The commonwealth., 1916-05-16
The Open Forum


cts of the people, hesitates and warns
before he is willing to commit himself
Navy, the cost of which staggers one 8
Imagination.
I doubt if we should be represented
by one who would be willing under all
circumstances and conditions to follow
another man, even though he be the
President. Such representative would
be of the "press the button' kind
It has not been far cry in North
Carolina when it was not treason to
disagree with the President
Secondly:
It is urged against Mr.. Kitchin that
he did not support the Shipping Bill
and there are those who tell the farm
era of the district that the defeat of this
bill caused them to lose money on thei~
cotton and tobacco. This charge is on
par with the old chestnut that Dem
ocratic Administration has in the past
caused the price of cotton to fall. The
worst part of the whole business is that
it is borrowed from the Republican
party to defeat the floor leader of tho
Democratic majority in Congress. Such
an argument is not creditable to those
who use it and it is assumed in the use
that the farmers of the district are
b]indly ignorant. This was an after
| fl,o,,~hf hxy% 30
his defeat, for since he cast that vote
and also since his views on prepared
ness were made public, he has been un-
animously selected by his colleagues
as their Leader and the President fav-
ored unqualifiedly his selection. To
use legal term} it appears to the
writer that the other side has been
estopped. I feel sure, however, that
they are not going to allow small
thing like Inconsistency to stand in
their way of opposition to one whom
in their hearts they have always op-
irosed.
So far as the Shipping Bill was con-
cerned I doubt if the people of the
district would be willing for the Gov
eminent to 60 in the ship building and
ship operating business; doubt if they
favor permanent government ownership
and operation Of steamship lines, and
what is logically the same, government
ownership of railroads. What is Mr..
Mitchell g position on this important
question:
On account of the necessity that had
arisen because Of the European War
MIR. Kitchin was always willing to vote
for Government operation of steamship
lines provided there was a reasonable
; limitation as to the time in which the
government should stay in the business
and in the last few days it has been
announced in the press that all ele
mcnts at Washington had agreed upon
! an act providing for the government
operation Of vessels with the Limitation
O. five years after the close of the Eu
1opean War. This has always beer
MIR. Kitchin s position. Intelligen!
men know that another pound Of cottor
/ or tobacco, even if there were avail
able thousand ships, could not be
!, shipped. - The British Order in Council
T forbade the shipment of cotton and 20
: bacco to Germany and Austria, and
later, even to neutral countries wher.
f there was a probability of reshipment
tt these countries.
= Mr.. Kitchin s supporters are ready
to meet anybody on his vote on thi.
= bill. 1t would have taken until thi.
, hour to have constructed ships und ]
this bill, and if they had been bought
this plan would not have added a shir
tc the export trade, because those sug
gested to be bought were already sc
engaged.
Are there any other arguments fo,
his retirementa
t 1t would be childish to suggest tn :,
t tine chairman Of. the ways and mean.
f committee should be beaten becaus.
4 some one is dissatisfied about the an
s pointment of a postmaster.
We do not feel that he should b<
b beaten because the New York papers
Y the Tribune and the Herald, OPPOSE
0 him. So far as they are concerned. IL.
e constituents down here in North Caro-
r lima know they can never coerce no,
J, use him for their interests or the in
: terests for which they stand. Their.