The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-02
ACHIEVEMENTS of Democratic Party and Its Leader Since March 4, 1913.

SonS the bitterness of the women!
 struggle for the suffrage and his ap prehension that long-continued fem.
 mist agitation will subvert normal DO.
 lltical issues.' For a brave man this
 seems a strange submission to what
 he thinks destiny and an intemperate
 agitation.
 Finally, MT. Hughes vision ot
 America prepared and secure strong
 and just; equalj to her tasks; an ex-
 emplar of the capacity and efficiency
 of free people is the vision of all
 American patriots. No election issue
 can possibly be made out of that vis-
 ion.
 Tn view of this lack of guidance
 for voters in the official declarations
 of the two parties, and in the accept
 ance essay of the opposition candidate,
 the intelligent and conscientious vo-
 ter may most wisely seek guidance for
 his vote next November in a compar-
 ison of the acts or deeds of the Dem-
 coratic Congress and the Democratic
 President with the Republican acts or
 deeds in the four preceding admins- trations,-that is, since the close of the second Cleveland administration.
 q. The Democratic administra- ton accomplished within a few
 months of its accession a revision of
 the tariff downward. This revision was moderative and conservative; but it reversed the general tendency of of the four preceding Republican ad- ministrations. It seems >to have rec
 commended itself to a great majority of the American people; because they realize that the home market cannot support the vast machinery: industries in which American workmen excel, and the livelihood of a considerable fraction of the people is earned. In regard to many industries employers and employees alike have learned that foreign trade is essential to their sup port and development.
 '"This indispensable tariff reform was
 made promptly by the Democratic Congress and administration, and in a wise and successful way. The re- form took effect at fortunate mo- ment; because it promoted that great dustries which the war brought about It is to be hoped that the war will bring about a reduction of protection ist activities throughout the civilized world; because they tend to develop hostile feelings and act among nations, anN therefore to delay the coming of lasting international peace. For these reasons the continuation of the Dem ocratic party in power is much to be desired.
 "2. The repeal of the act concern ing the Panama Canal tolls, an act to which all the foreign nations interest ed in the use of the Canal took excep- ton, was an important contribution by the Democratic administration to the civilized practice of observing scrupulously all treaty obligations. It was possible for honest men to defend the exemption of American coastwise vessels from the payment of tolls; but foreign nations presented sincere ob- jections to this construction of the treaties and agreements concerning the management of the Canal, and it was not for the United States to in- sist on the interpretation most fla vorable to itself. In Congress the di- vision on the question of repeal was not on party lines. Some Democrats were opposed to the repeal; some Re- publicans- were in favor of it. It was the urgency of the administration, however, which carried the repeal President Wilson therein did his coun- try and all democracies a great service, which the independent. voter would now do well to remember. Some po- lit{cal philosophers have pr4phesied that democracies would lack the finer instincts. It turns out now that it is empires which break their promises, and take treacherous ad- vantages.
 "3. When the Democrats came into power in 1913, the Republican admin and Congress had been dis cussing for several years measures for reforming the national system of bank ing and currency; but they had failed to bring any effective legislation to pass. The Democratic administration and Congress carried the Federal Re- serve law within a few months after coming into power, and promptly or ganized with admirable discretion the first Federal Reserve Board. This Board got to work Just in time to pre- vent a financial panic and to preserve the credit of the nation at the outbreak of worldwide war which suddenly destroyed the existing system of finan- cial and commercial exchanges all ov- CT the world. No American admins tration has ever before accomplished so great contribution to the sta bility and efficiency of American bus mess credit and financial enterprise. Business men of all sorts-fnancial, and commercial, rec ognize the high value of this remark able achievement; and to many of them it seems fair, and also good for the country, that the same party which procured the enactment of the Fed it.
 A. One of the admirable results of the incoming of the Democratic party to power was the prompt enactment of a national Income Tax law. An in come tax, properly laid, is the justest and most expedient of all taxes in but the Republican party was wholly unable to get an income tax enacted in times of peace, and in deed never seriously advocated it ex- cept in war times. It is not sur. prising that in so difficult a piece of work the Democratic Congress made some mistakes in the structure of the act, and that the Democratic admins ration was not altogether successful in the working staff for so novel and large an undertaking; but it is certainly fair that the party which put the income tax on the statute book should be intrusted with the i'm DrOvement of the act