New-York tribune., 1918-04-20
Party Least

dEty AsCdSa
In speech before the Republican
County Committee in this city on Thurs
day night Representative Frederick H.
Gillett, of Massachusetts, who is the
lieutenant Republican leader of the
House, attacked the Administration on
the ground that the vast war powers and
patronage intrusted to it are being or
ganized on partisan lines and used to
build up an enormous political machine.
There again is the partisan issue. To
speak of it is to raise it. To denounce
it is to embrace it.
Mr.. Gillett, we trust, intended neither
to raise nor to embrace it, yet he did
both, and at the same time did his own
party positive disservice.
If the things alleged by him are true,
the Democratic party will be over
whelmed by the consequences; therefore
it is unnecessary to allege them.
If they are untrue, or if they are true
only in the minimum degree Of human
weakness, then to denounce them as
iniquitous will be worse than of no avail.
1t will react upon those who bring the
indictment and cause them to be sus-
pected of hypocrisy.
We beg Mr.. Gillett to consider that
Democrats cannot help belonging to the
Democratic party. Nor can the Demo-
cratic party help being in power. The
Republican party is to blame for that.
Democrats may raise the partisan is
sue. But that is no reason why Republi-
cans should. 1t is very strong reason
why Republicans should not. If it must
be raised, let the responsibility for rails
ing it lie upon the Democratic con-
science. The Republican party can af-
ford to treat it with contemptuous
silence. That is both the patriotic and
the expedient course.
1t is always easy to recognize the other
party's partisanship. We feel obliged to
say that it is unfair to set out all on
one side, as Mr.. Gillett does. the in
stances wherein the Administration has
preferred Democrats and to neglect the
other side of the account.
1t would be fantastic to suggest that
the appointment of Schwab to be Di-
rector General of Shipbuilding or that of
Stettinius to be Assistant Secretary Of
War was dictated by motives of parti-
sanship or politics. Both men, in fact,
were SO unavailable" politically and so
anathema to Democratic party preju-
dice and to the Administration itself that
those who knew of their abilities de-
SPARED of bringing them to the service
of the government. If one wishes to see
non-partisanship in the acts of the Ad-
ministration one can, for it does exist 1t
was widely predicted, for instance, that
Mr.. McAdoo would use his power as D;-
rector General of the Railroads to build
formidable political machine. We think
even his enemies now admit that he has
handled the railroad machine unpolit;.
cally. g.
Does Mr.. Gillett perceive what It
means to raise the partisan issue? It
obliges The Tribune, a Republican
paper, to criticise him as Republican
partisan, and in SO doing to give CON-
fort to the party of his disesteem. It
obliges us to say that when he en-
deavors to make the shortcomings and
dlsappolntments of the shipbuilding
work partisan affair he is absurd. He
is particularly so in his reference to
Hog Island. If any criticism could be
ievelled with regard to the Administra-
sion's attitude toward. the Hog Island
enterprise, it was seeming purpose
to discredit that gigantic undertaking
from motives which then seemed OBJ
scure, but which we now know to have
been simply kind Of panic.
1t is now clear that all the "wild
extravaganza" and the "saturnalia of
corruption" which Senator Hiram John
son, OF California, charged upon that
work had so slight an existence in fact
that nearly two months have gone by
without the disclosure of any clear evil
dence Of culpable extravaganza at all.
And we know now that the Hog Island
project will soon rank az the largest and
most important shipbuilding undertaking
in the whole world and will be the back
bone OF our quantity production Of
Fabricated ships. Even more unhappy
was Mr. Gillett's suggestion of partisan
ship in the work of the aviation dc.
partnent. 1t is well known that some Of
The ablest men in this department we're
Ill Of Mx. GilIetts own political faith,