Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-03-02
GREENE ON WILSON.

"HEENE ON WILSON.
''''e'S article appears in the cur
rent issue Of Prosperity" the national
Iepuo''cah magazine OF which D. n.
Id.hocrton is editor. II Is entitled "TIow
""son mas Kept Us Out of War" and
| Is "r't'en by Congressman Frank Il.
urechc OF the first district Of Vermont.
~ 10 d sharp arraignment of the Wilson
administration in general, but In par
ucu'ar IN regard to the manner in which
'his democratic slogan is being used TO
conceal democratic failure.
congressman Greene says:
| indeed, practically the whole fabric
OF It's propaganda for continuance in
power IN time of peace rests upon the
| ingenious hypothesis. that we might all
thls Time nave been experiencing war in
stcad OF peace, and that President VIII
son has prevented such n calamity"
iunctuatng this presumption with a
few incisive phrases. the Greene article
| continues
is it not a fact, rather. that we
nave been kept out of the European war.
not because Of what President Wilson has
done to keep us out, but because none Of
Toe European powers wanted US in?
Every pertinent lesson of history tells
lis that, if the European nations to whom
President Wilson has despatched notes
of protest over violations of our rights
had not been too busy with more press
ing affairs at home. they would have
given far more serious attention to his re-
peated defiances. Even as it is. they do
not acknowledge or concede the justice
of his protests, generally speaking but
1pp to l. i,,,y,l tod a ro
10 fight because they have fighting
enough on hand already
This is not being kept out Of war by
President Wilson it is being denied a
chance to get In
The article points out that President
Wilson could not have gone to war if he
wanted to; that Congress would have had
to act; that while such project was
pending. the voice of a mighty nation
against needless war would have made
such an uprosr around the White House
as had never been heard by President
before"
Congressman Green declares that nc
one has been urging the country TO war
that the President has not had the
heavy weight OF adverse sentiment
against him: that mot a rational adult
citizen in all the United States has want
ed the country needlessly to become ell
gagged in the war" but that under any
other circumstances than those existing
in Europe " We would have been hui
inflated beyond measure by the fruitles:
policy OF protest upon protest that Presi
dent Wilson has purchased and would Zee
that we had lost our caste among thu
civilized people of the earth"
Coming to the conditions which thu
democratic slogan is cndeavoring to con
ccal, the article points out that this sor
of stuff conveniently overshadows thu
income law. designed to bolster up thu
Underwood TARIFF failure; that it under
takes to stiffle protests against sweatin,
the country under war tax when i
is the only first-c!ass nation on eartl
that is at peace
1t tends toward sitting annoying
queries as to why the nation is BROKE,
and fast getting worse:
1T blindly overooks any necesst.
whatever of explaining why treasur,
that had s1s5 coo 90 surplus in it wher
turned over by the outgoing republican
administration March I. 1913, has sine
been able TO keep practically nothing ex
cept its books, and even they so cleverl.
balanced that the abest financiers an,
expert accountants in the land are in dis
pute az to whether the money they SHOW
Is actually in the vaults as a national as
set or should he charged off as as ma
tional liza bility.''
That pure politics enters into tn
situation is indicated by the attitude o
the democrats, who not only urge tina
President Wilson has kept us out Of war
but, II war should come, they could Still
urge the time worn precept about chang
ing horses while crossing a stream. 'rhi
enables them TO play both ends aeains
the middle
AS a matter OF fact, the article shows
We have actually made war on Mexico
as the slaughter OF Mexicans and Amer
can marines al Vera Cruz abudantl,
demonstrates. Nothing but the helpless
condition of Mexico, it declares. prevent
ed a long and bloody strife
Republicans might as well face tn
situation. Failing at statecraft, tn
Democratic party is going to try and be
fog the entire political horizon with war
talk 1t is their only hope.