Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-06-14

voters to elect Mr.. Newbert, Hon.
Daniel j. McGillicuddy and the tnfee
other Democratic candidates Tor Con
gress in order that support OF Presi-
dent Wilson's war policies shall be
insured
Tired. as | am of the word ana us
iteration and reiteration, l am gong
TO say that plea will be simple cam
outage,
| If there are six men in Congress
who have worked harder or nave
more willingly laid aside party feel
ings to give support to the PRESIDENT
in this war than the Maine delega-
i ton | want to see them. l nave peen
| in Washington all the time and l
know of none.
\ What Senator Lewis and those
other men will mean when they tell
YOU this State should send Demo-
cratic delegation to Washington is
not that it guarantees support of the
administration war program. Far
from that, my friends. The colored
individual in that wood pile is this:
| 1t will assure that other Democratic
policies, dangerous to the social and
business welfare of the United States
will be enacted. That is why they
urge US to be non-partisan and vote
for Democrats because it will give
aid to the President in this terrible
time of war.
| Because of the war we must not for
get our party loyalty. 1t is not neces-
sary to assure the proper and vigor
Gus conduct of the war. The Repub-
lican party will not present to the
voters any man of a calibre to let
politics prevent loyal, patriotic action
! in supporting the President in mis-
conduct of the war.
Recalling some of the speeches by
certain Democratic members Of Con-
gress | hardly feel warranted in max
ing the same assertion about that
party.
| have said that | believed the peo-
pie did not wish to hear politics
talked as politics alone. | do. but we
can talk war and politics togethe, !;
they combine this year. We can do
this without disparagement to the
Republican party.
say this without fear Of contra
vention.
No man can truthfully say that our
party has not buried partisanship in
dealing with war legislation. 1t has.
| am proud of the record of the Re-
publican party in Congress since the
war began. At no time have we per-
mitted politics to enter. 1t is true
we have discussed and dissented from
some of the requests made from the
White House. These differences were
not partisan. Far from that. friends.
They were the differences of men in
the habit Of thinking for themselves;
men who knew that the way to get
the best Legislation was to discuss
every phase of bill; to hold it up
to the ''pitiless white light of pub
licity." There was no intent to hin
der or mpeed. but to give the Presi-
dent the best We could. How well
we have succeeded time alone can
tell.
To support my claim that discus
sion ana disSention from a request of
the President does not imply parti-
sanship and politics. | am going 20
call as my witness the Hon. Champ
Clark. Speaker of the House of Rep
'resentatives and IA partisan Democrat
of the most partisan type. On April
-. 1917. when the draft law. asked
for BY President Wilson, was under
discussion in the House. Speaker
Clark took the floor and said: Il pro-
test with all my heart and mind and
soul against having the slur of being
Il conscrpt placed upon the men Of
Missouri. In the estimation of Mis-
sourians there is precious little differ
ence between a conscript and a con-
Wet"
That is the report of Speaker
Clark's words made by the official
stenographer of the House. 1t can
not be denied. He was differing frcm
the President. Is it right for a
Democrat to take issue with the
President but an offense for the Re
pubicans to do the same thing?
For moment ] wish to refer to
the war revenue bill OF 1917. Sup
posing the Republican members of
the Senate had adopted the policy Of
Chairman kitchin Of the House ways
and means committee who said he
was going to shut his eyes and Swal-
low the bill, what would have been
the result" ] am not going to defend
that bill, even as it finally passed
ana was signed by the President, but
do say to you that as it came to
the Senate il was very half done
document.
This leads me to another thought.
In many quarters the cry has been
raised that this is a rich mans war.
read my paper. feeling this was
very true 1t is rich mans war;
but not in the sense those who made
the claim intended. II is rich mans
war because they are paying their
share of It's burdens. l find that I'M
der the revenue bill to which | have
inst adverted 30 men in this country
pay. this year, an income tax of $115,-
600, 900.
But that is not all. Those men are
buying Liberty Bonds by the hun-
dreds of thousands Of dollars ard are
contributing to the Red Cross and
other worthy reliefs.
John d. Rockefeller pays an income
tax Of $3S,000.009. To grasp what
that means think of those posters you
saw in the recent Liberty Loan drive
which depicted what $50 bond would
do AS I recall if would At q coldiar