Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-06-19
New York WORLDLY

The best definition Of democracy
that we know was framed by Elihu
Root:
Popular government is organized
self-control- organized capacity for
the development of the race
In our opinion the greatest living
leader Of such a democracy is Wood
row Wilson.
During the last two years Mr.. Will
son has guided the republic through
the most critical period of its history
since the Civil war. The problems
that his immediate predecessors had
to solve were childs play in compar-
ison with those that confronted him.
He has rested under a burden of re-
sponsibility heavier than that of any
other president except Washington
and Lincoln, Throughout it all he has
kept the peace and honor of the ma
ton and the true faith of democracy.
1t is easy enough to find fault with
the president. Mr.. Hughes had hard
ly thrown off the robes of his judicial
Office before he made a smashing at
tack upon Mr.. Wilson, but, like all as
sailants of the president, Mr.. Hughes
did not venture to say what he would
have done that Mr.. Wilson failed to
do or what he would have left I'M
done that Mr.. Wilson did.
For an answer TO all such criti-
cism we shall go to another eminent
republican, Samuel W. Mccall, now
governor of Massachusetts, who in a
lecture at Yale last year on THE Lib
erty of Citizenship" said:
ITO rebuild history in Imagination
and to avoid in our mind the errors
that have been made is not at all a
difficult art. 1t is no more difficult
than to get rich out of yesterday S
stock market But the statesman who
stands in the front of the advancing
line and facing the future has no
control over the past. His domain is
the present and he strives to infiu-
ence what is to come. He must act
before the knows how things are go
ing to turn out"
Governor Mccall has admirably
described the difference between Pres
ident Wilson and Mr. Hughes in this
campaign. The president is the man
who has been in the front Of the ad-
vancing line" and who had to act be-
fore he knew how things were going
to turn out. Mr.. Hughes has been
sheltered in the cool and quiet clois-
tiers of the United States supreme
court, and now rushes out to censure
the man who has borne the heat and
brunt of the battle.
When judges like Mr.. Hughes are
perplexed by an intricate and com
plicated case, they order the lawyers
to reargue it. The cases that have
come before the president could moi
| be reargued. He was compelled te
decide without dela< or hesitation
| questions that involved the destiny oil
| the nation for half century There
was nobody with whom he could share
the responsibility. The peace and vel.
| fare of 100000 900 Americans hinged
upon his word, and he has brought
them safely through each difficulty.
! One of the complaints Of the presi.
| dents critics is that while his atti,
! tude toward Germany was sound, he
deserves unsparing censure for the
! long delays that ensued before the i'm
| perial government conceded his de-
mands. This is like attacking Hughes
| for having been nominated on the
/ third ballot instead OF the first bal
| lot. Grave issues must be settled wher
they can be settled, and between nego.
! tiation and war there is no middle
! course
! He is very conceited man who
dares to stand before the American
| people and tell them in detail wherein
/ he would have been a better presiden,
| than Woodrow Wilson None of the
| presidents critics, including Mr.
| Hughes, has yet undertaken that task
| Nor do We think that Mr.. Hughes, with
/ all the advantages that come from
rebuilding history in Imagination and
getting rich out of yesterdays stock
market, will venture to submit a bill
| of particulars to prove that in the
midst of the world disaster of modern
civilization he would have been q
wiser and an ADLER leader of democ.
racy than the president has been.
The American people owe their
| peace and prosperity to Woodrow
Wilson, and they owe TO him the most