The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-06-02
LET THE REPUBLICANS
ALSO NOMINATE WILSON"
No Other Nation, Says Great Newspaper,
Would Tolerate Any Attempt to
Change Ruler in Midst of Crisis

I past dereliction on the part of the
Republican party, and as an exam
pie of leadership that knows how,
in times Of national peril, to bring ir-
recOncilable political elements into
harmony for the public welfare.
"They would point to the admins
tration Of Wilson as second only to
the administration Of Washington and
Lincoln in the record of mighty
achievement in behalf Of the Ameri-
can people.
CAN this and more would Republi-
cans say Of Woodrow Wilson if he
were a Republican President. Why
should the fact that he is Democrat
ic President preclude their saying it :?
"They have no Presidential candi-
date of their own who measures up to
the situation, and they do not know
where to find one. They have no is
sue. Why not nominate Woodrow
Wilson, as the Democrats are going
to do, and give to the world the most
impressive demonstration of Ameri-
can unity in great crisis that it has
ever known?
1--WE do not mean chat the Repub-
lican party should shut up shop or
make itself an annex to the Democrat
ic Party. That would be a calamity,
for party of opposition is essential
to republican institutions. The Re-
publican party could nominate it's
own candidate for Vice President. 1t
could name its own candidates for
Senators and Representative in Con-
gress, its own candidates for Govern
ors in the various States and for all
, local offices. Only the Presidency
would be excluded for the time being
from the arena of partisan strife.
mo other nation with leader like
Woodrow Wilson would be crazy
enough in the midst of a world cri-
sis to change or to tolerate any at
tempt to bring about a change. We
know Of no reason why the American
people should be less sane than other
people, or why they should permit
their vital interests to be bedevilled
for the edifcation of ambitious pro-
fessional politicians.
ut will always remain to the dis
credit Of the Democratic party that
in the strain and stress of the civil
war it nominated a candidate for
President against Abraham Lincoln
and sought for partisan advantage to
discredit the Lincoln administration.
Surely the Republican party at a
time like this cannot desire to emulate
that miserable example or Copper
head Bourbonism. 1t cannot desire to
weaken the influence of the United
States Government abroad by a par
tisan campaign against the President
at home.
Republican politicians talk much
about patriotism, American prestige
and the national honor. Do they be-
lieve what they say? If so, they ought
to welcome the chance to nominate
President Wilson. That would be a
supreme manifestation of patriotism.
1t would strengthen American prestige
in every capital of the world as moth
ing else could do. 1t would reveal to
civilization a united Republic, eager
for peace, unafraid of war and deter
mined to maintain he glorious ira
ditions of service to mankind which it |
inherited from it's Fathers.
What say you, gentlemen of the
Republican Convention? Is the par
ty whose proud boast is that it saved
the Union great enough and patriotic
to help give to American de-
mocracy a new Union in this day
when civilization itself is hanging
crucified on a cross of European i'm
Oerialism ?"