The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-10-17
COMPARES WILSON
AND CLEVELAND
Former Senator Edmunds
Replies to Olney's Defense
of Administration
SCORES OUR SILENCE
IN CASE OF BELGIUM
Venerable Vermont Statesman Recalls
Cleveland S Attitude at the Time OF
Threatened Chicago Strike - Com
ments on Lusitania Horror.

NEW YORK, Oct 17.-Former Sena-
tor George F. Edmunds of Vermont, re
plying to defence of Wilson admin
istration by former Secretary of State
Richard Olney, declared that Grover
Cleveland, under whom Mr.. Oney held
office, placed national honor and duty
above the danger of warfare when he
declared that one of our sister republics
should not be invaded. Contrasting
President Wilson Is course in the rail
road strike situation with that of Pres
ident Cleveland in the Chicago strike,
Mr.. Edmunds said that Cleveland mott
fed the strikers that all the powers of
the administration, including armed
force, would be eXerted to maintain
the supremacy and execution of the
law.
Mr.. Edmunds attacked the Wilson
administration for its absolute silence
during the invasion of Belgium, and
declared that it stood By like Apostle
Paul at the martyrdom of stephen,
=" consenting. The former senator ridi-
euled the idea of the Republican con-
gress resorting to flibustering to save
the Democrats from passing asinine
legislation. The statement in part fol
lows:
"When the innocent and peaceful
people of Belgium were made the vie
Tins of sudden war deliberately com
menced by Germany and carried on
with atrocities then hitherto unknown
among nations that even calle; them
selves civilized, there was never a re-
monstrance by our government to its
friend and associate in the brotherhood
of nations, but it stood by like Paul
at the martyrdom of Stephen, consent
ing. We thus became in real effect an
ally of Germany whom she intended tc
retain. and has since retained by skill
in endless discussions.
Had this administration spoken, as
l have no doubt every member of it
would have wished to speak, Germany
and her allies would have been told
that we could have no intercourse with
nations that disregarded the settled
principles of international law as well
as of humanity, and had they continued
in such course their representatives
would have been sent home and our
ministers recalled. Such action would
have been in no sense any cause for
war.
! "In President Cleveland s admins
! tration we compelled the recall of the
, British minister for having advised an
! English American to vote the Demo
cratic ticket at an election Tt would
have been ridiculous folly for Germany
! to declare war against the United
/ States, but if she had done so, we
should have been compelled to become
a belligerent, which would have put
Germany, and very likely all her allies
Including the Turks, in the attitude
of making voluntary and deliberate
aggressive war upon us for having felt
and expressed horror at their conduct
with Belgium.
"When the deliberate murder of The
passengers on the Lusitania occurred
the present administration did com
Iplain, while in Germany celebrations
etc, took place in honor of the awfu
crime, and nothing whatever was don,
lby our administration except to talk
which must have been delightful t,
1.-THE Germans, for nothing apparent,
could be done, ii was thought. unit
the discussions same to a close-a
they have not yet DONE The Presiden
was respectfully urged by some, prob
ably many, citizens to suspend inter
course with Germany, recall our diplo
matte representatives, and give tn
German ambassador here his passports
Nothing was done but continued an,
recontinued discussions.
"There is another subject in Mr.. Oh
ney s article claiming credit for tn
administration s dealings with tn
South American republics in respect o
Mexico, and the united action of SOM
of those countries in respect of thei
foreign affairs. All this MAJ be yer,
well, but praise for it belongs to al