Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-02-26
WAR AND PARTY POLITICS
"ALDEN"

an American first, | am giving to his
administration wholehearted support
for in war, men behind the firing line
can be divided into two classes only
those who stand by the Government
fully, unreservedly and openly, and
those who oppose the Government
faint-heartly, questioningly or secret
faint-heartedly, questioningly or Sc
cretly-open hostile opposition is toe
dangerous. There is no middle ground
of loyalty. He who is not for me, is
against me. You are either friend OF
foe.
You may start in on a war as a re-
publican or a democrat, but party
principles fall away and crumble be-
fore the all important demands and
issues of the war. The greater, the
more momentous the conflict, the more
mere party issues become obliterated
and it no longer is a question of sus-
tanning or opposing political party
administration, but of joining the
ranks to uphold the Flag and winning
the fight at every cost, or of proving a
pariah and an outcast There are no
two paths that lead to worthy citizen
ship in the countrys stress and need.
path that leads up into the sunlight
of loyalty. The other leads down in
to the abyss of abasement to the land
of the man without a country.
What would you see, if you placed
side by side the Platforms of the re-
publican and democratic parties? In
the first paragraph, first line of each
"WIN THE WAR. NO PEACE EX-
CEPT FOUNDED ON JUSTIC E,
FREEDOM AND RIGHT"
Then a lot of fine print as to details
of social and economic declarations
upon which there may be party and
individual difference, but the smoke of
battle so darkens the heavens that it
makes the fine print difficult to read,
but at the end of each platform, there
stands out in bold relief:
ITO THIS END, WE PLEDGE OUR
LIVES, OUR FORTUNES AND OUR
SACRED HONOR"
Classify the people of this Country
into the loyal and the diSlOyal, and |
may still retain the traditions of the
republican and you, those of the demo-
cratic party-we may still glory IN
party achievements-and we may too
both be ashamed of some of the things
like opposition to preparedness, the
primary law and of little men who
wiggled into high places by the meth
DDS and appeals of the demogogue.
Such a classification with the sub
ordination of mere political party
politics does not at all mean that the
loyal patriotic citizen may not justly
differ and criticize methods and means
and men, but there is vast difference
between the carping chronic objectOr
and helpful constructive criticism.
When you think of the small men in
some of the high places, will you
please remember some of your own
responsibility in furnishing the oppOr-
tunity for just such results. You neg
lected your duties as a citizen and
then attempted to cover your neglect
by the panacea of a direct primary
and depriving those of your party who
did take an interest from the right
to assemble and select and draft
capable worthy men to act as official
representatives Did you ever dump
a bag of potatoes into a Eushel meas
ure and then shake it and notice how
the little potatoes squirmed and
worked their way to the top? Try it,
it will remind you of many of the re-
suits of the primary laW-and then,
whether you are a republican or demo-
crat, review some of these primary
campaigns and you'll be amazed and
amused, as you read some of the an
nouncementS of candidates for high
and distinguished pOsition-Governor,
United States Senator, etc, etc.-ot
men who under the discarded cOnven-
tion system, would have felt that for
all their dying and bleeding on the po-
litical battlefield they had been amply
rewarded by being appointed assistant
sergeant at arms at party state con-
ventiOn.
Then before you criticise the lack
of preparedness and why over night
a million men didn't spring to arms
with a machine gun in each pocket
and AZ centimeter gun dangling al
each waist-will you not turn back the
pages of history to the days of en-
balmed beef. and look up the record
of your own strenuous insistence
during the Roosevelt and Taft admin
istrations for universal training, an
army and navy of a million and how
you hollered then for the appropria-
tion of a few billion to provide the
needed guns, aeroplaneS, and equip
ment. Were not those the days you
were kicking about the income tax law
and cheering on greater and yet
greater impoSitions on the railroad
and other corporate interests? Did i
ever occur to you what two million o
our men in France means in equip
ment, guns and ammunitiOn-that i
means food for six million meals da!
or one hundred and eighty million
meals each month for full grown hare
working men and that there must bt
at least months supply of every
thing and future supplies moving al
the time! And there are half a million
men there already and a million NOR,
getting ready in a steady continuOu
stream of enthusiastic manhood, of
fering up their all for you and yours
Is this the time for playing party pol
itics. or-for marveling at the wonder
full results already attained? Coul
Won have done better with the supper
and material we were all party il
furnishing to the President you electe
because he kept you out of war?
And don't get red in the face abou
the blatings of the little men you ap
pIauded when they mouthed thei
choice phrases about placing an EN-
barge upon arms and munition ship
ments and opposed the draft Law
Just forget a few things about other
and perhaps there will be others VIII
won't remember that you were nj
digging for red cross buttons, lioert
losns and thrift stamps in those day
that million men might spring u
over night ready TO win a few wori
battles before breakfast.
We all lay back complacently
1914 and let our prejudices run rl'
because we thought it wasn't OF
scrap. Most of us didn't like the idt
of seeing Belgium overrun, and VIII
those who knew and whose memorl'
harked back to the days of our oW
revolution there was sympathy X
France: but with that sympat1
L.