Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-08-16
The Senator'S Reply.

letter to Mr.. McNeill SenatorVar-
daman said II think President
Wilson is the first democratic
president in recent years who has
undertaken to make the the test
of ones Democracy servile sup
port of all those measures which
he happens to favor You are
right, in part. Senator. for two
reasons:
First, President Wilson is the
first democratic president in re.
cent years-siuce 1896 in fact,
even if the senator considers Mr..
Cleveland as a real Democrat, and
Second. This country has not
in recent years been confronted
with such a problem as is now be-
fore it. Indeed. never in its his
tory has it been engaged in a wal
of such magnitude. one in which
such vital issues were at stake
President Wilson is certainly the
first Democratic president in re-
cent years to let the people in GER
tain election districts know how
he would regard the reelection
of certain men to the Congress OF
the nation. But the Senator is
entirely wrong when he makes
the assertion that the president
is making a ''servile support o.
all those measures which he hap
pens to favor" the question at is
sue. In the last few weeks thu
president has written four.such
letters, and in EACH INSTANCE
THE LETTER WAS CONCERNING A
MAN WHOSE RECORD. HAD BEEN
ONE OF OBSTRUCTION TO HIS OWN
GOVERNMENT AND OF ENCOUR-
MENT TO IT'S ENEMY-THE COM
MON ENEMY OF MANKIND!
But the president did not in
ANY SENSE dictate to the people
of Mississippi how they should
vote. He was VERY CAREFUL to
make this absolutely clear in his
letter to Mr.. McNeill. But as
the guiding power of this great
nation as the commander-in-
chief of'its army and navy in this
greatest of wars, he had the PER-
Feet RIGHT to let the people
know hat the reelection of a
man who had on numerous occa-
sions given encouragement to the
enemy could not be considered as
an act of friendship toward the
administration in power during
this terrible crisis.
But the senator has the audac-
ity to say: Il have supported the
administration ninety-nine times
where | opposed it once" Why
Senator, do you actually mean to
tell the people that you, who have
boosted so long and so loudly of
your INDEPENDENCE of thought
andlaction. actually followed your
president SO times where you op-
posed him once? If this be true,
some one may de calling YOU a
"~vacuous echo yet! But if you
supported the administration so
Loyalty, in Heavens name where
did you show your independence?
Certainly you didn't oppose any
thing else to amount to anything,
And assuredly it wasn't the Ger
man government that you oppos-
ed! Where did you show your in
dependence then?
But as a matter of fact, will
the senator dare to tell us that he
who supported the administra-
ton SO times where he opposed it
once" was a SO per cent sup
porter of the president in his deal
ings with the German government?
That is what we sre interested in.
You may name over quite a large
number of minor administration
measures which you supported.
Senator. There is not a single
member of the Senate, whatever
his party afiliatlon, who did not
support quite a number of meas
ures advocated by the president.
Even MIR. LaFollatte did that,
But what the people of Mississ-
ippi are interested in now is:
What kind of support did pou giUe
the president in all his relations
Nth Germany? Did you support
HIM, or did you ally yourself with
the arch pro- German, LdFoNette
ood tho nonk ohef7ycfiOniSf Hond-