The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-02-08
A FEW APOLOGISTS.

congressman Dill has come IN Tor
much severe criticism on account of
his questionable loyalty, his failure to
stand by the president after being
elected upon a promise to back the
administration, and his grand stand
heroics after visit to the war zone in
Europe. Here and there, Mr.. Dill has
defenders, and those champions base
their defense upon the shallow pretext
that the attacks upon Mr.. Dill are in
stigated by political enemies and for
political effect. This charge is for the
purpose of misleading the public, and
is without basis of fact Democratic pa
pers of this state have been more bitter
in their castigation of Mr.. Dill than
the republican press, and in contact
with people in private life We have
found democrats to be more severe in
their denunciation Of Mr.. Dill than re-
publicans. There is no color of politics
in this opposition of the pro-German
attitude of MIR. Dill. 1t would be mon
strously preposterous to say that the
present war is democratic war;"
and democrats should be left to Shout
der the responsibility and fight it out
alone, and yet such a charge would be
no more preposterous than claiming
that the universal criticism of Mr.. Dill
among all truely loyal Americans is
melted by political differences.
1t is difficult to understand upon
ctt af he
Fifth district, of the state of Washing
ton, of the United States, can defend
Mr.. Dill's public position upon the
war. Mr.. Dill not only took sides against
the president in one of the most crucial
periods of the country's history, but
continued trying to SOW seeds Of dis
content and opposition to the admin
istration after war was declared by
using his franking privilege to scatter
his speech broadcast. He knew
we'll that there was an element in the
| country that sympathized with Ger
many and that the sentiments express
ed in his speech would tend to create
dissension and in measure retard the
government in carrying on the war to
a successful issue.
After doing what he could to dis
credit his government for taking part
in the war Mr.. Dill goes to Europe, and
had the gall to accept favors from peo-
pie of an ally that he shamefully de-
nounced in his speech in congress. For
what purpose Mr.. Dill made that pill
gromage, unless it was to learn il
war was really in progress, is known
only to tina: individual himself. Since
his return he has not mentioned the
savage methods of warfare carried on
by the Germans, he has not shown a
scintilla of interest in the success OF the
American army, although admitting
that he discovered what everybody re-
allied before his voyage that now we
are in it every effort must be made to
win the war. Even this declaration is
in the nature of a stale Unconditional,
half-hearted peroration.
The apoligists for MIR. Dill cannot
point to word he has said since war
was declared, since his return from
Europe, that shows that he is In sin
cere accord with the administration in
carrying on the war In his speeches,
While visiting his district recently he
played up the pronoun Il" generously,
as is his custom, but not a sentence of
patriotism has he expressed. No where
and at no time, so far as the public is
aware, has he said a word that would
encourage the boys in the field, daily
facing hardships and death, nor has he
attempted to arouse feeling of pat
riotic fervor among the people. If Mr..
Dill is loyal there is sad lack OF
warmth in that loyalty. 1t is so hidden
that it is not apparent to the public,
and if his kind of loyalty prevailed
throughout the country all war activi-
ties would collapse and Americans
would be forced to accept a dishonor-
able peace.
1t is just possible there are patriotic
men and women in the Fifth district
who endorse and support Mr.. Dill. That
would seem inconceivable under the
circumstances. One sure thing, how
ever. every pro-German, every secret
enemy in the district endorses Dill, or
at least the attitude he has taken since
the president stood before congress
and asked that war be declared against
the imperial government of Germany.
and it is safe to predict that all such
who have vote will support Mr.. Dill |
in the fall election.