The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-10-04

| victory, which would only expose Cne
world to all the periods and costs of
militarism for generations to come;
and to solve in the largest possible
way those great problems, both in
ternational and national, that the war
has brought home to the public opin-
ion of every free nation.
Second-We follow with pride and
full appreciation the splendid per-
Torrance of the officers and men of the
army and navy of the United States
and we assure them that while they
are fighting the armed enemy on land
and sea, the Republican party will be
found aleart to combat and to stamp
out sedition, pro-Germanism and
every form of unpatriotlc expression
and endeavor at home. All enemies OF
America are not openly in arms
against her. We shall leave nothing
undone to discover and to punish all
who secretly plot and work against
the nations integrity, the nations
security and the nations welfare. We
proclaim our pride in the uniformed
sons of the republic who are fighting
on the battle field of war torn Europe,
and the seas all over the world; and
in their heroic proof of American val
or; and we pledge to them the preserv-
ed inheritance of freedom and justice
for which they offer their supreme
sacrifice; and we declare today as we
have proven in the past, that this re-
public shall never fail in gratitude to
those who respond to the call for it's
armed defense.
Third-We accept and approve all
necessary exercise of power to make
our popularity governed nation capable
of effective defense. We commend the
government assumption of every
agency of production and service nee
essary to enhance our efficiency in the
conduct of the war. We emphatically
believe, however, that the important
question of the permanency of govern
ment ownership and the extent there
of should be determined by the people
after the war is won. The preserva-
ton of individual rights and full OPP
portunity for all men and women to
make the most of themselves is fun
damental American doctrine which
the Republican party will always de-
fend: There are no classes in the
United States and those who attempt
to create classes and urge them to be
antagonistic to each other, are not
believers in nor supporters of our re-
public. Such persons do not wish to
lift all men up. They are bent upon
pulling some men down. Their pro-
gram is one of destruction and not
constructions of reaction, not progress.
We reassert our belief in the equality
of all men and women before the law,
and in equality Of opportunity. We
believe in free government, not in
class conflict or class privilege. We
point to the present unhappy condi-
ton Of the Russian people as marking
the inevitable end Of every movement
that would substitute class conflict Tor
progressive and representative demo-
cracy.
+. Fourth-We declare that this is the
war of no political party. This is the
nations war and we charge and i'm
plore that the party in control of the
national government is guilty of prac-
ticing partisan politics to the serious
detriment of the country's cause. We
hereby denounce any criticism of pub
lie officials, high or low, when such
criticisms are inspired by PARTISAN
ship, malice or disloyalty. AS cour-
ageous and loyal service is to be de-
Tended against malice, so should cour-
ageous and loyal criticism or corrup-
ton or incompetency ba defended. The
most unjust and unpatfiotic effort in
many quarters for political purposes
to prevent the full participation by
Republicans in war activities, has had
no effect whatever on the loyalty and
patriotism Of the membership of the
Republican party. In congress the
Republican members have given their
votes, and often the deciding vote, for
the grant of every power and all the
money demanded by the administra-
ton, and this in many instances in
which the administration was not sup
| ported by Its own party. We COM
TIMES TWO
mend the course of the Republican
members of congress in this respect,
but we insist that the party in power
shall cease to attempt to make politi-
cal capital in any state out of the
world catastrophe that now exists. We
insist that every possible efficient in
strument, man and material, which Is
available shall be used to aid in win
ming the war and winning it now; and
that inefficiency shall be replaced by
efficiency wherever found There will
always be party politics in this coun-
try, but we insist that politics shall
be open and acknowledged and Of 3
character that needs no apology mol
subterfuge, and that there be no par.
tisan politics in anything Eat touches
the war by Republicans or Demo.
Gratis in or out ofpoffice, and these
things whicFwe demand of the party
in power rwessoimenly pledge for our.
selves.