The Washington herald., 1918-08-10

Interest in many OF the political
battles which have been fought dur
ing the past week appears to have
been evidenced by most of the MEM
bers who braved the hot weather to
remain in the city.
Chances that Joe Folk might he
sent here to the upper House to rep
rese Mt the SHOW Me" State caused
some comment as to what would
happen when he became expert at
his task. Among the best Informed
members, however, ii was not con
sidered as worth a moments thouSht
that he might prove at all independ-
ent in his course. They concluded
that he would follow the lead OF the
White House at all hours of the day
or night and that no matter now lar
the man in the White House cared TO
go, he would not be able TO lose MS
Western supporter.
some OF the members, In fact, In
sist that this is the very potent and
very necessary issue of the campaign.
They declared il Mr.. Folk threatened
to do ANYTHING else he would not re-
ceive the administration support-in
fact. that he would never have en-
tered the race for the place.
The trouble with Mr.. Wilney-Zeno-
phone we must not forget, though his
career is to be brief here-was that
he listened to the babel of false gods
and, Presbyterian elder that he was,
tied up too quickly with some of the
influences not considered ornate in
any political centerpiece in the coun-
try Just now The letter of the brew
ers indicating their friendship for
: him came-just as letters have habit
of doing Just when they should never
have been written-and TIE church
folks and a lot of others at once he
came joefolks for the time being. The
| move was not protected by inter
ference-we called it that in football
days-and so the ambitious little Pres
| byterian elder was defeated. His
career in the Senate was. or will be
| brief, therefore 1t has been exceed
ingly interesting, however, and if at
some future time he cares to pro-
long it We doubt not he will make
| use of what he has just learned.
Decision of the War Department to
democratize the army by making all
| branches one and by denominating all
the soldiers as the army and nothing
| else will be popular everywhere over
the country. The designation of some
branches as regulars, others as Ma
| tional Guardsmen, others as the ma
tional army, and still others as re-
| servists was working embarrassments
which really thwarted our efforts to
make the most effective warfare
against the Kaiser and his machine.
There were innumerable trifling Incl
dents which arose every day and
which displeased many men and pre-
vented them from doing their utmost
in the service. The system was a bar
to effective battling against the Kaiser.
1t has been done away with-and
glory be to the Chief of STAFF and his
assistants who saw It and at once took
| means to end the trouble.
1t is to be hoped that the COM
plant of wounded men just back
from France that their pay has not
been at all regular, sometimes as
many as four and five months be-
hind, is not extensive in our great
army "over there" Nothing could
be more unfair to the men, although
perhaps the laxity, as grave as 1t is.
would not cause them to lose their
splendid morale. The matter de-
serves the instant attention of the
War Department. And the state
ment of the returned heroes that the
mail facilities are wretched across
the water should have equal atten-
tion. If remedies are on the way
for these faults We hope they will
not be too long in arriving. We
can do much to aid our fight by
having things just right at this
time. Let's get them that way and
keep them that way even when
the battle line extends up to the
front gate Of Berlin.
The complete unmasking of the
Non-Partisan League by a former or
ganizer, the Rev. Maxwell, is aston
ishing and informing the people of
the Northwest. The St.. Paul Dis
patch, which sponsors the Hluminat-
ing series, finds Mr.. Townley not at
all ready to defend himself. The
Rev. Maxwell resigned because of
Townley's astounding autocracy, and
some of the testimony he offers in
support of this charge Is not to be
put aside as the usual complaint of a
disappointed and Jealous employe of
the league. II the members them
selves do not at least make an effort
10 discover whether their own league