Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-01-26
THE TROUBLE AT WASHINGTON

THE TROUBLE AT WASHINGTON.
The present outlook Is not bright
for the All The disagreemcnts
aC Washington and the open declara-
ton OF Senator Chamberlain of Ore.
gon, Democrat and hitherto n recog-
nized leader Of the democratic AG
ministrat:on has caused a snnsa-
ton followed by a veritable feeling
or CONSERVATION on the part of those.
who have been laboring day and night
in season and out of season to bring
success to the cause which this coun-
try has espouscd. Senator Chamber
lain and his colleagues declare that
the War Department of the govern
ment has broken down. This Is in
Keeping with what many of us sus,
pectcd. but we did not have the first
hand Information to verify our sus-
picions.
Pres dent Woodrow Wilson was
evidently angry "clcan through" IL
we are to judge by the language he
used in condcmning Chairman Cham
berlain. He declares that the Senator
distorted the truth. This Is in effect
declaration that while the states.
man told the truth, he magn fled
much OF 1t and warned Of impending
dangers that did not exist. There do
es not seem to be any compromising
ground upon which either OF the fac
tlons can stand. Party lines have in
a measure been oblterated and tho
Democratic Administration is ABOUT
to experience the same embarrass-
mcnts that overlook the Republican
Party many years ago, when the
Progressives openly affiliated with
the Democrats.
! The appearance Of Col. Theodore
Roosevelt In Washington this week Is
significant. He Is always "spoiling
for fight" He likes to get into tho
limelight and with Hon. William J.
Bryan on ono side in favor Of peace
and prohibition and Col. Theodore
Roosevelt on the other in favor of
war and woman suffrage. tho outlook
Is promising for "a high old time"
There may be some people, who are
not familiar with present day condi-
lions. Under the banner OF "Stand by
the President" tho Congress has
voted men in unlimited numbers and
money In unlimited quantities to-
President Wilson and his army of
Democratic supporters.
Tho result has not been entirely
satisfactory and now the War Party
Is demanding place ain the SUM-"
when the war ends. There can hardly
be any doubt. but what the end must
come soon now and what then? The
War Party wishes the expenditures
to continue. They wish the canton
ments to continue to exist and tho
men who are sent back to their
homes to be replaced by hundreds Of
thousands Of others, who will keep
this country on war basis for the
next decade or more. They wish, in
addition to compulsory education,
compulsory military service, in order
that when the next war comes, the
United States Of America will be as
prepared as France and almost A.
we'll prepared as Germany.
This Is the basic principle Of all Of
this contention and this constitutes
tho disagreement which Is now rend
Ing tho nation. Can peace-loving
country be permanently welded to
mllR!aism? Can the present one
man system Of military govern
'ment at Washington be supplanted
by War Cabinet? Senator Chamber
lain the Democrat thinks that it
can and ex-President Roosevelt tho
Progressive Republican thinks that
it must In the meantime the com.
mon people are wondering what 1t
Is all about. The German submarines
are continuing their destructive work
and the long-suffcring people Of Great
Britain are now down to the point
OF eating horse.flesh.
The weather conditions on this
side have paralyZed shipping hun
dred times more effectively than the
submarines OF Germany could possib-
~ do. Az q result. England, France