The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-04
WILLIAMS J0SHES
 HUGHES ABOUT HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
Calls Expressions of Republl- can Candidate Only the Plat
 itudeS of Politics.
(John Sharp Williams, United otates Senator from Mississippi, in the
 New York WOrld.O

(John Sharp Williams, United States Senator from Mississippi, in the New York world.)
 have just received your request to dissect the Hughes speech III apou' a thousand words, and to give you brief comment as to how 1t IS oelhs received in Washington.
 I have been sometimes unJusIly complimented as being fairly ingen- ious, but I am afraid that I am not m genious enough to be able to use a thousand words dissecting this par |ticular subject. However, I will try my best.
 How was it received. That re- minds me of a historical incident. A distinguished President of the United States appointed a man Attorney Gen eral. The latter concluded that he would go back to the neighborhooo where he had been raised and Whlcn he had left because he could not make a living, to see how the people took the news. Upon rhe way from the railroad station to his aboriginal village, he asked them if they knew man Nby a certain name, namlns 5 himself? One of them spoke up ana said, "Yes, he is the man the Pres- dent has just appointed Attorney General" He said, well what did the people say about it ?" The reply was "They hain,t said nothing much; they jest laughed"
 "Platitudinous Rehash."
 The speech is a platitudinous rehash of negations and blind partisan nate. It "views us with alarm," but it does not "point with pride" to any Re- publican achievement. There is noth- ing positively affirmative in it except the last part, in which MT. Hughes positively accepts the nomination. There is a long arraignment of the President because of what he has done and failed to do in Mexico.
 But the American people are wait- ing anxiously yet to know positively and affirmatively what MT. Hughes will do, if he should be elected Pres ident., He might have come out pos 'tively in favor of immediate inter- vention in Mexico. If he had done that, he would have stood at any rate upon firm ground. Nine-tenths of the American people would not have approved of his locating himself that way, but at least he would have beeH
 
 telling what he would do tomorrow if he were in Wilson's place. That Wilson may have committed some mistakes in Mexico goes without say ing. expect he knows it better than MT. Hughes does. But it seems all of them turned out in the long run fair ly we'll, wether by accident or on, pur- pose.
 Wilson "Called" the Kaiser. The same thing is true about his larraignment of the President regard ing the Lusitania incident. The Pres ident demanded a disclaimer and change of policy upon the part of the Kaiser, and the Kaiser agreed to the change of policy and made the dis claimer. True he did it after quite a time and in rather an ungracious way, but he did it, which was all that was insisted upon. 2 ly man in this world that ever "call- ed" the Kaiser ''to taw," made him ''toe the mark" and stay there. Up- to-date, at any rate; the future can be permitted to take care of itself. He has done it all without entangle- ment in the European war of barbar- ity and insanity.
 MT. Hughes arraigns our lock of paredness-charges it all to the Democratic Party and the Adminis- tration. We have appropriated the largest amount of money ever appro- priated in the history of the Republic for both army and navy preparedness, or preparation for the common de. fense, to use a better phrase. Again he is all criticism and no affirmation. Does he want to appropriate more than we have already appropriated? Who Kept Us Unprepared.
 great many people who are quarreling because we have appropriated so much for the army, though very few quarrel about what we approprrareo for the navy. Woat is Mr. Hughes figure? How much better does ho want us to go thar Roosevelt or Taft or Mckinley?
 Is he right in saying that if we had oeen more resol1te than MT. Wilson in pr, tecting Amerl :an rights it would cot have led to war with Europe The President was resolute, did pro- tect American rights, and his protec- ton has not led to war with Europe. If the European war found us shock ingly unprapared," to use his own lan- guage, who left us "shockingiy un- prepared?" A few general words about the Organization of peace" whatever that means. if anything def mite at all, seems at first blush to be a little affirmative, but it is rather va gue.
 His reference to our prosperity as
 temporary is at best an assumption. How does he know, how do you know, how do I know? It seems to be pret- ty real. As only about 19 or 20 per | cent. Of our exports have been mu- nltlons of war; our prosperity cannot be charged to the European war. Be- sides that, any man that knows any, thing knows that war anywhere on the globe never of itself brought prosper 1ty to anybody anywhere else. The amount of legitimate trade destroyed by 1t always overbalances the emer- gency trade created by it.
 1 Wilson as Leader.
 It Is rich to hear MT. Hughes say that the President has followed, not led," when a whole lot of gray haired Senators at Washington are charging him every day with having led too much. The truth is that he is about the first President since Andrew Jack son died that has in fact led Even f Lincoln followed, as certain War Gov ernors learned when they wanted, inn a fn