The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-11
EDlS0nl LOOKS OVER ALL CANDIDATES, THEN PICKS
 OUT WILSON AS THE MAN
Distinguished Inventor Discusses Frankly His Opinion of the Merits of the Two Leading Nominees Times Too Serious to Talk in Terms of Republcanism or Democracy, He Declares.

"Shucks" With his finger he wig sled the compliment away from him. I say that I'm for Woodrow Wilson. l say it because I feel that it's up to every man in times like these to take position. But, pshaw!" He shook his head. 'It's just my opinion" MT. Edison has always been Re- publican" suggested MT. Saunders, and"-
 Don't put in anything about party"
 MT. Edison caught the suggestion and dissented vigorously. Times are too
 serious to talk in terms of Repub-
 licanism or Democracy. Parties are all right. Reckon we've got to have
 them with our system of government. But when it's America that's at stake
 men have got to vote as Americans,
 and not as Democrats or Republicans
 This man Wilson has had a mighty hard time of it, "he continued. 'I
 don't believe there was ever a presi-
 dent who had as many big questions to
 decide, as many big problems to solve. One has followed the other, and now
 and then they have come in punches.
 He hasn't always pleased me, just as
 l suppose he hasn't always pleased
 
 record over, it's so good that criticism | comes close to being nothing more
 than cheap fault finding. <
 "A fool or a coward would have | had the United States in all sorts of trouble. As it is, we are at peace, | the country was never more prosper
 ous, and we have the strength that
 comes with honor and integrity of | purpose"
 50 you don't agree with these peo- pie who insist that the United States has earned the contempt of the wor1d?" asked,
 "Bosh! Neutrality is a mighty try
 ing policy but back of it are interna-
 tional law, the rights of humanity and
 the whole future of civilization. Will son has won victories by diplomacy
 that are far more important to mah-
 kind than any victories that we could
 have won by war. I am no pacifist.
 I believe that there are times when a
 nation has got to fight. But war for
 the sake of war, or war for purposes
 of conquest is horrible and unthink- able. T imagine that Wilson wasn't very
 keen for preparedness at first, maybe
 so. But when he saw that intelli-
 gent public opinion was overwhelm- ingly in favor of it, and that our own
 safety demanded it, he set machinery to work that will probably give us a sound, sane, and adequate national defense. What if it was a change of
 mind. A President who refused to
 change his mind to meet changed con- ditions would be a dangerous man." You say here in your notes that it would have been neither wise nor right for the United States to have recognized Huerta?"
 Absolutely" MT. Edison never gains emphasis by beating the table
 with his fist. He depends almost en-
 tirely upon finger shaking. "A mur-
 derous personality! Had we recog- nized him, it would have served mo- tice upon the world that the United States, while believing in democracy for home use, was willing to stand
 for despotism where other peoples were concerned. It would have been a blow at constitutional government in every republic of South and Central America. stating to every scoundrel | that all he had to do to win the ap- I a president.
 "No. sir! President Wilson's Mex | icanN policy has been wise and just and courageous Mexico has been a trou- | blesome neighbor. but war and con- | quest are not going to make her a
 better one. Both against England.
 and then against human slavery, the
 United States worked out her saliva
 ton through revolution, and it was
 a pretty slow, trying process "Belgium?" suggested MT. Saund- | CTS. | "llindsight!" exclaimed MT. Edison. | ''Hindsight! In the light of two years
 it's easy to say what should have been | done. But at the time not a single paper or a public man even thought of anything but keeping the United | States out of the European horror. At least a year went by before the world | understood just what Belgium was be- ing called upon to suffer-" He stopped abruptly, and began to | towsle his hair and ,hdget his feet. The | shop was calling him. On the way rover Mr. Saunders had told me an
 anecdote illustrative of MT. Edison's
 absorption in his work. The iron and | steel experts of the world were hold ing an international congress of some sort in the United States. and one day was set aside for a visit to the great inventor and his laboratory. MT. Edison had just perfected the phono- graph, and the Englishmen, particu- larly, refused to believe it until they had seen it
 The party was eight hundred strong and headed by a number of gentlemen in silk hats, they marched solemINy into the hail where Mr. Edison was supposed to be waiting, But the place was empty, Guided by an in fernal c1amor, some of the American
 hosts entered nearby room. and
 found the inventor on his knees
 watching an electrio-driil bite holes in a sheet of iron. While waiting, it
 developed, the invention had come from the back of his head to the front and he had dashed away without an- other thought of the young army marching to honor him.
 I seemed to see signs of this ab sorption in MT. Edison at the moment and inasmuch as we still had three precious minutes left us out of a ten minute interview, I nudged MT. Saun- ders. He came nobly to the scratch.
 ''Tariff?" he said.
 There's another proof of Wilson's openness of mind," MT. Edison declar- ed, his interest instantly renewed. "No matter what he thought about the Underwood law, he had the courage to