Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-04
Tryinf 10 Salvage the G. o. p.

The temperance Of the two ax-Pt0-
idents--Roosevelt and Taft-in the pres
ent Republican criss Eives direct view
of the desperate straits in which the party
finds itself After Roosevelt's virulent
attacks on Taft, SIX ysnFs ago, and Taft 3
vicious rctorts, only the fact that Re
publicanism 10 in peril could have COM
PEELED An asmistice betwesn them and
induced them to listen 10 the plea of the
G.. o. p. leaders to affect brotherly
love for each other, even though they
have il not.
Why this keen anxiety for the party
al this moment2 ls it not quite within
reason to ascribe il to the fact that with
the war successfully conducted by tho
Democratic administration and the treat
los of pcacc approved by Democratic
Congress the G.. o. p would probably
find itself in the minority for years TO
GOMEZ
The pre-ayranged plan secretly and
stealthily to wage a war on the DEM
ocratic administration with the view of
robbing it of the prestige Of bringing
| the war TO successful close, has been
everywhere apparent-for instance. es-
| pecially WAS IT disclosed in Michigan,
where more than sl75,O 900 was expended
! in nominating Republican for the United
States Senate. and of which sum the
| candidate selected has sworn thst he
spent not single dollar.
And IL was hkcwise obvious in
various States "unvocalized" eff
fort to gain control of the Senate. The
plan WAS seemingly working admirably
until President Wilson took the country
into his confidence, and asked that his
hands be not tied by the selection OF a
hostile Congress
The combination of the two ex-Pres-
idents in an attack upon Mr.. Wilson is
interesting Just at this time. They speak
as Americans, they say. and then prove
in every sentence that they arc the vericst
partisans and have gotten together again
as partisans and nothing else, deccivsng
nobody.
In further effort 10 save his party
from long period Of ''innocuous desue-
tude. ! Mr. Taft came TO Wilmington TO
tell. among other things, how Mr. Will
son had hlundered in conducting negotia
tIoDs with our enemy nations for peace.
And while he was emphasizing Mr..
Wilson's calamitous blunder of not
spelling out unconditional surrender" in
his peace notes, the cables from Europe
were swamped with the news that Tur-
had been granted an armistice, had sur
rendered without terms or conditions.
and that the agreement 10 lay down
arms had been signed Bulgaria had
already land down her arms
London. TOO, flashed 10 the nited States
the message that the Austrian commander
on tho Italian front had applied TO Cen
cral Diaa, commander of the allied armies
in Italy, for an armust,cc whioh means
for permission to surrender has hundreds
of thousands Of men without conditions
% simply lay doUn their arms II The
same moment Vienna had practically
accepted the " wilson terms, ready and
eager to sign an armIstIce At The earliest
posi- bic moment The Austrian premier
was Urging and pressing the allies 10 make
haste and p~rrnlt his nation to gel out
Of war
Since that time \lcnna has surrender
ed absolutely and without conditions
These countries all und rstood that
MI Wilson's note spelled and meant
unconditional surrender no matter
what Senator Lodge. the two ex-Presi-
dents and the other campaign workers
for the Republicans may have read 1T.
Germany, too. does not need TO be
told again that her only way out of the
war the only means of saving the en-
pre- from invasion, is unconditional sur
render Even though at times obtuse,
Berlin has brought unconditional sur
render" clearly to the fore, even through
the mists of translation There has been,
therefore, not the slightest doubt as to
President Wilson's meaning IN his four
teen principles in the capitals of Europe,
nor in this country except among such
partisans as Mr. Taft and his fellow
objectoTs.
Mr. Taft. as a critic OF national affairs,
is at best handicapped by the cjrcum-
stance that his administration of four
years-this is the appraisal Of his own
party-was not up to the standard even
as set by other mediocre presidents There
is scarcely an outstanding act of his four
ears-certaiDly not any that has met the
of his fellow critic, Colonel
Roosevelt SO emphatic was the ma
ton S reputation of Mr. Taft, and so
strong was its protest against his re-
that he carried but two States, |
small states at that, even the boilers
ticket beating him something like five |
to one or ten to one. So as a statesman,
or as a critic of the acts of statesmen, Mr. |
Taft does not rank high.
On the other hand, We have it from |
Mr.. Taft that Colonel Roosevelt is neither |
stable. reliable, able, nor weli-poised |
We have it, too, that the sage of Oyster