Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-08-12
President to Make Swing
Through West During
Campaign
WILL MAKE APPEALS
Hughes Tour a Disappointment to
Republicans-Picayune ISSUES Fail
to Attract Interest

That President Wilson has no idea
of engaging in a purely defensl"e cam
paign for reelection is indicated by
the fact that he has made up his
mind to swing across the continent
| for 4 man-to-man and heart-to-
heart discussion Of the issues with the
American voter.
No formal announcement OF the
time when the President will start or
of his itinerary has been made for
the reason that neither of these de-
tails has been determined upon, but
Senator Phelan, of California, was
assured yesterday that the President
would make the trip. 1t is probable
that Mr.. Wilson will start about the
middle of September and will re-
turn some time in October.
1t is ntimated that the northern
route will be followed on the way to
the Pacific Coast. and that the Presi
dent will return by way of FL Paso,
where he will review the regulars and
National Guardsmen now patrolling
the Mexican border.
The decision of the President to
engage in a speech making trip
through the West bears out the state
ment recently printed to the effect
that he would fight aggressively and
not defensively for victory in Novem-
ber. He means 10 attack the record
of the Republican party while stand
ing pat upon that of his own, and to
force the Republican candidate t"
defend the Republicanism which ac-
compished his nomination, OF else
permit its conviction by default.
In making his assault upon the Re-
publican party the chances are that
the testimony Of Progre$sives will
,h,e cited to show that organizations
rnftness to govern the country. Nc
Democratic campaigner has ever as
7 allied Republican black -jackism, for
instance, as did Colonel Roosevelt
four years ago. No Democratic
spokesman ever denounced the e.. q.
p. leaders as did the Bull MQoSerS
orators in the three cOrnercd tlght
Of 1912.
Most of the revolt against the Re-
publican party has its origin IN the
country which the President proposes
! To visit. That was the section IN
which the first insurgency. led by
! Doliivcr. La Toilette. Cummings and
Borah. and men of that type, was born
and was given enthusiastic support.
That was the section from which HI
ram johnson, Henry and Lindsey hail.
1t is generally agreed That the
Hughes tour has been a disappolnt-
ment so far. But this cannot be ciarg-
I'd wholly to an demonstration Of
sentiment in the states which he mas
visited. 1t is more attributable to
the kind of campaign he has chosen
to engage in. He has raised plcayune
Issues.
{ Most friends of the Republican
nominee are painfully surprised at
the unappcaling character of his
speeches. They had been led to be-
licvc by his New York campaigning
years ago and by the inteilectga!
breadth of the man that he would
deal sledge-hammer blows at the Will
son administration; that he woul2
tear the record Of the last four years
to pieces; that he would expose tht
Wilson policies and show the people
that the present regime was one OF
=, failure and futility.
Instead of this, Mr.. Hughes~ha:
: been complaining bitterly about tht
promotion of veterinary surgeons II
the public service; about the decline
in the standard of diplomatic service
about the violations of the civil scr
vice law and about the appointment
of Democrats to Office IN the place 0
: Republicans. He has been lndulgio'
y, in sweeping generalities about "etfl
ciency3 in government; about "por!
: barrel" appropriations and occaslona!
.tlv about the sacredness of Amer
can rights in Mexico and in Europe