The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-09-22
IN ADVANCE
WILL THE PEOPLE DO IT?

especially Germany, and that contin.
gent Of German sympathizers in this
country who have done all they
could to embarrass and hinder the
president in his foreign policy, would
take his defeat as a rebuke to his
firm and decided stand against Ger.
many's inhuman submarine warfare
and disregard of International law and
neutral rights on, the high seas. Not
withstanding the fact that Germany
conceded the correctness of his in
depreciation of international law and
/ the justice of his demands, and that
she acceded to those demands and
pledged PREPARATION for the lives and
property destroyed by her ruthless
submarine warfare as far as repara-
ton could be made, President Will
sons defeat would imply condemna-
ton by the American people of his
positive stand for their rights and
lives upon the high seas, and JUS
LITIGATION of Germany's sinking of the
Lusitania and other merchant vessels
without warning, search, identified
ton or without giving the passengers
even such poor chance of escape as
life boats would afford out on the
open sea. Do the American people
want to place themselves before the
world in that attitude?
One of the most pointed reasons
given by Prof. Irving Fisher of Yale
University, in summing up his rea-
sons for favoring the reelection of
Mr.. Wilson is, that change of ad-
ministration might plunge US into
war, and that in the four months be-
tween election and the Inauguration
it would certainly paralyze our for
eign policy; that if Mr.. Hughes is
elected neither we nor foreign nations
will know, during that interim, ex-
actly where we stand. Prof. Fisher
is assuredly right on this point, for
no one knows what foreign policy Mr..
Hughes would inaugurate. He has
not once taken the public into his con-
fidence on this important question.
He has INDUCED in indefinite seedlings
at Mr.. Wilson's foreign policy, but
he has not deigned to give even a
hint of what his course would have
been in dealing with the grave issues
thrust upon the administration by the
European war, or what it may be if he
unfortunately should be elected. If
he has any clear or definite ideas Of
foreign policy he has not ventured
to make them known, and it is natural
to infer that he has none.
1t would be an unwise not to say
perilous move to displace a leader
who has demonstrated his ability to
deal wisely with these intricate for
eign questions in a firm and definite
way that has kept our country out of
entangling alliances and maintained
peace with honor, and to place at the
head of the nation an unframed man
who has no clear ideas as to how
these questions should be met. If Mr..
Hughes has such ideas he has not
had the manliness and courage to give
them to the country that the public
might have an opportunity to study
and weigh them with the policy he SO
recklessly and indiscriminately con.
dennis. But serious as a change Of
administration would be in the nidst
of such circumstances, there are mary
other reasons of national and donles-
tic moment why change of admins
tration would be impolitic and I'M
wise.
When one considers the many con-
structive and beneficial reforms that
have been enacted into law under the
present administration, the POSSIBLE
ity of defeat and the rebuke that it
would imply, must cause him to
pause and reflect. 1t would show
lack of appreciation on tae part o:
the people Of what the Wilson admin
istration has accomplished record
of wholesome and wise reform never
equalled by and other administration.
1t would be a rebuke Of good work
well done. Mr.. Hughes and his reac-
tionary hackers have INDUCED in
carping fault-fnding Of this work, but
they have not offered a specific rea-
son or argument against any one
measure or attempted to point out
wherein lies its weakness. What is
ore to infer from this? Only that
they have no forward vision; that
they only look backward to the old
Republican reign Of special privileges
and a protective tariff for protec-
TONS sake.
Do the people object to The in
come tax--the only plan of taxation
by which great wealth can be reached