The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-05-27

command do not permit me to so to
any depth of detail. The first year
and a half following the Democratic
victory of 1912 saw the overthrow of
the protective tariff under which Amer
lea had become the greatest and rich
est and the most powerful nation on
the face of the earth. Twelve months
of the Underwood tariff law threw a
million American workmen out of their
places and brought many thousand
business men and employers face to
face with disaster and possible bank
ruptcy
Did the administration at Washing
ton or the Democratic majority in
Congress do anything to correct the err
ror? They did not. Had it been the
first experience of the kind We need
not have been surprised but it was not
the first. 1t was the fourth 1t had
happened once under Martin Van
Buren,, Democrat. 1t happened again
under James Buchanan Democrat. 1t
occurred once more under Grover
Cleveland, Democrat. Now for
fourth time the blunder was repeated
while in the white house sat Woodrow
Wilson, Democrat
We learned in childhood that the
leopard cannot change its spots 1t
ought by this time to be equally clear
that the Democratic donkey does not
change its bray When their revenue
system failed the remedy which the
Democrats applied was the one in
which their party is most expert.
They increased the direct taxes and
spent more money.
The havoc of the Underwood law
was stayed by the outbreak OF the war
in Europe The war held up the grow
ing stream of imports from the low
priced labor markets of the Old World
But the war brought new and sterner
problems of national honor and nation
al safety. Have these problems been
solved? They have not. For a year
and three-quarters the United States,
including the Democratic party, has
had before it the awful lesson of the
greatest war in the history of the
world and yet not one real step has
been taken to place this country-not
on "a war basis but on the only basis
on which nation can exist in peace
with reasonable degree of national
security.
God knows, and the rest of us sus-
pect that the Republican party has
sometimes failed but it never talked
and haggled for year and ten months
Pin the face of danger without doing
anything TO meet the crisis.
Here America stands today. not on
sound business foundation but de-
luded by a gamblers prosperity due TO
the temporary demand for munitions
of war-Here America stands, in one
hand white feather held up toward
Mexico and in the other hand tin
sword pointed at the kaiser.
The country needs change Of ad-
ministration. 1t is the duty of this
convention gathered here today to do
its part toward bringing change so
much to be desired To do this part
with patriots devotion we must lay
aside the jealousy and passion OF the
| past and face the future, not merely
with selfish desire for party victory
but with an earnest determination TO
| serve our state and country even if it
involves personal sacrifice and a Civ
| ing up of our own desire to the will OF
the party majority.
We have had division in our coun
ellis and hope the day may never
| come when We shall not be broad
enough and tolerant enough to dis
agree when we have honest differences
| of opinion, yet at the same time have
sincerity and self sacrifice and patriot
ism enough to lay aside personal pride
and factioual rivalry when our be
loved country is face to face witt
| humiliation and loss of prestige
Differences we must have but thC
hour Of danger is not the time or oc
casion for a divided party
The father and mother Of famil.
do not always agree in matters relat
ing to the household Brothers an,
sisters considering the same question
do not always arrive at the same con
cmsion. But when the sanctity o
safety of the home is threatene,
father and mother, brothers and sis
ters lay aside all trivial variance ant
stand together in defence Of the famil,
honor
\ political party is like a family. rel
resenting many shades of theory an
conviction, and it should be our prid
as Republicans to tolerate and respeC
the earnest belief of those whose judg
ment may not quite agree with ours.
Four years ago the Republican part
split and the result is that the countr
for four years and the government q
Washington have been in mskillfI
hands and the ship of state has bee
sailing close and closer to the rocks {
disaste;
Our settled determination toda
should be to forget the past, except II
lessons and build for the future
unity, honor and consecrated patrio
ism, and to do that duty this convel
= tion will now proceed
{ On the resumption Of the session u
/ ter dinner, the delegates proceeded
p the election of delegates to the natio
a al convention The FIRST seven nam,
S on the slate went through in rapid S
a lection. the men being chosen by q
clamation. They were as follows
d Theodore n Vail, Lyndon
/. H. X. Morse, Proctor.
II G. II. Prouty. Newport.
g G. NJ. Graves Bennington.
II f. II. Babbitt. Bellows Falls.