Belding banner., 1916-11-29
no WOODROW WILSON

From the Advance, 8. Chicago pub
lication, we clip the following advice
it gives to Woodrow Wilson:
"You have been reelected Presi-
dent, as you doubtless know, and it
was by a rather close vote. You
were elected not because the Demo-
Gratis deserved victory, but because
the Republicans did not deserve any,
thing better than defeat. You have
been reelected in spite of what the
majority Of the voters believe to
have been an unstable foreign poll
icy; but because they believe that
you have endeavored to do well under
very trying circumstances, and the
Republicans have not proved that
they could have done any better. You
are saying that you regard this as
an endorsement of your policies, and
not such an Endorsement as you
would have liked.
You are to serve four years longer,
if you live that long, and for at least
two years, and we rather think for
four, you will have a Republican
House of Representatives You can
easily use them as scapegoat for
anything that goes wrong; and
things will go wrong enough if you
and Congress do not get together
on some working basis.
Mr.. Wilson, we earnestly advise
you to form what in Great Britain
is called a coalition government. You
and your Congress are welded for
two and probably for four years, for
better or worse. The members of
the House can be candidates for re-
election, and you cannot. The Demo-
cratic party has done about all it
can do for you, and you have done
all that duty requires for the Demo-
cratic party. But you can do some
great things for the United States
of America if you let it be your one
ambition to give to the country
great American administration and
nothing else.
The Republicans will be planning
to elect a Republican President four
years from now. You must not
blame them for that, nor expect too
much sainthood from them. 1t is for
you to be better, nobler, greater
than they; to formulate policies so
high above all partisanship that you
shall compel them to support you
when you were candidate or a poten-
tial candidate.
not readily take advice. We are
a man of Independent judgment; but
there is such thing as OVERRIDING
the matter of independence. During
the next four years you will need,
not only your own best judgment and
conscience, but the best advice and
the heartiest cooperation you can Sc
cure, not from Democrats only, but
from Americans of every party, and
if you are to make your leadership
effective, you must have the coopera-
ton of a House of Representatives
that wants your party to be defeat
ed four years hence. You can have
four years of deadlock, without try
ing very hard. You can see America
Inundated, and can blame Congress
and perhaps Congress will be to
blame. But it is just barely possible
that you can formulate policies so
great, so constructive, so broadly
American, that you can compel the
loyal cooperation of Republican
Congress.
1t will not be very easy Mr.. Presi-
dent, but it is not quite impossible;
and unless you do it, it will not be
country a great, broadly patriotic,
American administration, one in
which loyalty to America combines
with high-minded regard for the
welfare of all nations and all hu-
manity. The present situation de-
mands this. and nothing less. Only
a truly great man is capable of such
a program. 1