El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-21
SUPPORTING THE GOVERNMENT
DOESN'T MEAN WEARING A GAG

GONE Democratic senators and Democratic
papers, LED by the New York World heaping caustic
words upon Republican newspapers and members Of
congress whom they Of partisan attacks upon the
administration. They claim the Republicans out of the
bitterness oi lns hepuDhasI are making the conduct
q me var an excuse Tor attempting to discred president
Wilson and his cabinet particularly the president
secretary Of The World and the other self appointed
champions Of the administration accusing the &c o. P
old guard" called, Of melting the senatorial committees
TO investigate the and navy departments and the coal
situation plainly to discred the Democratic officials in
charge. They belief that the Republicans are try
ing TO PIT president Wilson and his departmental
bad light with the people in order to better the chances
Of Republican victory IN the presidential election
In short the Democratic defenders Of the faith
the Republicans Of the type OF Col Theodore Roosevelt
former senator Jonathan Bourne and Weeks and
haoSToith with being unparotc politicians who would
sacrifice their eounys welfare in time of war in order to
make political capital Of the failure of the presidents ad
1nlnlstrauon Why do they not denounoe likewise two
other assaants Of ineciency Chamberlain and
Hitchcock? Can it be because they DemOcTats7
Il Is fact that Republican members of congress
and many Republican newspapers have had occasion to
crtise features Of the conduct Of the war and many
Democratic newspapers and members of congress have done
Ekewise There element in this country which would
se any criticism, however healthful it might be- They
construe supporting the president" to unqualified
endorsement Of everything the administration may with
word Of dsspprova Of any blunder mistaken policy
Ehewash for bad judgment ncompetency. To these
MINDS anyLng else means oisloyay II IS TINS sentiment
which the World and some Democratic leaders now seek to
foster They to believe like secretary Baker that
everything is lovely whether is not and to close our
eyes in blind Support Of the government" when it
Is not
For instance when there is long dispute over uniform
cloth contracts and uniforms not delivered enough
in proper sizes to military camps and result your
contract pneumonia y0u mustn't say anything about
red tape OF insffdency in the war department. That
would be disloyal
In the same way when Col Roosevelt deprecates the
fact that troops using wooden rifles and logwood
for training purposes ten months after the deara
ton Of var, that IS necessarily partisan attack the
Democratic administration At least, these apostles of
blind cOmpasance and the whtewash brush would have
believe
To ascbe to parsanship the congressional investiga
on Of the conduct Of the is ridiculous since congress
whole Is interested IN it and since Democrats in
the majority IN the investigating committees Is it dis
loyal then to bring Light all the dly dalying and the
delay the bargaining and indecson, the squabbng and
the pickering and the running around in circles which have
made part Of preparations unsavory? Or Of
this investigation BID fair to director Of munitions
and council Of for centralized direction and control
Of activities.
Patriotism is not matter Of politics. Every Repub
car and every Democrat viii Support the president and the
government in the war BUT SUPPORTING THE Gov
ERNNEET IN WAR DOES NOT MEAN BLIND SUP
PORT OF ANY ONE PERSONALITY. If an official, Re
publican DemocTat-it doesn't MATTERS overburdened
with the Of his department. let's call attention to it
and relieve hin and restore his department to efficiency