Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-10-30

inteifel &c for purely political reasons
in the election contests in Wisconsin,
Illinois, Michigan and many other
states. Now he openly by formal an
nounccment repudiates all pretense of
Iuttirg the public welfare above
rartj. Now he declares that this is a
party var. and that the Republicans.
although he admits that they have
been unquestionably pro-war." are to
be excluded from any share in con-
trolling the war.
Nor is this all He makes his ap-
peal on behalf of the Democratic
party. But he is careful to qualify it
so as to exclude all Democrats who
put loyalty to the Nation or even 10y
atty to their party principles ahead of
adherence to the administration. He
IN 70 way discriminates between
Democrats who are pro-war and
those who are anti-war. He asks the
exclusion from Congress of the man
who IS administration, without
the slightest reference to whether he
is pro-War or antiwar. loyal or dis
loya!. patriotic or unpatriotic. The
Wy NNSS itS iillpOSSo 10 iCydlky " IllIt
self. The President Of the United
States repudiates the position Of be-
ing President of all the people, and
substitutes for it the position of
partisan leadership of one political
faction; while even in this faction he
makes servile adherence to his ad-
ministration the test of membership
and of the moral right of any man to
do his share in the great work Of ma
ticnal self government.
Contrast with Lincoln.
Contrast with this the position OF
Abraham Lincoln. In the darkest
days of the Civil War. Lincoln de-
clined outright to make any party ap-
pea! or to apply any party test or any
test save that of loyalty in the prose-
/ cution of the war and loyalty to the
Union and to liberty. In March,
1868. he advocated sending to Con-
81 ess only unconditional supporters
of the war;" making no reference to
any party; and in June of that year,
in answer to some correspondents
wh0 signed themselves as Demo
cIats," he expressed his regret that
they had not called themselves
American citizens" saying 'In this
time Of national peril would have
preferred to meet you upon a level
one step higher than any party plat
form: and in August, in the only po-
liIcal letter he wrote that year. he
appealed to AL those who maintain
unconditional devotion to the Union"
and in this appeal he explicitly in
cllded his own political friends with
those of his political enemies, whom
no partisan malice or partisan hope
can make false to the nations life"
He thus explicitly based his appeal
to pro-war men, without asking about
their attitude towards himself. Again
and again he appealed to "all loyal
men" and to "all friends of union and
liberty" and in 1864 he accepted his
nomination as coming from the "un-
conditional Union men,"
Lincoln made no party test. He
appealed to all loyal men Of all par
ties. He asked that the test of fit
ness for Congress be. not adherence
to his personal administration. but
unconditional support Of the war.
Mr.. Wilson applies the most rigid
party test He explicitly repudiates
loyalty to the war as a test. He de-
mands the success Of the Democratic
PARTY. and asks the defeat of all pro-
war men if they have been anti-ad-
ministration. He asks for the defeat
Continued on Page 8-col. s.