Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-05-03

Call w AO uS1 III " SlNO ~ LILO SAOutt.
Certainly there is enough on the debit
side.
THE PRESIDENTS OPPORTUNITY
The senate as was anticipated dur.
ing too extended discussion, has reg
istered its approval of the Overman
bill which gives the president the
powers he believes are necessary for
q complete coordination of the nations
war making activities.
The Overman bill doubtless will
pass the house without further delay.
as 1t should.
The Courier has favored this pieco
of legislation despite the fact that It
departs widely from the expressed in
tent of the constitution and delegates
| to the executive much Of the power
which, according to the theory Of our
government, belongs to the Legislative
department. We do not believe this is
the best means Of obtaining coordins-
ton, but It is the only way to which
the president will agree. Therefore,
1t is the only way open, for there can
be no doubt that the president holds
the whip hand over both houses of
congress.
Since Senator Chamberlain uttered
his indictment Of the war administra-
ton in an after-dinner speech at New
York there has been more criticism
and, more improvement of the condi.
lions criticised than had been known
in five years Of American history.
However greatly the criticism was
needed and justified it would have
been too much to expect President
Wilson to execute an absolute about
face in response to 1t, dismiss all the
officials who had shown themselves
unfit, establish supreme war coun.
ell and do everything else for which
the critics commended. That would
have been an entire surrender on his
part, q confession Of errors galore and
q practical admission that his first
year at making war had been failure.
But, on the other hand, he has in
| jected considerable stiffening into
Secretary Bakers spine; he has seen
to 1t that new blood was infused into
the arteries of the war department; he
had approved the appointments of
Stettinius, Schwab md Ryan; he has
decided against his son-in-law in the
very important coal price squabble;
he has had a busy hand in q general
speeding up Of war moves which prom
ises to put big American army into
the field this year.
But before proceeding farther In cor.
recting the conditions which made
Americas progress during her first
year In the war . vast disappointment
to the American public and our allies.
the president asks the enactment OF
the Overman law, with all its oppor-
tunities for one-man rule which have
caused upholders of the constitution
to fear its effects. And there Is no al.
Tentative.
The Overman bill will place in Mr.,
Wilson's hands greater powers than
any monarch in the world possesses;
It burdens him, also with greater res
possibilities. There could be mo- more
startling evidence of the nations will
lingness to trust him with its fatc.
Few man in all history have been
given an opportunity for great deeds
such as the Overman bill gives to Mr..
Wilson.
Senator Fall Of New Mexico an
nounced that he would vote for the
bill in order to place responsibility
for the outcome OF the war on the
president. This reflects the wrong
spirit; as reason 1t is not even AS
good as no reason at all. In the first
place, the president already has as
sumed that responsibility; in the
second, the aim Of Senator Fall and
every other American should be to
make every action count toward win
ming the war, regardless Of the credit
that may be given or the blame that
may be fixed. when the war Is over.
Should America be defeated, Senator
Fall would find but poor consolation
in pointing to Presiden Wilson as the
one man responsible for that defeat.
America must win the war. What.
ever constructive and helpful -criti-
cism has been made as to the admins
tration's course has been based on its
failure to display sufficient aggressive
ness. There has been no criticism Of
warlike action except that it has been
too deliberate. 'too feeble, too greatly
handicapped by indecision, experiment
tation, delay, mismanagement and lack
of cooperation and coordination.
BY his actions since the opening OF
the present year the president has
shown his realization of those faults
and a desire to correct them. The
Overman bill gives him absolute pow.
er. His selections of men to whom he
must delegate his authorities will
show whether he Is worthy of the
trust the country puts In him through
the enactment Of this measure.
| It is to be hoped that President VIII
son will give little thought to that as
pect of the senate's action on the Over
man bill which presents 1t as a person
al victory for him. This is no time to
consider political victories. AS Sena-
tor Lodge pointed out, the victory In
which the United States is interested
now is a victory on the blood-soaked
battle fields Of Europe. When that
shall be won it will be time enough
to cast up accounts here in America,
rebuild party lines and resume discus
sions of domestic matters. Lacking
that victory, partisanship but con-
tributes to waste of time and energy
which must be given to the interests OF
the whole country IL Prussianism Is
IN IN dafoatod