Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-10-30
WILSON'S APPEAL
TO THE ! VOTERS
The President Asks People t.
Back Him Up With Friendly
Congress.
my Fellow COuntrymen:

IVY SOuASA
"The congressional elections are
at hand. They occur in the most criti-
cal period our country has ever faced
or is likely to face in our time. II you
have approved Of my leadership and
wish me to continue to be your unem-
barrassed spokesman in affairs at home
and abroad I earnestly beg that you
will express yourselves Enthusiastically
to that effect by returning Demo
cratic majority to both the Senate and
House of Representatives.
II am your servant and will accept
your Judgment without cavil, but my
power to administer the great trust
assigned me by the constitution would
be seriously impaired should your jud g.
ment be adverse, and l must frankly
tell you so because so many critical
issues depend upon your verdict. No
scruple of taste must in grim times
like these be allowed to stand in the
way of speaking the plain truth.
II have no thought Of suggesting
that any political party is paramount
| in matters Of patriotism. l feel too
deeply the sacrifices which have been
made in this war by all of our citizens
| irrespective of party affiliations to har-
Dor such an idea. l mean only that the
difficulties and delicacies of our pres
ent task are of sort that makes it
imperatively necessary that the nation
should give it's undivided support to
the government under unified leader
ship and that a. Republican Congress
would divide the leadership.
! 1.-The leaders of the minority in the
present Congress have unQuestiOnably
been pro-war but they have been anti
administration. At almost every turn
since we entered the war they sought
to take the choice of policy and the
conduct of the war out of my hands
and put it under the control of instru
mentalities of their own choosing.
This is not time either for divided
council or for divided leadership
Unity of command is as necessary now
in civil action as it is upon the field
Of battle. If the control of the House
and the Senate should be taken away
from the party now in power, an op
posing majority could assume control
of legislation and oblige all action tc
be taken amidst contest and Obstruc
ton.
"The return of Republican major
ity to either house of Congress would
moreover be interpreted on the Other
side of the water as a reputation Of
my leadership. Spokesman of the Re
publican party are urging you to elect
a Republican Congress in order tt
back up and support the President
but even if they should in this impose
upon some credulous voters on this
side of the water, they would impose
on no one on the other side. It is vel
understood there, as we'll as here,tha1
the Republican leaders desire not sc
much to support the President as tC
control him.
"The peoples of the Allied countries
with whom we are associated against
Germany are quite familiar with the
significance of elections. They woulC
find it very difficult to believe that
the voters of the United States haC
chosen to support their President by
electing to the Congress majority
controlled by those who are in fact
not in sympathy, with the attitude anc
action of the administration.
II need not tell you, my fellow
countrymen, that l am asking YOU
support, not for my own sake or fo1
the sake of political party, but fo1
the sake of the nation itself, in orde1
that it's inward unity of purpose may
be evident to all the world: In ordi
nary times divided counsels can be en-
dured without permanent hurt to thu
country. But these are not ordinar,
times.
IF in these critical days it is YOU
wish to sustain me with undivided
minds, beg that you will say so in {
way which it will not be possible tt
misunderstood either here at home Of
among our associates on the other side
of the sea. l submit by difficulties
my hopes to you.
..WOODROW WILSON"