Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-22
GOVERNOR HURLS
DEFIANCE At HIS
PARTISAN ENEMIES
Says Defence Council Bill Was
Presented in Accord With
Federal Approval.
SCORES PARTISAN PROTEST
Special Dispatch 20 Every Evening

day afternoon, over the Council of De
fence bill submitted by him to the Legis-
laturc and passed bv the House
~ srFAK wtTu FRASKNEee
Pardon me. the governor SAID, hut
in order To he definitely understood,
am going to speak with the utmost frank
mess
"T'he Defence Council measure now
before the Senate is not "A subject tor
party consideration II ls absolutely
foreign to party policy and party politics
This bill presented tn YOU was drawn by
the legal cnunsols uf he Senate and iiousr.
The provisions therein named were based
On correspondence data, recommendations
and suggestions from the National touncii
of Defence, of which Secretary oi War
Baker is chairman. with experiences ri
other States. proof ul all which ~ On file
here for those in honest doubt Il was
received and passed upon as satisfactory
Ia conditions IN Delaware hv the presiding
officers ~ House and senate II was
presented to the House hy Speaker Hall
not as my hill nor his bill nor as p
Delaware administration bill, but rs one
requested bv those in national authority
who held that this State as State, could
better cooperate with the nation in
ters,sts For that reason. recommended
its passage In very fact, ! transmitted
a request from the National Council %
you | could 10 not other, ! had no desire
10 do other than offer and urge its sup
port The provisions arr not nf my making
nor Of the attorneys making They repre-
sent merely the experiences and recnm
,nendations nf those in close touch vii
and directing this war
u. for one. speaking "a an America
citizen or az governor oi Delaware, ey-
l,ect to support our government m So far
as | am able. whether rs a plain citizen
or officially, IN 80 far as ! am given power
and authority by the General Assembly
There is an attempt 10 defeat the bill
and make no provisions for having
Council Of Defence All ! have to say ie
pity the man who darcs place smirch
on this state g history
Amend its provisions according go
your bost Judgment or pcrludice, AZ yuu
see fit, hat I eav shame on him Who refuses
point-hlank the request for cuuncil for
Delaware asked for h~ tho nation fslsan
she is lighting for hef rights her ideals.
and perchance her very existence
'0The trouble, gentlemen, IS not with
tho hill. You know that: know Il
1T can no doubt, he improved !
have no objections mover have had Nor
have those who drew q
NJ rIMF ruR PoLrTTCH
Nov. frankly honestly. man to man
strip thus discussion Of petty politics.
prejudice, greed for power and personal
hatred | speak thoughtfully and Della
wan will do her part
~ on, as Republicans, hold last Friday.
a conference on this hill Nou agreed to
support it and SO reported You know
what happened The press knows. We
all know the object back Of It ou know
II was not IN the State 8 interests or the
nation interests II s politics. and this
is not the time or occasion for exhibition
of political strategy and campaign gun
play.
Honest labor. citizens seriously en-
ploved. children IN school or under parent
al care have no need Of alarm Labor.
capital. farmer and manufacturer VIII be
represented in tho Council and lrrcspec-
tive Of party politics
PUBLIC HAs BEEN DECEIVED.
This conference Of Republicans. secret
" discussing a question of national in
terest. Is to my mind unfortunate aud i'll
advised
I'VE. on this measure are not Republi-
cans or Democrats We are Delawareans-
Americans As such consider this ques-
tion has nothing TO consider IN party
council. To inject the venom Of partisan
ship and to confuse the public of the
truth underlying the question. Is not my
conception OF good citizenship. The
public has been deceived The false
publicity given Is IN keeping with the
dastardlv methods Of German propa-
ganda Nothing could be conceived more
to their liking The term useful occupa-
ton" used in the bill needs an inter
pretation right here in the lobby of this
State House We are spending 3 thousand
dollars day, when a conference of two
hours of sober. intelligent thought would
meet the demands Think Of Delaware of
all States. refusing TO appoint Council
of Defence II the Democratic members
nf the Senate accordingly want to confer
with q committee from the House, why
not? They have as much right here now
as you in the discussion Of this measure
Go back and enter into counsel with them
"All this black type saving what our
citizens have done IS true ! am proud Of
il. but not boasifully. | am glad that We
have the viii and means to so assist
Anything less would have made us
'slackcrs The nation 50 recognizes
"Now the nation asks that rs \ State
VIC aid with equal force and generosity
When the conflicting smoke of this
weeks escapade is over public opinion
will make the same request of you that
the nation has made.
This is plain talk and intended oniy
for those TO whom il applies, and 10
urge common sense. intelligent thought
and speedy action-void of even sem
blance Of politics,
GOVERNOR MAY HAVE WON.
The true significance of Governor
Townsends S rebuke, administered yester-
day afternoon in a private conference in
his office to those Republican Senators
who appear to have been blocking the
Defence Council program, came out to-
day and the early indications were that
the result would he the ultimate passage
of the Defence bill in amended form,
whether it will he possible to adjourn next
Tuesday, as is now the thought or not
Yesterdays conference was not sought
by the governor, and because there was
a disposition in some Republican quar-
ters to make a political football of the
defence measure, he frankly outlined his
views and criticized his callers for coming
TO him as Republicans II there was TO
be conference with him, he told them.
all of the Senators should have been
included.