The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-04-02
PARTIsANsHIP VOW ATDIsCOUNT

PARTISANSHIP VOW AT DISCOUNT
During the present war, The TIMES
has ever deprecated craftsmanship, ed
itorially and otherwise, and any state
ment to the contrary made by any
one is based on a wholly erroneous
conception of facts and a taking of
statements second hand. Those who
have read The TIMES intelligently
know our statement is true.
The TIMES position is clear and
has been clear 1t has declared re-
peatedly that the unwarranted as
saults made on the administration in
side and outside of congress had pri
marily an underlying economic basis
rather than a partisan basis and that
such partisan elements as entered in
to 1t were accidental and not essen
tial. Some personal elements were
also noted 1t has spoken warmly of
Elihu Root and Charles +. Hughes
for their attitude, and has enthusiast
tiSdlly pIdiSeu w lilldu I1ONdl ~ dAt
for his earnest and effective work in
helping win this war; and to the
great mass of people, regardless of
party, who have forgotten partisan
ship, and are standing behind the
president of the United States, not as
the head of the Democratic party,
h,,f nc 1a ,1a Il, oh Of If flo
army and navy of the United States,
it has expressed profound respect and
admiration. 1t has praised the edi-
torial fairness of the Salt Lake Tri-
bune, a Republican newspaper which,
while criticising honestly and some
times justly, the administration of
affairs, has avoided misleading and
untrue insinuations, and captious crit
icisms. And it has not failed to give
credit to those Socialist leaders who
have risen to the occasion and for
gotten party action in the interest
OF their country Nor has it neglect
ed to place the blame due on such
Democrats as Chamberlain, Hitch
cock, Reed and Stone, whose state
ments have been amply contradicted
by responsible evidence and whose
'Decking" methods were most repre-
hensible- II commented on a crih-
cism by Underwood and on one by
Wadsworth, the first a Democrat and
the other a Republican, in temper
ate spirit because their speeches were
made in a fair and temperate spirit.
The views of this paper have often
been reiterated, the last time being in
an editorial last Sunday from which
the following is an extract:
The TIMES believes that the plan
suggested by the Journal of Com
merce, which is no warm friend Of
President Wilson as the leader of
the Democratic party or of his eco
nomical policies, was the fair, hon
est and truly non-partisan one; that
during the war; a truce should be de-
clared on those economic policies
which cannot be changed by the next
congress in any event and that both
parties should put up their ablest
and most patriotic men and let the
voters cast their ballots for their
personal choice. selecting in each case
the man, regardless of party, in their
opinion, best fitted personally to up
hold the hands of the administration.
in the conduct of the war during the
next three years. For, remember. the
war must be conducted by the pres
ent administration, according to the
best of its ability for the next three
years. Those who hamper the admin
istration war plans hamper the war.
Whoever hampers the conduct of the
war is responsible for the resulting
deaths among the boys abroad. For
mer President William Howard Taft.
among Republicans. and the recent
presidential candidate. Allen G. Ben
son, among Socialists, are taking this
position, as are many of the ablest
leaders in those organizations. In a
contest waged along the lines sug-
gested, Republicans and Socialists
would certainly hold their own and
earn the gratitude OF people Of all
parties.
These have been substantially the
views which have not only been held
but which have been, as stated. ex-
pressed either directly or by infer
ence repeatedly since the war broke
out.
But The TIMES will continue to tell
the truth very plainly and to prove