Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-11-09
SATURDAY. ;. NOVEMBER 0, 1918.
TAFT OPPOSES "A DICTATORSHIP.


Republican House Needed to Insure
Dictated Peace and Settle Terms.
civilian Howard Taft in Special
Despatch to The N. Y. SUM
Philadelphia. Pa, October 25.-
The President, having put by in grim
times like these, the SCruplc of taste
III his appeal to the American people
for the return of Il Democratic Con.
grcSS, of course invites Il respectful
consideration and discussion by every
loyal American citizen Of what he
says.
The appeal of the President is
forcible but specious. The unified
leadership he asks is autOcratic DOW
CT i'll fields in which the Constitution
and principles of democracy require
that he should consult other repre-.
sentativeS Of the people than himself.
e. In pursuit of his policies he consults
neither his own party nor any other.
lie wishes Il Democratic Senate,
not because he would seek theri as
siStance in the foreign policy to
which by the fundamental law they
u,
cause he can mould them absolutely
to his will without consulting them.
He has visited his displeasure on
every Democratic member of either
Houe who has differed with him and
called upon that members conStitu-
cncy to reject him.
DICTATORSHIP IS THE QUESTION
IS it necessary for the country's
welfare that he should be absolutely
ruler of this nation for the two years
ensuing from March 4 next? THAT
Is the premise upon which the sound
ness of his appeal, in its ultimate
analysis, must rest. Do need dur
ing the life of tho next Congress a
Dictator?
One who knows the facts Of this
war, and oura part in it, and who
loves liberty and popular government
must answer, "No." The war is
nearly won. 1t may take year
longer. We hope it will be less. Tho
complex questions Of tho terms OF
peace are to be settled in the term
of the Congress now to be elected.
The still moro difficult questions
of reconstruction after tho war are
to be met by that Congress. Do tho
American people by their action in
the newt election wish to make both
the terms OF peace and tho recon-
'struction after the war depend on the
uncontrolled will of Woodrow Will
son? That is the issue which he
puts to them IN his appeal.
"Unless you give me uncontrolled
power, you repudiate me and my
leadership before the world"
Aut Caesar aut nulluS.
NEVER SUCH VAST POWER.
Never in the history Of this coun-
try has the President had such vast
and unlimited power as hc has today.
1t has been often exercised through
agencies selected by him without
great consideration Of tho individual
Far too many instances Of PARTISAN
ship in te selection of these agencies
are known OF all men to give point
to the Presidents disclaimer of
thought OF party in this appeal. The
people have restrained protest against
arbitrary exercise Of power in, their
anxiety to win tho war. The power
which the President has was voted
to him by the Republicans in both
Houses. They manifested no par
tisan desire to withhold it in spite
OF the knowledge that it would tempt
the use Of it for partisan purposes.
The great measures for which the
President can claim credit in this
war are the two draft acts. The
first he could not have secured but
for Republican support. The second
he did not initiate until four months
after he had first rejected it and
until after Republicans and certain
Democrats he had prescribed for
differing with him had forced it
upon his reluctant attention.
But for the Republican Congress-
ional support that he has had in this
war he could not have conducted 1t
to its present status. He charges
Republican leaders with seeking to
take the choice Of policy and conduct
of this war out Of his hands by put
ting it under instrumentalities of
their own choosing. The difficulty
with this statement is that it is
not true.
The mere mention Of tho name Of
julius Kahn and his work in this
Congress answers every reflection the
President makes on the Republican
minority.
GREAT AID lGIvEN BY G. O.. p.
What the Republican leaders at
tempted to do was to furnish the
President with an executive organi-
cation by which he might carry on
the war more effectively. There was
not the slightest suggestion that he
Was not to appoint those who were
to exercise the powers under his
supervision and direction. He did
not wish to delegate power to his
s,,t< n nj III 4In~.~
to achieve what had to be done and
so objected.
In the end he was driven to do in
more awkward way that which
months before tho Republicans
sought to give him effective machin-
cry to do. Thus the war council Of
Mr.. Baker passed into innocuous