Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-02
WASHINGTON BUSINESS

Continued from Page One)
cessurs in office did not do. however
much they were from Washington.
He is leaving for long trip right in
the midst of a session of Congress-
And it might be said that, with all
patriotic motives the President has at
this time, that his tours are never
theless serving political purpose
His tours constitute a great sWins
around the, circle and allow the peo-
pie to see him and get better ac-
quainteG. Other presidents have done.
as much but at other seasons. Per
haps attention might well be fixed
upon the feasibility of President Will
son having made his tours in behalf
Of preparedness in the late autumn
before Congress assembled and before
heavy government work Of the win
ter was at hand.
Republican Response
An outstanding feature of the exception
al situation is Republican support of
President Wilson. His own party would
ness. He has asked that preparedness be
made non-partisan. To this Republicans
have responded with cordially. The
House of Representatives is so honey
combed with Democratic recalcitrancy
that very great deal can be said in de-
bate there almost any day against the
President without provoking a retort
from the majority party. Speeches
against, preparedness have been numer-
Gus and incidentally. practically all OF
these have been Democratic speeches.
Gen. Sherwood of Ohio started off with
denunciation of the preparedness pro-
gram. Since then Marin Dies, buffoon-
tongued Democrat of Texas; w. Worth
Bailey. a Pennsylvania Democrat; Taven-
ner of the Rock Island arsenal district
of Illinois, and divers other Democrats
have held forth in the House that pre-.
paredness for army and navy were un-
necessary. Now while the President is
touring the West they are hiring halls
at Washington and in many other cities
preaching the doctrine of ant-prepared-
ness, TO say nothing of the Honorable
William Jennings Bryan. who is sowing
anti-preparedness seed country wide.
Republicans Prepared
Thus the great old Democratic party is
in the throes of an argument just the
like Of which has not been before since
the day of Thomas jefferson. patror
saint What wonder that the proper bus
mess of Congress lass, the while distin-
guished Democrats have it out before
~, rf
prepared AZ the present critical juncturs
are the Republican minorties in Senate
and House. They are prepared to tall
for preparedness and likewise to vote
for preparedness. the moment the slotf
full Southern Democrats will get dowr
to business and bring the preparedness;
bills in.
Leaving President Free
, Instances are rare where a poitica
party out of power has treated politi
cal party in power at Washington witt
so much consideration. 1t is still quite
a secret that during the first year of this
administration most Republican senators
were virtually under bond to the state
! department not to agitate the aggra vat
ing situation in Mexico. Mr.. Bryan. ther
secretary of State. urged that nflamma
! tory speeches be avoided and the Senate
! leaders on the Republican side respected
| the urging. And it has been virtually 81
| at this session of Congress. Two or three
| Republican firebrands from the West ant
| Southwest have let loose, but they arr
! not the entire Republican party. So the
| President has been left as free from an
| noyance as he could we'll expect. to cope
with the grave Mexican problems 1t i:
unnecessary to say that these have beer
perplexing in the extreme, but it was
praiseworthy, under all the eircum
stances. for Republicans to abstain.
Similar is the status as to the world
war that centers in Europe. There ha;
! been much outcry from private individ
uals and from organizations but Repub
, licans in Congress have abstained very
generally from drastic criticisms SO tina
the President might have a free hant
in the submarine negotiations.
Brandeis Nomination
| The House has been the legislative
| branch of chief turbulence thus far
! this year, but now it is the Senate
| President Wilson's nomination the 9TH
er day Of Louis D. Brandeis Of Bos-
| ton for associate justice Of the Supreme
| Court in succession to the late Justice
| Lamar, has raised a tempest there the
| like of which has not been seen over
| any other nomination for decade Mr.
! Brandeis is gentleman Of great abil.
f! ity but the objection to him lies in a
| belief that he is not of judicial tenn.
| permanent required for the greatest tri.
bunal in the world. Probably he will
| be confirmed, for the Senate will find
| il most difficult to reject him, even