Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-01-25
oTTUMwA sEMEwEEKLY COURIER FRIDAY JANUARY g. 1918

disappointment; in the second hop<
usually falls out of the running al
the first turn.
Mr.. Stone accuses the republicans
Of launching partisan campaign al
this time, with the object of winning
In the forthcoming elections which
will determine the political complex
ion OF the next house and senate
1.-THE fight is on" he says; ut is being
played before our very eyes,"
1t is selfevident that Senator Stone
is the one who, by the speech which
he made in Washington today, is pre-
cipitating the partisan fight. His is
the first political speech heard in
congress since before America en-
tered the war. He convicts himself
on the very charge he lodges against
the republican party.
The fact is that the republicans
have not begun to lay their plans for
the next election. The national com.
mittee is in the natural inactive con.
dition Of any such body after de-
feat; Chairman Wilcox is about to
resign and there is no certainty as to
who his successor win be.
On the other hand, the democratic
leaders have been holding zone meet
ings and conferences for months,
planning their campaign openly.
They are maintaining their national
committee at heavy expense, with
ofnces both in Washington and New
York, and no less a democratic or.
ganizer than former Congressman
William D. Jameson Of Shenandoah
has been spending his time for months
travelling about the country as an ex.
ecutive official of the democratic ma
tional committee. perfecting county,
district, state and zone organizations
and arranging for such conferences as
the one which took place at Chicago
a few weeks ago.
AS to the conduct of the republic
cial records show that it has been far
more consistently in accord with the
administration headed by President
Wilson than has the course of Sen
ator Stone.
1t is in keeping with Mr.. Stones
normal disregard for consistency and
the propreties that he should elect
himself the democrat to open the fight
in congress which it had been hoped
could be avoided in the interest Of the
country. Honored as he is with the
craftsmanship Of one of the most i'm.
portant senate committees-one par.
ticularly important at this time Of in
ternational strife-he shocked the
public. regardless of partisan consid-
erations. when he became one Of the
"willful' group that voted against
confirmation of President Wilson's
declaration Of war on Germany last
April
Truly, Mr.. Stone is the last man in
the senate who can be considered
justified in accusing any other mem
Der Of obstrucuonist policies in de-
fiance OF the expressed desires of the
president.
He charges that the Investigations
of governmental activities have been
launched by republicans and exploited
adroitly by them for partisan pur-
poses. Nothing proves the Stiffness
Of such an accusation as does the
fact that with both houses controlled
by the democrats, straight party
vote would have defeated a resofu-
ton for any Of the inquiries.
The investigation Of the war depart
ment, which has attracted more at
tention than all the others combined,
is being made by a subcommittee
headed by Senator Chamberlain, a
democrat. On this subcommittee are
Senators Mcclellan and Hitchcock,
democrats, and Weeks and Lodge, re-
publicans. The three democrats have
been more insistent and more caustic
ker, his bureau heads and other wit
nesses. They have brought out the
bulk of the damaging testimony. SEN
ator Weeks has shown activity in
most Of the hearings. but as a rule he
has been more temperate than either
Senator Mcclellan or Senator Hitch
cock. Senator Lodge has remained
silent most Of the time.
In a mal-adroit manner which is not
worthy of his best efforts. Senator
Stone attempts to connect the repub-
leans with what he calls the forces
of discomfort in the country. He
means, Of course. the socialists. paci-
fists. Non-partisan league. I. w. W..
pro-Germans, and other branches Of
Americas homegrown bolsheviki, and
it is significant OF his secret hope that
he and his party may profit by the
support Of some Of these elements
that he carefully omits both DEFINITE
mention Of their names and extrava-
CANT verbiage in referring to their OPP
position to the government.
It was Senator Lodge who, just
after war was declared. laid down a
rule for his own course which has
been followed in general by republic
ans in both houses when be pledged
his support to the administration and
promised to use his every effort to in
creasing the prospects for Americas
victory over Germany, without regard
to partisan preferences, desires or in
clinations.
Anyone who has kept within shout
ing distance Of the trend Of events
during the past several months
knows beyond the shadow Of doubt
that republican officials and the re-
publican press have exercised the
maximum Of self-repression in ignor-
ing the almost countless opportunities
which the conduct Of public affairs
and many events in the legislative