Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-01
A E.
AT WAR
Editorial in n. Y. Evening Post)
1t is easy to imagine an old Amer,.

(. 1t is easy to imagine an old Ameri.
can a little uncertain, until recently.
about his country. He had seen it
at war before-in the COS, in the late
9Os. But this war seemed TO be diff
ferent-such unity. such loyalty. such
support of the government, such
frowning upon criticism. such stillinE
of partisan cries! Could it be thai
this democratic nation which he
thought he knew so we'll had changed
its nature? But doubts like that have
now been removed. 1t is the same
old United States, the am old de-
mocracy. Violent personal and party
debates in the senate about the war:
Senator Stone in the s%ide-split:rng
role of ferreting out a ,pro-German;
Senator Penrose rising, solemnly to
denounce minor appointments not
nasde for merit. Then the old Amer
lean would see the senate at 10 ,:ger-
heads with the president, investisa-
tons rampant, charges and recrimina.
'tions flying about, the press furicus!y
taking: sides, and would say to him
self with a kind OF fearful joy thar,
after all, this was his own. his native
land II he were also a i~'EilosOphi-
cal American, he would feel that all
this cuarreling was a fairly good sign
THAI. the country is in no immediate
danger. Otherwise, it conla not .n-
dulEe in the luxury Of sauabb!ins.
THANK God, they're swearing yet"
said the frightened lady IN a ship
in a big storm, as she crouched and
listened e the door Of the engine
room:
There is surely enough swearing
among the engineers in Washington.
That is our democratic way of con-
Quoting a war. The friction, the mis-.
takes, the iracibility, the cross-pur-
poses, h gentlemen starting up all
over the country and in congress with
happy thoughts to end all the trouble.
and ~improvised solutions for every
problem-all this is an old story.
Abraham Lincoln would feel quite at
home in the White House If 1913
were only 1853. We fancy that he
would be a trifle more long-suffering
than the present chief executive, a
bit less aggressive in dealing with
congress; but on the score of the tur-
MOL and governmental confusion and
general fault-finding attending the
war, Lincoln could shake hands with
Wilson and say that he knew how it
was himself.
The merits of the bill proposing a
war council, in dispute between the
senate and the president it is not
necessary to discuss at any length.
Mr.. Wilson is openly against the
measure; if congress passes it, he will
surely veto it. To spend weeks in
debating it would be a waste of time.
1t would be lost motion setting out to
abolish lost motion. and ineficiency
undertaking to make an end of in
efficiency. Suppose the three "distin-
guished" civilians were suddenly
clothed with official authority to CO.
ordinate everything and map out
policies Of infallible wisdom. The
first thing they would have to do
would be to spend a month getting
their bearings. All. but the bill would
give them the highest experts in the
army and nav as aides! Yes, precise
ly the same men who are now advis-
ing Sec. Baker M Sec. Daniels.
said something about the folly. of
shuffling the governmental pack II the
cards always remained the same.
is really about all that the gen
ate bill undertakes to do. The more
it changed the official conduct of the
war, the more that conduct would re-
main the same thing. But it ts now
certain that the cards will not be
shuffled that way.
president and Senator Chamberlain.
the latter, by his own confession,
brought railing accusations against
the government which neither they
nor any other man can sustain. The
senator explains that his remarks
were made "extemporaneously." and
that he intended them to apply only
to the military establishment and net
to other departments. But his lang
uage was as sweeping and reckless as
could we'll be imagined. The presi-
dent is not too severe in declaring
that it was/a distortion Of the truth"
This is not to say hat Mr.. Wilson is
or has been above mistakes. That
these have been made, the president
admits, though he asserts that they
have not been repeated. He speaks
of "meaeurss of reorganization: al
ready adopted in the war department.:
indeed. Senator Chamberlain himself
comedies that Secretary Baker has
made much Improvement"