Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-11-02
DRIVEN FROM THE WOOD PILE

DRIVEN FhOu ihL UVVb
More and more as election day APP
proaches there is developing greater
proof that President Wilson perform
ed very wise and patriotic duty to
the people of this county when he is
sued his appeal to the voters to re-
turn a Democratic majority to both
the Senate and House of Representa-
tives.
When the appeal was first flashed
over the world and before the people
had had time for due reflection, there
may have been some ground for criti-
cism. But since then there has been
ample time for consideration, and
every unbiased person and newspaper
ought to cease criticising the Presi-
dent, for they should see now just
what impelled him to throw on the
light.
This light drove the Republican
leaders, candidates and newspapers
from the wood pile where they have
been hiding and compelled them to
come out in the open. This proves to
the people of the country just where
they stand and where they have stood
all along.
While the Republicans have appar-
emily been with the President and the
Administration, their recent attack
shows really that they have only been
with him superficially, bue secretly
they have been in the wood pile,
scheeming to the extent of their ability
to overthrow the President and pre-
vent him from carrying out his good
and noble policies in the prosecution OF
the present war by electing men who
are INSTRUMENTATION.
Some are no doubt asking why did
> the President make his appeal at this
time. so close after he had made the
statement that politics had adjourn
war now for more than a year and he
knows better than anybody else the
difficulties he has had and with whom
he has had them in obtaining support
war. II was his impression that poll
tics had adjourned but he caught the
Republicans in the wood pile and
therefore turned on the light by his
appeal
The President is being criticised by
the Republicans as being inconsistent,
but they seem to forget that they are
the ones who set the precedent. In
1898. as recently published in the col
umns of this paper. former President
Benjamin Harrison made an appeal to
the voters of the country to return
Republican majority to back up their
President. Mr.. William Mckinley. In
that same year Mr. Roosevelt, candi-
date for Governor of New York, who
is one of the leaders now are CRITICS.
ing the President more than anybody
else, with all of his skill and enthusi-
asm, appealed to the voters of the
country in this fashion:
Remember that whether
you will or not your votes
this year Mill be viewed by
the nation Europe from
one standpofht only. They
will draw no fine distinctions.
a refusal to sustain the Presi-
dent this year will, in their
eyes, be read as a refusal to
to sustain the war, and TO
sustain the efforts of our
Peace Commission to secure
the fruits of war. Such a re-
fusal may not inconceivably
bring about a rupture of the
peace negotiations, 1t will
give heart to our defeated
antagonists"
A Republican vote then was essen
tial to the support of the President
1t would be just as essential now if
the President were Republican, espe-
cially if Mr.. Roosevelt were also run
ming for office.
But this time the President is a
Democrat, no appeal to patriotism can
be allowed in favor of a Democrat,
the Republicans are the only benefi-
Charles of such appeals. When Mr..
Roosevelt was candidate for Cover
nor, patriotism demanded that every
voter sustain the Republican Presi-
dent
The principle involved now is the
same as that involved in 1898 and if
it was right then to sustain Repub-
lican President, which the voters of