Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-05-17

city: 500 Victor Bldg, Kansas City
THE WRONG LABEL )
Champ Clark, speaking at For
Wayne, Ind, Saturday night, fired hi
first gun in the democratic congress
sional campaign, pleading for the cleo
ton of democrats to the house In re
& cognition of the record of achievement
made by the present congress.
Why should the American voters
inject discord into the various parts
OF the governmental machinery when
the utmost harmony should prevail In
this awful crisis of our affairs-indeed
OF the whole worlds affairs-when
representative government is al
stalker" Mr.. Clark asked II cannot
believe they will be 80 unwise," he con
Il tinued, land confidently expect that
the next house will be democratic, to
& back up a democratic administration
In the most stupendous task ever un'
dertaken."
All of which might be splendid ar
Eument to convince all OF us that we
should dispense with campaign worries
& and await the fall election for the priv
ilege of casting democratic ballots, II
1t were not for one persistent fact.
This fact, which stands out in the
pages Of the congressional records
from day to day, is that whatever OPP
position there has been to the admin
istration's war policies-and there has
not been great deal-has been pretty
well divided as between the two sides
4 Of each chamber.
Chairman Dent of the house military
committee, one of the democratic con-
4 gressmen for whose reelection Speak
i er Clark is pleading, has shown his
I lack of sympathy for the administra-
tons course on several occasions,
most notable among them being his
refusal to sponsor the selective con-
scription bill and pilot it through the
house to adoption.
And the task fell, not to some other
member Of the majority party, anx-
i0us to serve the executive and glori-
~ the democratic organization, but to
i Congressman Kahn OF California, re-
publican and veteran member or
the military committee of the house.
And Mr.. Kahn made a splendid Job
Of It,
The late Senator Stone, occupying a
prominent place as chairman OF the
foreign relations committee Of the up
per house, fought and voted against
the resolution recognizing the state OF
war and accepting Germany's chal-
lenge.
These events were last year, when
the thought that war was upon us
after SO many months of expectant
neutrality was so new that partisan
considerations were submerged for
time.
Later on, Senator Chamberlain, dem
0crat and chairman Of the military
committee in the senate, dug his poll
tical grave by declaring in unequivo-
cal language that the war making ma
\ ehinery Of the government had broken
down. And while his blanket charge
may have been somewhat too harsh,
not even those who condemned him
most severely then will insist now that
there was not very crying need for
repairs to that machinery.
The many improvements that have
been made since Senator Chamberlain
threw his verbal grenade are indisput-
able proof of the fact which had been
urged in many unofficial quarters for
months, that constructive criticism
was necessary II Americas participar
tion In the war was to become real
and effective.
Senator Hitchcock, who has second
"a Chairman Chamberlain so ably In
the military committees investigations
md who has succeeded the late Sena-
Aor Stone as chairman of the foreign
relations committee, is democrat
Senator Hoke Smith, who fought to
the last ditch to amend the Overman
bill even when that measure bore the
presidents repeated approval, is q
democrat. Senator Reed, who has
verged almost on Mysteries in his de-
nunciation OF Food Administrator
Hoover and has given Fuel Administra-
tor GARFIELD some bad half-hours, is
democrat. Senator Gore, who trained
his shafts Of biting sarcasm on Secre-
tary Houston and his committee Of
experts when their wheat price rec
concentrations failed to obtain the
y Gore approval, is democrat.
And the list might be heightened
considerably.
Meanwhile some republicans have
cast votes and engaged In debates IN
opposition to certain portions of the
administration program, but there has
been nothing approaching a party divi-
sion IN which the democrats supported
the administration and the republi-
cans opposed its proposals. In short,
the present congress has been more
nearly non partisan in its deliberations
than any Of its predecessors.
The republicans, perhaps, do not de-
serve particular credit for their sup
port Of administration measures in the
present crisis. They have thrust aside
party politics for the time in order to
support the government. In this
course they were not deferred by the
fact that the government CHANGED to
be In the stewardship Of the demo-
cratic party. But II they do not deserve
particular credit, certainly they do not
deserve Reputation nor criticism, and
this is particularly true il member
i ship In the democratic party rather
than the records Of house and senate