The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-02-14

BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.
Washington, Feb. l2.-tSpecial. III
would be one of those curious situa
lions In politics If three weeks hence.
at a time when we were beginning
to plunge into the greatest war the
world has eyer known, we should be
inaugurating a president who was
elected on the issue she kept us out
OF war AT the same time no one can
say that President Wilson has not
done all ne could to prevent the con
filcting nations in Europe from drag
ging the United States into the horrible
cataclysm which has engulfed all the
world.
Many of President Wilson's oppo
nents during the last campaign as
serted that there was no way in which
the United States could get into the
war; that there was no place for either
the military or the naval establishment
Of the United States to make war on
Germany. In a measure this il true,
for we can send our battleships into
the war zone and have them t~orpedoed.
WIN 0Ouiu Dt a putt VI tue war, anu
We can also send a few hundred thou
sand men to take their places In the
trenches of France and Belgium. The
outlook is not particularly pleasing.
Preachers of Peace.
One feature of the present situation
is extremely striking. On the evening
before the president went to
with his ultimatum which meant war
William j. Bryan spoke for peace In
New York and William ii. Taft spoke
for peace In Washington. Bryan was
for a league to promote peace at any
price, and Taft was for a league to
enforce peace with arms.
Just what is a country to do when
two men, one who has been q candi-
dase for president three times and the
other who has been elected president
once and defeated for n second term,
appear at m of the most critical times
In the nations history and advocate
peace entirely on different lines?
1t is evident that the world Is some
what topsy turvy.
Another Striking Feature.
After President Wilson had delivered
his war message to congress a man
who had beer Interrupted i'm the midst
Of a speech on the naval appropriation
bill resumed where he left off and talk
ed to empty benches. The senators re-
turned to the chamber full of mlsgiv-
ings, doubts and fo~rebodings, and a
handful OF them talked about the agri-
cultural appropriation bill.
Naturally it would seem that both
nouses of congress would take into con
sideration a message of such vital i'm
portance as the president delivered, but
1t IL the way of congress to pass on to
inconsequential things at times when
most momentous questions are pending.
Standing by the President.
When the immigration bin with the
presidential veto was being considered
In the house Congressman Bennett of
New York, who was very much against
the immigration bill with its l~iteracy
test, had this to say:
1T is strange that the very day the
eloquent gentleman from North Caro-
lima, Mr.. Kitchin, urges us to stand by
the president is the day on which we
choose to repudiate the presidents lead
ership in foreign affairs" Kitchin had
e urging congress to stand by the
president in his tariff bill In spite of the
s~ectionalism which had been charged.
Williams and the indian Bill.
Senator John Sharp Williams has al
ways had a fight over the rights of the
Ch0ctaw Indians In Mississippi. 1t
m up every time there is an Indian
appropriation bill, and that is once a
year.. When the bill was recently un-
liams remarked:
Nov, then, ! am prepared, unless
my motion to strike out Is sustained.
to read all the hearings of the com
mittee and some parts OF the Encyclo.
paedia Britannica In order that the
rights OF the Choctaw Indians of Mis-
sissippi may be maintained" In q lit
tie while bis amendment was adopted
Speaking Of Coast Defenses.
When the bill for appropriating $52,-
100000 for fertilization of various har-
bors was under consideration In the
house Congressman Howard OF Geor-
gfa referred to 1t as preparedness by
d~rophobia.' He also said that in ten
years every dollar of the money which
was being appropriated would be alb.
solutely worthless as far as national
defense was concerned. And. reverting
to the war in Europe, he said, with
the exception of the Dardanelles and
the Notifications in Belgium, there has
not been a fortiication gun used on
the coast Of any Of the ~belligerent
countries up to date"
Howard might have gone further
and referred to the fact that in 1893
with twenty-one warships lying out
side of Santiago harbor, the old, obso.
lete Notifications Of MORO castle AT