Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-10-05

a. :
tonal defense, amounting to $685., oOO, 900:
but in every branch of the government
an unparalleled extravaganza is author
lied by these appropriations.
, BUSINESS 1IAMPERED.
| President Wilson tells the business mon
| of America that their energy and initia-
tive have been too narrowly coached
and superintendent that they have been
too timd and provincial and they should
he set free. Indeed, he says, that alike
in the domestic field and in the wide
field of the commerce of tho world Amer
lean business and life and industry have
been set free to move as thcy never
moved before" And how has this free
dom been accomplished? First, by the
enactment of series OF restrictions
upon the conduct Of business, the effect
of which cannot be known until the
courts shall have interpreted the vague
and unscicntiGc language In which they
are expressed: and. secondly, by put
ting the national government into bust
ness in competition with private industry
in the most unheard of and unprecc-
dentcd way. It began with the appro-
priation of s35 O00,0 900 with which to build
a railroad in Alaska, and II has ended
that is. so far as the session of Con-
gress just passed has endcd-with the ap-
preparation OF sj0OOO,00O with which to
enable the government to embark in the
business of conducting merchant shipping
in competition with private capital Con-
gross has created and conferred upon n
shipping board of five commissioners ex-
tensive powers of control which must
operate to chill and prevent any invest
, ment of private capital in this field. The
democratic Congress has appropriated
. 81 DOC. 900 to establish an armor plant
1t has appropriated 500 0OO 0oO to establish
fertilizer plant. 1t has created up
wards of 10000 new Offices in three years
l ut an annual cost of upwards of s37, 900 600
1t has increased salaries in many offices
: 1t has given the lie absolute to its pro-
r fessions against extravaganza and in
' favor OF return to simplicity and
= economy in government. SO far from
adhoring to the principle Of preserving
4 and maintaining in their fun strength
8 the integrity of tho three coordinate
1 branches of the federal government, nc
4 President has ever cncroached upon OF
e dominated the forces of legislation ms
1 has Mr.. Wilson. His whole conception
, of his office has been the conception ot
f the leader of a parliamentary govern
n mont: not the conception Of the constitu
I, tional President of the United States
8 So far from retaining from enlarginf
d and magnfying the powers of the fedora
n government, the Democratic party ha!
h pushed the powers of the federal gov
f eminent beyond any precedent. Legis
h laton has been enacted which sets a
y defiance all constitutional limits upon tn.
:. powers of the national government {,
= invade the functions of the State govern
= ments
= The enforcement by the Wilson admins
g istration of the antitrust law has beer
a farce The vigorous enforcement o
o the criminal as well as the civil Law
It against trusts and trust officials" spen
n itself in one absurd and abortive prose
e cuton of the directors of the New Have,
n railroad system, upon q preposterou
|: theory that % years ago the directors o
e that company had formed a conspirac.
n to monopol2e all the transportation sys
II TENS of New England and that ever,
i person subsequently elected director o
&c the company became party to tn
g criminal compact.
~ THE CIVIL SERVICE.
l. The pledge to honestly and rightly
l. enforce the law pertaining to civil serv
Is ice, Ito the end that merit and abilit
sr shall be the standard of appointment an
r. promotion rather than services rendere
J. to political party" has been shameful
IS abandoned Law after law has been pu
20 upon the statute books creating add
IT tional offices with the provision that the
" should be filed without regard to tn
IN civil service law. The extension OF civ
III service rules to fourth-class postmaster
n and deputy United States marshals unde
he President Taft was reversed by Pres
IS dent Wilson. So complete have bee
lie the violations of the civil service Law
lie and of the platforms pledge concernin
lie it, that with the sanction of the Pres
"a dent. the civil service commissioners hav
adopted policy of secrecy and refuse
~ information or access to their records t
l. the National Civil Service Reforr
ct League, n body of eminent public-spirite
n citizens concerned in the preservation {
ly the great principle of the application c
il the merit system in appointments an
promotions in the public service.
DEMOCRATIC RECORD ABRuAD.
So much for the democratic record
=. government AT home. And what of /,
i record abroad? Has the moral leader
N ship of the American people been az
- vanced among the governments of III
~ world during the past three years
"a What democrat would be so bold as I
g., assert such to be the case? The recor
~ OF Mr.. Wilson's administration Of FOL
80 eiEn affairs on this continent Is one
i, ignominous infamy. No American ca
49, think Of Mexico without blush
10 shame and to-day after three years
L. vacillation, of statement of principle onl
~, to be followed by its abandonment. Me,
leo lies PROSTATE, a hell of anarch,
~. while 100000 of the flower of America
youth trickcd by subterfuge of legi
-, lation into becoming a "federalized mil
H., tia" are withdrawn from their ordina1
n vocations and profitable employments
. serve as a police force along the nortl
- crn border of Mexico to protect II
;ts Texans against invasion by wanderir
80. bands of brigands. and a force of Anne
:, lean regulars infested into Mexican te
no. ritory without any apparent reason. a.
Inn "cribbed. cabncd and confined" again
-. the exercise of the normal functions
f. a military force invading n foreign nj
ri, ton, while prcpostcrous commiSsio
H., wastes the days and nights in wor,
a at New London. when not occupied
a., receiving social attentions from the Pre-
~, ident and his encourage.
IN 1t would be too long task here
ra rchearse the sickenng history of Pres
dent Wilson's dealings with Mexico du
~ ing the last three years. II was his pc
sonal policy which was followed II
- is the personal responsibility for Il
-. awful destruction of American and Me
~ lean lives and property in that unhapI
land during the past three years.
=, Speaking of affairs in Europe, Mr.. WI