Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-21
Mr.. FESS PREDICTS
REPUBLICAN HOUSE
Congressional Chairman of
Party Declares Vigorous
War Waging Is Demand.
SUPPORT FOR PRESIDENT

I'VE will carry the next House. 1t is
well that it should be SO.
For. with republican house, Presi-
dent Woodrow Wilson never again will
be in doubt as to where the House
stands when he proposes an effective.
vigorous war measure. The House will
give him the support that assures ro-
bust prosecution of the war. conclu-
sive peace and speedy readjustment to
normal conditions
This statement was made by Repre-
sentative Fess, the new chairman of the
republican congressional campaign COM
mittee. in the course of an interview
authorized for publication.
Passage Of Selective Draft Act.
1.-THE democratic leaders, including the
Speaker of the House. the floor leader,
chairmen of the committees, including
the chairman of the military affairs
committee, which hadsit in charge. op-
posed the passage of the selective draft
act" he continued. 1.-THE republican
leaders carried it to passage.
''When the age extension act was be-
fore the House the democratic leaders
tried to hamstring it with amendments
charge and carried out the demands of
the Presidents military advisers. Re-
publican success in the coming CAM
paign will be guarantee against com
promise and an assurance of a DEFINITE
peace dictated by victory in the field.
Those are the immediate questions be-
fore the American people.
NO active campaigning can begin,
he explained. until the drive for the
fourth liberty loan shall have come
to an end on October 19. The repub-
lican party is so vitally concerned in
permit no other consideration to d1-
vert the attention of the public from
it. The winning of the war is the
first and foremost-aye. the only
consideration. The intense interest Of
the republicans in the loan is clearly
shown by the fact that republicans of
both House and Senate are doing their
utmost so to shape the business of
Congress as to permit them to take
Individual part in the campaign for
the sale of the securities. Their pa
triotic support of the loan precludes
campaign service before the success
of the loan itself shall have been as
sured.
Conferences in Progress.
Then. and not until then. the Wig
oreus campaign which is now being
mapped out will be set in motion.
Necessarily brief. yet this political
campaign will be of vital Importance
to the nation. 1t will be conducted
along the lines with which the public
is familiar. through speakers. lltera-
ture. newspaper discussion. local. dis
trict and state organizations. l have
already conferred with the state
chairInen and other conferences will
follow. in which candidates for Con-
gress and district chairmen will par
ticipate. OF the cooperation of the
republican national committee l am
assured by Chairman Hays. with
whom 1 have discussed the situation
fully.
More vigorous prosecution of the
war will be the republican demand.
Perhaps such real issues as involve
negative by the other may be lack
ing. That is due to the fact that
the republican party for the duration
of the war has abandoned the ordi-
nary function of minority party.
which is to hold up and oppose legis-
slation by the ma jority.
I'VE have not constituted a minor
ity party in that sense; in fact, we
may not properly be designated the
minority party in the House at all.
In the major measures designed to
speed the war and develop the war
power of the nation, the administra-
ton has been obliged to turn from
it's own unwilling leaders and look
to eager patriots on the republican
side to assume the responsibility
which really belonged to the demo-
cratic party. but which it would not
shoulder