The Washington herald., 1918-05-18

Despite the very confident predic-
ton Of some of the Republican lead
crs that next falls selection OF Repre-
sentatives will give a majority to
their party in the Lower House. it is
said on good authority that the
White House expects the body to be
stronger in Democratic fiber.
1t is said that interest of the ad-
ministration in the political cam
paigns will be so much to the point
and statements, perhaps. along the
same line-that the people will not
hesitate to put the Democrats rather
than the Republicans in the high
seats. In fact, so some OF the lead
ers believe, the President will set the
matter out much as he has done with
the War Department investigation in
the Senate. He will call upon the
people to come in the path he has
pointed out-"and that" to quote one
of the most enthusiastic followers Of
the President will be all that is
needed to put the Democrats over
the turbulent top"
So far as the Wisconsin campaign
is concerned the letter of the Presi-
dent in that affair is looked upon by
these optimistic ones as but a mere
trihe-the action there upon it, so far
as they look at it. being rather
doubtfully regarded as the display of
neutrality. These friends of the
President prefer to regard the out
come in Wisconsin as a slight slap
at the war program. In this opinion.
however, they are not upheld by any
considerable number of the real poll
ticians of the party.
The country quite generally has
settled down to the belief that we
will have to wage the present war
with Secretary Baker in the posi-
ton he now fills. While there are
any number Of good men of the coun-
try, heavy contributors to all the
war enterprises, who insist that Mr.
Baker is the right man in the
wrong place. the word has gone out
that he will be kept at his post. and
that no amount of assault from the
outside can separate him from his
job.
1t were well II the country gen.
orally would realize this now, and
devote some of the energy it would
waste in opposing Mr.. Baker to the
more serious business of prosecut-
ing the war. 1t Is considerable
victory to have added Mr.. Stettinius
and Mr.. Crowell to the stan and to
have brought about a virtual revo-
luton in Mr.. Bakers department-as
result of constructive criticism of
his management-withou going all
the way and taking as our friend
Brisbane would say, the scalp with
the scales"
We had expected the President to
take sides with Mr.. McAdoo in the
pushing of a revenue law through
this session and we said SO yester-
day. But we were not prepared to
see the confirmation of 1t so quickly
as yesterday. The truth is. the Pres
ident's conversion to the program il
remarkable tribute to the Secretary
of the Treasury. Mr.. McAdoo has
the program well in hand-the money
end of it-and while others have been
doing a great amount of spending.
he has had to figure a few months
ahead of them constantly where the
money is to come from. The task
Is not too large a one for this mod
ern financial Hercules. He has had
the figures so thoroughly in mind
and has grounded in the essentials so
splendidly that there is no. disagree
ment possible where men review his
statements. The President merely
succumbed, to the obvious. 1t was
a case of bowling to might, yielding
to force. giving in to numbers. Mr.
McAdoo had arguments more power
ful than words. In fact, the Presi-
dent didn't agree-he surrendered to
the situation as outlined by Mr.. Nc
Adoo.
The incompetency and the careless
ness and the intention of some Of the
aircraft officials to fool America a.
TO what was really being done In thnt
oranch-things not reachable undei
our criminal codc-cannot come with
In the scope of Mr.. Hughes inquiry
and Investigation. That is they cam
not under q strict Interpretation of
the letter in which the President ad-
ytses Mr.. Hughes as TO what he
wants Investigated. But the truth
VIII be put out by other sources, It
may be sure. And there are indica-
tons that 1t viii receive the sanction
OF the President, too. The Senate
Military Committee. among other
things, Will doubtless develop some
Of the facts about the aircraft situa-
tion and other parts OF It will come
from other places The American
peopIe will know fhs trnth Sv,A =.