbacks and diff1- culties We should be thankful to l have secured them at so small price.
 | And this also is true: the admins tration of the past three years, both in Congress and the executive depart | ments, has been free from the domin- ation of wealth, which under all re- cent Republican administrations has l filled the cabinet, occupied the dip1o-
 matic service and controlled the acts of Congress. This administration has | been a closer approximation to a gov
 ernment of the people than any in re- cent years. There has been no room l in it for the millionaires who put their stocks and profits above their citizenship or attain high places by the simple process of spending
 money Judged by its. record the ad-
 ministration of President Wilson de-
 serves the vote of everyone who be-
 
 There is little in the way of other
 issues furnished by the campaign.
 MT. Hughes campaign raises at
 the outset a question of political pro-
 priety, which ought of itself to- de-
 feat him.~-A strong argument could
 be advanced that justices of the Su- preme Court of the United States ought not to become candidates for | political office; but in any event, there 1 is no need of following up a resigna-
 tion from the court by any such cam paign as MT. Hughes is making. Un-
 able, unwilling or afraid to make any
 direct issue with MT. Wilson, his 1 speeches are nothing but criticism of 1 his opponents abilities and motives
 and glorification of his own. He re- fuses to say what he would have done
 in MT. Wilson's place, or, what is of
 more consequence, declines to, state what he will do if elected. His con-
 stantly Reiterated plea is mere as-
 sertion that he will do better than
 his opponent. The spectacle of a
 candidate for the presidency of the
 United States running up and down
 the country, soliciting votes on pure
 ly personal grounds without any ad-
 vocacy of principles or measures, is I ambition which is new to this coun-
 try, and which ought of itself to
 bring defeat.
 A good illustration is MT. Hughes hattack on the President for advocat- ing and signing the so-called eight
 hour law. Some of us may think that the President was wrong in this mat
 ter; but is MT. Hughes sound, or
 even sensible on the subject of this law? When asked if he would favor
 it's repeal, he replies with a phrase, You can't repeal surrender" This is the silliest kind of evasion; for the
 law is continuing in it's effect, and if it is fundamentally wrong, its opera ton could be stopped by Congress at any time MT. Hughes, however, either favors the continuation of the law, or
 Is afraid to advocate it's repeal In either case he has no right to criticise it as a surrender of fundamental prfn- lciples.
 Silence and evasion are not the only vices in the Republican campaign.
 There is duplicity as we'll. They ap- peal to those of Us who think the government might have gone further than it did in condemnation of the ambitions, motives and conduct of the central European powers in precipi-