Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-10-17
Mr.. WILSON is At FAULT.

Some people have been misled Dy
President Wilson's bold Statement.
that the election Of Mr.. Hughes would
mean the entrance of this nation into
war. either in Europe or IN Mexico.
Mr.. Wilson credits his administrator
with the maintenance OF peace ana
reasons that II his policies are assam.
ed, then, evidently those VINO assam
them are in favor Of war.
Nothing could be farther from the
facts. President Wilson well knows
that Judge Hughes is hot advocating
war. He well knows that the election
OF Judge Hughes will not result IN
war. But he calmly tells the people
that there is no alternative other
than that of Wilson and peace, or
Hughes and war.
The facts are that we are at peace
with Europe despite, and not as re-
suit of, Mr. Wilson's foreign policies.
The peace is a shaky one and we nave
had to suffer loss of national prestige,
loss OF commerce and loss OF Amer.
can lives. We have threatened ana
clustered and written notes and turn.
ed tail and run, but thus far none OF
the European nations has found time
to attack us. Their best interests are
served by keeping us out OF the con-
fiict. Our peace with Europe is not
due to anything the administration
has done. Its numerous blunders. its
lack of firmness, its failure to exer-
else good Judgment, have been the
only things to even bring about a
chance Of war.
And as regards Mexico: it is a
strange peace that exists In this case.
We have an expedition quartered IN
Mexico and we have our entire army
on duty at the border. Our citizens
have been robbed, murdered ano
worse. Our government has been SCOT
fed 1T and its demands ignored. our
taxes have been boosted to the skies
and there are promises that bonds
will have to he issued to cover the
extraordinary expenses OF the invasion
of Mexico and the patrolling OF the
border. But Mr.. Wilson says we are
at peace with Mexico. So he says, It
his policy is wrong, then Mr.. Hughes,
election means war.
Mr.. Wilson refuses or fails to grasp
the fact that there can be firmness anO
Justice and reason in a foreign policy
with out it causing war. He cannon
sec that Judge Hughes seeks genuine
peace rather than the sort OF relations
that we nov have and which Mr.. VIII.
son ia pleased to call those OF peace
even while he is signing war tax
leyies:
The r-csident says the voters must
.hccs.n between peace and war. That
Is not tr,,c II there is anything IN
that .ine 10 choose between. 1t is Pc
tween a policy of reason and justice
and FIR ness as opposed to policy oil
vacillation and weakness.
The firi, End reasonable man does
not have to fight to secure peace.
Neither does he surrender his pre-
negatives. A school teacher who SAID
that in the matter OF disciplining stu.
dents it was choice between peace
and war. would elicit laughter. Every.
one who has had any school expert
ence knows that the best and most
reasonable cisciplinarians have the
least trouble. while the teacher who
surrendels the most 20 the pupils mas
The most trouble with them.
People must not be misled by the
Presidents statement. Mr.. Hughes
stands for real peace. the kind that IS
secure in it's own might, not the KIND
that is dependent upon the within or
fancy or humanitarianism of others.
Nj. Hughes election means peace
without loss OF civilian lives and ma.
tional honor; 1t means assured pros.
Aperity. There is no telling what Mr..
Wilson's election will bring about in
The way of war. but it is certainty
that If he and his party is not defeat
ed in November the end Of the war
will see the last of our present wave
Of prosperity. Mr.. Wilson does not call
things by their right names.