The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-10-28
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Republicans as Supporters Of the War


Editor Of Barre Daily Times: | was
interested in your excellent editorial I'M
der the caption, A Regrettable Move. y
1t is one of those sudden shifts so char
acteristic Of President Wilson. He an.
nounced the adjournment of politics at
the beginning Of the war and now he
has called them into session again. No.
body should be elected to Congress ex-
cept Democrat, according to his present
announcement.
He once said that his mind ran on a
single track. We have learned to our
cost that that track had many switches,
and that his mind had lever that I'M
expectedly threw it into the reverse gear.
We know that Republican states are
furnishing far greater amount Of mon
ey, material and men than strictly Dem
ocratic states, In one Of the rock ribbed
southern Democratic districts, the allot-
ment for the recent loan was Sl5 per per
son. while the average allotment for the
country would be $50 per person, and
many Of the Republican districts far ex-
ceeded this $50 and in some instances
practically doubled it.
Some Of the principal measures of the
president have escaped defeat because OF
Republican votes. The passage of the
seleetive draft act, May l6, 1917, on the
third and final conference report @as
supported by $50 Republicans, as Demo
Gratis, and four independents. 1t was
opposed by 80 Republicans and 100
Democrats Champ Clark, the Democrat
ic speaker Of the House Of Representa-.
tives, voted and spoke against the pas.
sage of the act; l6 out of the is Demo
cratic chairmen of the great committees
of the House, including Kitchen, the
chairman Of the ways and means com.
mittee, and Dent, the chairman Of the
House committee on military affairs, fol-
lowed Clark's lead, II was ranking
Republican member of the military af.
fairs committee, Julius Kahn, that put
the measure through
The National Security league, with
the former Democratic presidential can
didate, Alton B. Parker, al it's head, with
Elihu Root, a Republican, has stated
that AZ members of the House Of Repre-.
sentatives have voted right on eight OF
blit E4tdb Ahsutn VI tue WAL anu VI Iil6ee
AZ 4S were Republicans and only four
Democrats According to the same
standard, seven men Of the House have
always voted wrong, and six were Demo
Gratis and one a Republican.
In face of such a record how can Presi-
dent Wilson ask that only Democrats be
returned to Congress if his prestige is to
be maintained? For year and half
that prestige has rested more upon Re.
publican votes than upon Democratic
Would he have us return to the days
when he denounced the "willful six" at
whose head stood the Democratic chair.
man of the foreign relations committee
in the Senate?
All the belligerent countries in Europe
have made up coalition cabinet, giving
each party strong representation. Is it
possible that in countries that have done
this our presidents prestige would suffer
Ijf Republicans should be returned to
Congress with their record in supporting
war measures, or even if some of these
Objectionable" Republicans were placed
in the cabinet instead of some of the
we'll known pacifists that he has as ad.
visers, like his secretary of war, who
1 two months after the Lusitania was
sunk, when mayor of Cleveland, refused
to cooperate with the National Security
league and opposed preparedness? This
secretary Of war established army camps
and environments so that, out of the ap,
preparation for these establishments
$490, 306990,34 has gone south of Mason
and Dixon's line, and only S200,659, 022.0l
above it. Would Republicans who were
then latter the Lusitana was sunk ask.
| ing that Germany should be held tc
strict accountability" for numbering
more than hundred of our citizens
upon the high seas, where they had a
perfect right to be, if elected to Con.
gress, lower the presidents prestige?
In your editorial you say the change Of
the president is astonishing" but after
all is il more than characteristic Of
his; and is it any more astonishing than
the various attitudes that he has as.
sumed from his declaration that we must
be neutral in thought and deed" ia
force without stint or limit? Between
those two extremes he has been ''toO
proud to fight" favored "peace without
victory" won an election on the cry
"that he kept us out Of war;" and now
proclaims that Republican, however