The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-10-07

WHICH SHOULD IT BE?

One month from to-day the voters of
the United States come into their own.
On Nov they will have the opportu
nifty of saying which one of two men
they will have as chief executive during
the four years following next March 1t
promises to be choice of far reaching
consequences, as indeed it always is but
the more so this year because of the APP
parent uncertainty of the result and be-
cause of the tremendously important is
sues to come before the government in
the process of the restoration of the
worlds relations following the expected
close of the war during the term of the
next president. On that day the voters
will commit themselves largely into the
keeping of one man. To be sure the
other two departments of government
the legislative and the judicial-still re.
main to preserve the balances as much as
possible; but the department which vir
tually takes the initiative in government
the executives to be filled by them
at that time.
Therefore, it is eminently fitting that
well, to determine which one of the two
leading candidates is the better fitted by |
nature and training for the work Wood |
row Wilson has been in office nearly four
years. He has had the opportunity to
make good so conclnsively that there
would be little or no. call, barring party
politics, to replace him. Has Wilson
made good to such an extent? Has he
shown himself such superior man in
affairs of state that the people are sat
isied it would be mistake to change
Is he. in short, the best man for the
place?
Admittedly, Wilson has been high
minded Admittedly, he has striven to
please. Admittedly, he has had some
serious problems to face. But despite II
his high -mindedness, his passion to pla
cate, his touch of idealism in handling
great problems, it cannot be said that
Wilson has been wholly success as chief
executive. In fact, he has been too filled
with the spirit of idealism, too trusting
in his relations with people other than
his own too fearful of the consequences
of making a decided stand let come what
might, too eager to hit the easy middle
trail. Because of those characteristics
he has really added little to the prestige
of the United States, although encoun-
tering many opportunities for so doing in
the four years now coming to close.
He has not stamped himself indelibly in
the minds OF the people of this nation as
great man, nor in the minds of the peo-
pie of the world at large. To the latter
Wilson has appealed as more or less of a
high-sounding talker, but not essentially
a man ready to back up his words. He
has put on bold front al times but has
frequently found an easier way out when
the opposition bucked W good and .
strong. For instance the "strict ac-
for murders of neutrals on 6
the high seas-the Lusitania case, TO be t
specific His words "strict accountable
ity," carried deep meaning. Why were v
they uttered unless Wilson was ready to
back them up? Were they, despite the s
bold front, advisedly chosen in dealing il
with a nation like Germany? Wilson t
well knew, or ought to have known, that t
the United States was not prepared to g
back them up; and for year after they S
were uttered Wilson did nothing to make t
the nation prepared, still trusting, no t
doubt, in the god of luck and 5000 miles $
Of wild sea. That and other outcrop {
pings are cumulative evidence that VIII p