Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-16

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has been toward the destruction of
American industry by = tariff for reve-
nue. only.
rT1HE denomination Of Mr.. Wilson has
i been foregone conclusion since cleo
ton day, 1912. Any other Democratic
President would have been renominated
In spite OF the historic Democratic opposi
ton to two terms. The Republican GUS
tom has been to give its Presidents two
terms. This custom IL so binding that 1t
enabled Mr.. Harrison to secure a second
nomination in spite of the prevailing
belief that he would be defeated, and
under the same circumstances II secured
denomination for Mr.. Taft.
The Democrats, however, turn their
backs on all their professions and tie
themselves up to a man who they think
can win. They did this in the case Of
Cleveland, who was Burcharded into the
presidency in 1884. Mr. Cleveland pledged
himself to single term, but his party
nominated him again in 1888. The coun.
try, which had tired Of It's taste of Demo.
cratic rule, elected Harrison. In 1892 the
Democracy again put Cleveland In the
field, and he was elected this time because
of the political ineptitude of Harrison.
The Indiana statesman had alienated the
leaders of his party and the election went
to Cleveland really by default There was
no vigorous opposition. Then Bryan and
free silver took possession of the party
and, Notwithstanding his Overwhelming
defeat in 1896. he was able to hypnotize
all opposition and carry away another
nomination in 1900. The party tried Par
ker in 1904 and returned to Bryan again
in 1908, and there were many Democrats
who wanted to try him again in 1912 He
was not nominated. but he nominated
Wilson.
Mr.. Wilson's election was not n triumph
for the Democracy, even though he had
an overwhelming electoral majority The
Republicans were so buslly engaged in
cleaning house that Mr.. Wilson slipped in
while the opposition was looking the other
way.
He is not going to slip In this year. |
There is to be a square fight between the |
two great parties. The Democracy will |
be on the defensive. It cannot resort to |
its usual practice of offering a sop to |
every disgruntled group of citizens in |
the hope of winning votes. 1t must stand |
or fall by what 1t has done and not by |
its promise of future performance 1t |
has been on trial as an instrument of gov |
ernment It cannot blame its failures on |
a hostile Congress or hostile President. |
It has been in control and has worked |
its will, or 1t has wabbled where 1t had |
neither will nor knowledge to guide II.
1t is boasting that 1t has done more con.
structive work in its three and half |
years than has been done In the whole
previous history of the country. But, of
course, this Is a mere idle boast There
are no facts to justify it.
There are facts. however to Justify the
charge that 1t has been unequal to the
responsibility put upon it, unequal both
in the White House and in the Capitol. |
Its Mexican policy has been a muddle
from the beginning. The President began
by trying to decide for the Mexicans what
kind of a man they should have for a
President, using all the pressure at his
command, short of armed force, to oust
Huerta- When Huerta had been ousted
Mr.. Wilson turned right about face and
announced that he would not allow any
one to interfere with the Mexicans In the
settlement of their own disputes. His
latest position verges on q return to
his first.
When all the forward-looklng men were
urging an increase in the size OF the navy
and an enlargement of the army in order
that we might be in position to enforce
our rights in the emergencies arising
from the world war, Mr.. Wilson insisted
that there was no need for adding a sol.
der to the army or a ship to the navy,
but when the imminence of war was upon
him he rushed from Washington in a
panic to stir the people to demand those
preparations which the informed men had
told him from the beginning were neces.
sary
Then, under his directions. Congress
passed tariff bill which made the duties
as low as 1t dared, arranged to put sugar
on the free list and actually put lot of
other articles there and thereby created
deficit in the revenues When he signed
the bill he said that the thing had at last
been accomplished for which he had been
longing all ms life.
But his Congress has had to reverse
itself and continue the sugar duties, and
it has been compelled to levy a lot of spe.
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ruptcy. The defenders of the Administra-
ton insist that these special taxes have
had to be levied because OF the war, but
that does not defend 1t. II there had
been no war there would have been a
deficit just the same and American indus
try, which has been protected by the
withdrawal OF men from industry abroad.
would have suffered from the flood of
foreign goods that would have entered
the country under the tariff law passed
avowedly for the purpose of opening the
door to foreign competition in the .domes-
ito market
If Mr.. Wilson and his party had made {
no other blunders their passage OF an
tariff law and their pro-
fessed purpose to make it still more un-
American by disregarding the necessity
OF protection are enough to condemn them {
to overwhelming defeat.
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