The Glenwood post., 1916-09-16
0 Promise Me President Broke
His Word With Greatest Ease
Says Chief Progressive
HUGHES GOOD ENOUGH

Editor The Glenwood Post,
Glenwood Springs, Colo.
Dear Sir:-It is the duty of every
American citizen to make and support
openly his choice among the candidates
for the presidency. That duty is es.
pecially solemn this year because great
events and great decisions are certain
to confront us during the next admin
istration. l am writing to give you my
reasons for my own choice. If you
care to lay them before your readers,
you are at liberty to do SO.
I am neither Democrat nor a Re-
publican, but Progressive. Yet, there
being no Progressive nominee, unless I
choose to support candidate who can
not be elected, must vote for either
Wilson or Hughes.
For many months after his inaugura-
tion, L thought well of President Will
son. In many respects I liked what he
said about what he was going to do.
He talked well and made a good M
preston. 1t was only when I began
to check up what he said by what n4
did that 1 was forced to change my
views.
In the end came to see that Presi-
dent Wilson has greater power than
any other man in public life to say
one thing but do another, and get away
with it.
The facts which justify this state
ment are common knowledge.
We have all heard him tell Germany
publicly that she would be held to strict
accountability; and have learned after
ward that he had actually let her know
secretly at the time, by the mouth Of
his secretary of state through the Aus
trian ambassador, that what he said
he did not mean. We have all seen
him prove that he did not mean it by
his total failure to exact reparatiou,
apology, or even disavowal for the mu--
der of Americans on the Lusitania.
1 do not say that Wilson should have
thrust us into war. There was no need
of war. But there was need of cour-
age to give us peace with self respect.
If Wilson had shown courage this
country would not have skidded from
one crisis to the next, again and again
narrowly escaping Disaster.
We have all heard him declare
against Intervention in Mexico. while
actually intervening to dictate who
should and who should not hold office
there; and denounce war against Mex
leo while actually engaged in war.
With war on every side of us, we all
heard him, in his second annual mes.
sage, solemnly assure the country that
we had not been negligent of national
defense. 1t was not true; and later on
he himself proved that it was not true
by proclaiming aloud the need for what
he had solemnly assured us we already
had.
For more than year after the world
war began, Wilson did not raise fin.
ger to put us in a condition of defense.
Only the proverbial good luck of Amer
lea has kept us from paying the bit
terest price for his unforgivable neg
lect.
We have all heard him ridicule the
idea of greater navy, then declare
for incomparably the greatest navy in
the world, and then go back on that,
We have all heard him declare Cor
e1empting our coast-wise trade from
tolls in the Panama canal; and have
seen him show our own people and the
English that he did not mean 1t.
We have seen him elected on . plat.
form which pledged him to a single
term as president, and then become q
candidate for another term.
We have all heard him declare for
the conservation Of our natural no.
sources; and have seen him neglect
that policy, and refuse to help to de.
feat the Shields waterpower bill, the
most dangerous attack on conservation
since Ballinger's effort to turn Alaska
over to the Guggenheims.
We have all heard him declare for
efficiency in government, and have seen
him set the pork barrel first and throw
away. have known official
Washington from the inside for six
administrations. In that time the gov
ernment business has never been so
badly done and so extravagantly as it
is now done under Wilson. s.,...,
W.