The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-02-18

Dut the war. FurIueTnOTe, were IL
not for this war, we would today be
in the depths of the blacklist kind OF
industrial depression.
| Artificlaiiy Stimulated Industries.
These "artificially stimulated !" in
ldnstries must collapse when the war
ends; the chairman predicted, for
"our whole industrial fabric will then
be called upon to Withstand an at
tack such as it has never suffered be-
FORE" re-
when that time comes" the sem
ator warned, IF the democratic tariff
remains upon the statute books, all
of these great industrial nations,
whose energies are now devoted OK
ciusivcly to the waging OF wdr, will
transfer their every effort, organized
and concentrated to an extent never
before attained, to a rehabilitation
and restoration of their suspended in
j dustries. Their: greatest and most
| inviting market will be the United
States. 1t will not do for the spokes-
man of this administration to say that
we can prevent the dumping of cheap
goods into our ports by the setting
up of rules of regulations governing
invoices furnished by American con-
suls in foreign countries. Everyone
knows that our government is with
| out power to fix or control the price
at which the foreign manufacturer Of
| fers his goods for sale in this coun-
| try. Any such suggestion is idle talk
and illustrates once more the incoln-
petence of the democratic party to
comprehend a great industrial fact.
I'VE hear much discussion and adj
vocacy of a proper military defense
! of the United States against a war
of aggression. 1t is healthy dis
cussion and the republican party is
sincerely in sympathy with this vital
| ly important movement. But this
party insists that along with military
measures, the nation must prepare it
self industrially for the peace which
is to come. And we declare that the
only. instrument for such defense and
the only barrier which can check this
inevitable invasion and save our
whole industrial life from utter de-
struction is. protective tariff
Root In Keynote Speech.
New York, Feb. 16.-In a speech
criticising the Wilson administration,
especially in respect to its foreign
policy, former United States Senator
Elihu Root, as temporary chairman of
the Republican state convention,
sounded here what was regarded as
the keynote of the Republican national
campaign. r....-ss.
He was introduced by Frederick
Tanner, chairman of the state com.
mittee, and was greeted with an ova-
ton which lasted two and a half min
utes.
Every seat in the, convention hall
and all standing room was occupied
long, before the convention opened,
The boxes. were almost entirely re.
served for women, one being filled
with suffragette leaders.
The first part of Mr.. Roots speech,
which was devoted to consideration
of the tariff and economic conditions,
was. received in comparative silence,
but when he opened an attack on
President Wilson's Mexican policy he
was. repeatedly interrupted with ap.
plause. SO .- -rf.
The first prolonged outburst of
cheers came when Mr.. Root, turning
to European affairs, denounced Presi-
cent Wilson's policy as one of max.
ing threats and failing to make them
good" It's g. "A . E=
In the prepared speech that Mr..
Root sent out in advance he referred
to Theodore Roosevelt as one of the
men who had believed it the duty of
the American government to protest
at the violation of Belgium's neutrality
by Germany. This reference was
omitted in the actual speech. a
The temporary chairman himself,
denounced, however, the failure CT the
United States government to protest
against the invasion of Belgium.
Denounces Belgium invasion.
'cIf the public opinion Of the world
he said, was to remain silent on that,
neutral upon that, then all talk about
peace and justice and international
law and the rights of men, the prog.
ress of humanity and the spread of
liberty, is idle patter, mere weak SEN
timentality."
Mr. Root charged the present adj.
ministration with "the lack of fore
sight to make timely provision for
backing up of American diplomacy by
actual or assured military force" with
"the forfeiture of the worlds respect
for our assertion of rights by pursuing
the policy of making threats and Of
failing to make them good,' and with
"a loss of the moral forces of the civi.
lived world through failure to truly
interpret to the world the spirit of the
American democracy in it's attitude to-
wards the terrible events which ac-
companied the early stages of the
war"
These, Mr. Root said, were the adj
ministration's three fundamental er.
rors." s
Discussing the domestic situation
before the European war began Mr..
Root declared that during the eighteen
months of Democratic control there
had been STEADY decrease in Amer.
can nrOductiOn in nynartS and in rave