The Tupelo journal., 1918-05-31
DENVER cHUHcH's SPEECH

my last election, / shall voluntarily
retire from this body with this Con-
gress.
/ deem it appropriate to place in
the Record some observations con-
corning the relations of the members
of Congress to the country at this
time.
In ordinary times, other things be-
ing equal, there are weighty reasons
apparent to all why a district should
retain in Congress its Representatives
of proven worth. AS Speaker Clark
has said, "a mar has to learn to be a
Representative just as he must learn
to be a blacksmith, a carpenter, a
farmer, an engineer, a lawyer, or a
doctor. 1t is an unwise performance
for any district to change Represen-
tatives at short intervals"
But there are now reasons of no
ordinary Importance why worthy
members of Congress should not only
be retained, but also without serious
opposition.
That narrow partisan purpose that
now seeks to defeat all Representa-
tives Of other political affiliations, en-
courage political strife, force faithful
members of Congress to devote their
time in a political campaign that
could best be devoted to serving their
Government, and in the hope of par
tisan advantage seek to deprive the
country of the benefit of their war
legislative experience for the contln-
uation of the Nations terrific strug-
gle, can scarcely claim to be actuated
by the best interests of our country
in the hour of it's transcendent need.
AS especially appropriate at this
time, / present the following excerpts
from an article recently appearing IN
the Paris Mercury, of Paris, Mo-:
NO TIME FOR PETTY POLITICS.
"Come to think about it, is not it
rather a reflection on our political
system that, with the country at war
to maintain. its very existence and
the thought and effort of the Nation
focused on winning that war, we must
turn aside to engage in u biennial
congressional wrangle, with it's irri-
tancies and aggrevations? There is
not a single question, partisan or per-
sonal, that should be allowed at this
time to divide us or destroy our I'M
animity as a people. Our whole
thought should be on fighting the
war and winning it.
"As to loyalty, there can be no
questioning that of the present Con-
.gress. Republicans and Democrats
alike have shown patriotism and zeal.
The alacrity with which they have put
over a huge war program has aston
ished the world. No set of men the
Nation could have gotten together
could have acted more swiftly or
more intelligently, certainly not IN
more thorough accord with the Pres
ident and the lofty aims he has,
voiced.
sThat for no other reasons than
that the new and inexperienced men
want the honor and the salary at
tached to the job we should enter up
on a petty personal scramble for
power and place is inthinkable. With
outgoing ships daily carrying thous-
ands Of our boys to European battle
fields to fight and die for human free
dom, partisan and f%actional political
wrangling here at home would at
least seem to be out of keeping with
the time and circumstances and GER
tainly beneath our dignity as a people
with events so tremendous IN their
significance tos engage our attention.
ssThe present Congress has had it's
training on the job. Like soldiers
who have been in trenches it has seen
service and is seasoned, has familiar
lied itself with a task, and is equlpp-
ed as a new body could not be to
deal with the yet greater problems OF
economic reconstruction awaiting us.
england, to preserve the solid
arity of it's own people, keep down
internal discord, and keep the public
mind free from petty distractions,
has held no election since the war be-
gan. That we can not do under u
system nor would it be advisable.
Yet the people themselves a &C
complish the same by frowning on
personal ambitions at this time and
by Encouraging opposition to capable
Congressman. Every fit man should
be returned to his seat A change OF
any kind, with the unknown element
to bother, would be fraught with GER
tain peril, as Mr.. Taft has already
t Ml