New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-04
The Candidates

canlSm and fiaOby sentlmenIdlCy
which neglects American interests
under the pretence Of serving man.
kind" They are also to choose be-
tween two candidates whose char
acters and methods offer an instruc-
tive contrast.
Mr.. Wilson's most salient charac-
tcrist.c is instability. His mind does
not work consistently; constancy is
10 part Of his intellectual makeup.
lie is therefore never dependable.
There is no expression Of his on any
political question made since he be-
came President which cannot be con-
troverted by an exactly contrary eX-
preston. lie has done no single act
as President which does not conflict
With something else he has either
said or done.
It would be tedious to enumerate
all the questions on which he has
been now on one side and now on
the other. lie has declared in favor
IF the broadest possible assertion of
neutral rights on the high seas
even for the maintenance of princi-
pies Of humanity beyond the scope of
international law. But he has al
ways. when pressed, narrowed his
theoretical championship of neutral
ights 10 cases in which American
citizens alone were involved; and in
practice he has seldom obtained any
satisfaction whatever for the muir
der of Americans or for other viola
tons of American rights.
He has protected American inter-
ests by force in Hayti, the Domini-
can Republic and Nicaragua, but has
fatty refused to protect them in
Mexico, although using force there
for other purposes. He has been for
and against the maintenance Of the
Monroe Doctrine. for and against the
new doctrine Of Pan-Americanism,
for and against scuttling out of the
Philippines. for and against the ar
bitration of labor disputes, for and
against military preparedness, for
and against woman suffrage, and
still against the extension of the suf-
frage by constitutional amendment;
for and against a tariff commission,
for and against single Presidential
term, for and against economic prep.
aration to meet the competition Of
Europe after the war.
Mr.. Wilson's admirers say that he
ic eclectic-a pleasant word with
which to cover up his inability to ad-
here TO any convictions, to stick to
any policy, to hew straight to any
given line. Having this failing to
an extraordinary degree, Mr.. Will
sons craftsmanship has been a jun
BILE of theories, an orgy of contradic-
tons. He has never thought ahead,
never planned anything beyond a
quick turn around the next corner.
lie has met in the same way all the
troublesome situations which have
arisen-by means of appropriations
good for the moment only. He has
lodged problems, but they have al
ways come back. Then more legerde-
main solutions have been drawn out
of stage hat.
This might pass for craftsmanship
in quiet times-in the life of an Ad-
ministration confronted by merely
routine domestic problems. But Mr..
Wilson's Administration has coin
cided with the greatest convul-
sion the world has ever known. He
has poured out words copiously on
the troubled waters. But words have
been of no avail in a crisis when in
tense intellectual concentration, ST.
lent forethought and deadly earnest
ness were the qualities which ought
to have dominated our national
policy.
Only by tenacious exhibition Of
those qualities could American in
terests be safeguarded. But Mr..
Wilson talked, dallied, criss-crossed
end muddled. His sentimental shilly-
shallyiag ruined American prestige
abroad. His sham Americanism has
Inundated US and set us back in
countless ways at home.
Mr.. Hughes is a man Of an en-
tircly different stamp. He does not
run riot with words. He is self-con-
tanned. He makes no promises which
he does not intend TO keep. He does
not commit himself TO policies which
he expects TO abandon whenever he
thinks some temporary advantage is
to be gained by abandoning them.
He is intellectually constant and po-
litically courageous.
When Mr.. Hughes was Governor
Of New York he exhibited all the
qualities which 80 TO the making Of