West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1916-11-16
The Test of Woodrow Wilson

L N''NNH ShN ~ ~ anu ctAOnu AlNNRlnnl
administrations.
What is more 10 the point, Presiden
Wilson will enter his second term witt
clean slate. The old issues are dead
The old political alignments are brok,
en-. The President has no friend.
whom he is under obligation to re.
ward. He ha4 10 enemies whom h,
could by any sp~ssibility wish TO pun.
ish. He owe nothing to any political
organization. to any faction, to any
special interest. TO any group OF vot
ers
No other President was ever &c
free at the beginning OF his second
term as Mr.. Wilson will be. He Is
bound by no party prejudices or ira.
ditions or theories or passions: he il
chained TO no precedents or policies
that he must seek to maintain in the
face of reason and truth
The vote shows that a majority O,
the American people approve OF the
Wilson administration; but IL also
shows the opposition vote deserves
the Presidents most earnest study
and attention, for he can learn much
from II. Fortunately, he is a man who
is willing to learn.
We should say that the Presidents
reelection is n national testimonial to
his purposes and his tendencies rather
than m blaukat inhOraa,,ao, - - -.
policies, for hundreds OF thousands of
citizens voted for Mr. Wilson who dis
agreed emphatically with him i'm many
things ne had done. But we believe
that the American people instinctively
trust President whose mind is open
and flexible, who has not closed his
brain TO new ideas and who knows
how to adapt theories OF government
to the actual conditions that confront
government. That Is why they have
trusted President Wilson throughout
this war and that is why they now
trust him to deal with the new pro-
blems the country must meet when
the war comes TO an end.
Most OF the governments that have
been wrecked since the dawn of his
tory have been wrecked by men whd
had rigid and Interchangeable theories
OF government and who tried to bend
the facts to suit their theories. II is
because Mr.. Wilson has the other type
OF mind that the American people have
selected him in preference TO Mr..
Hughes TO lead the United States
through this great crisis OF modern
history.
Mr.. Wilson's reelection does not
mean that the country approves of
everything that he has done. II does
not mean that the country indorses his
appointments as a whole or his meas
ures as whole or regards him as in
fallible. II means that the political
intuition OF the American people has
selected him as the kind OF man best
fitted TO cope with the situation that
now exists and the kind Of man most
liktly to measure up to that situation.
President Wilson is none the worse
Oft because his majority in the cleo
ioroi college is small. or because the
Democratic majority IN the Senate is
snail, or because the House is practi-
cally equally divided. His opportuni-
ties are the greater. When party pol
icy conflicts with broad public policy,
he can the easier maintain broad pub
Iff nnIfnu 10
alism for partysm whenever there is
a contest. and he can thereby appeal
for Republican support on the same
grounds on which he appeals for the
Democratic support
No man could desire the Presidency
on better terms than Il has come to
Mr.. Wilson. The elections have made
him the complete master OF the for
eign policies OF the country, subject
only to the veto Of popular opinion.
and that is true In large sense OF the
domestic policies. His second admin
istration gives him chance for lead
ership suoh as comes 20 a man only
now and then In the course OF centur-
les.
II is within the Presidents power TO
shape the destiny OF modern demo
cracy II he but measures up 90 his op-
portunities. He can write the preface
to a new volume OF world history.
Everything depends upon himself-up-
on his wisdom, upon his vision. upon
his courage, upon his judgment Of men
and measures. and upon his skill in
taking advantage VI clrcumstances
which neither he nor any other man
can control There are no influences
from without 10 pull him down. There
are no obstacles from within that can
not be overcome.
Facing the responsibilities that CON
front him, President Wilson can af-
ford to waste no time in personal ella
tion over his victory at the polls.
Tuesdays election is a call TO service
which must be answered tn the spirit
in which II Ia made. Woodrow Will
son is now approaching the decisive
test OF true statesmanshlp New York
World.
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