The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-10-29
He Replies to President
Wilson's Appeal to Sup
port Democratic
congressman
SAYS "LINCOLN MADE
NO PARTY TEST
Says the Republicans Have
Loyalty Supported the
President and the
National Policies

New York, Oct. 28-At Carnegie
Hall tonight Col. Theodore Roose-
welt replied to President Wilson's ap-
peal to support Democratic Con-
gressmen i'll the coming election. 1t
was a severe arraignment OF the
Presidents position and a defense OF
the Republican party. In the course
of his address the ex-president said:
am glad that Mr. Wilson has now
cast off the mask. His appeal is now
to pure paltisanship. By his actions
(since he announced that politics
were adjouIned) he had already repu-
dated his words; for he had already
interferred for purely political rea-
sons in the election contests in Wis
consin, Illil,ois, Michigan and many
other stata%. Now he openly by for
NAL announcement repudiates all pre-
tense OF putting the public welfare
above party. Now he declares that
this is q patty war, and that the Re-
publicans, although he admits chat
they have been unquestionably pro-
war;" are to be excluded from any
share in controlling the war.
Nor is tIis all. He makes his ap
peal on behalf of the Democratic
party. Rut he is careful to qualify it
so as 81 exclude all Democrats who
put loyalty to the Nation or even 10y
atty to their party principles ahead of
adherence to the administration. He
in no way discriminatcs between
Democrats who are prO-war and those
who are Gnti-war. He asks the eXclu-
sion from Congress of the man who
is anti-administration, without the
slightest reference to whether he is
pro-war or anti-war, loyal or disloyal,
patriotic Or unpatriotic. The one test
he imposes is loyalty to himself. The
President Of the United States repu-
dates the position Of being President
of all the people, and substitutes for
it the position of partisan leadership
of one political faction; while even in
this faction he makes servile adher-
ence to his administration the test of
MEMBERSHIP and of the moral right of
any man to do his share in the great
work of rational self government.
Contrast with this the position of
Abraham Lincoln. In the darkest
days of the Civil War, Lincoln de-
clined outright to make any party ap-
peal or TO apply any party test or any
test save that of loyalty in the prose-
cution of the war and loyalty to the
Union and to liberty. In March,
1868, lie advocated sending to Con-
gress only unconditional supporters
of the war," making no reference to
any party; and in June of that year,
in answer to some correspondents,
who signed themselves as "Demo-
crats," he expressed his regret that
they had not called themselves
"Amerlc&l citizens" saying: "In this
time of national peril l would have
preferred to meet you upon a level
one step higher than any party plat
form;" and iE August, in the only po-
litical letter he wrote that year, he
appealed tv call those who maintain
unconditional! devotion to the Union, y
and to this appeal he explicitly in
cluded his own political friends with
those of his political enemies, "whom
no partisan malice or partisan hope
can make false to the nations life
He thus explicitly based his appea
to pro-wt,- men, without asking about
their attitude towards himself. Agar
and again he appealed to "all loyaI
men" an &c "all friends of union and
men" and t. "all friends of union anc
liberty AMI in 1864 he accepted his
nomination as coming from the sun.
conditional Union men,"
Lincoln made no party test. He ap
pealed to al! loyal men of all parties
He asked that the test of fitness fol
Congress be not adherence to his
personal administration, but uncondi
tional support of the war; Mr.. Viii
son applies the most rigid party test
He explicitly repudiates loyalty to tn,
war as a test. He demands the sue
cess of the Democratic party, ant
asks the defeat of all pro-war men i.
they have been anti-administration
He asks for the defeat of pro-war Re
publicans. He does not ask for tn,
defeat ne anti-war Democrats. On
the contrary, he supports such men /
although aEti-war they are pro-ad
ministration. He does not ask fo
loyalty to the Nation. He asks onl,
for support of himself. There is no
the slightest suggestion that he dis
approves of disloyalty to the nation
i do not doubt that he does feel som
disapproval of such disloyalty; bu
apparently this feeling on his part j
so tepid that it slips from his min
when he contemplates that he re
CARDS rs tho far greater sin of failuI
in adherence TO himself.
Continued on page 6)