Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-29
ROOSEVELT. FLAYs
WILSON'S PLEA
Continued From Page -

to the nation. | do not doubt that ~
does feel some disapproval OF such dts
loyalty: bur apparently this feeling yn
his part Is 30 tepid that II slips from
his mind when he contemplates what
he regards, rs the far greater sin OF
failure In adherence to himself.
Il ask all patriotic Americans To
consider Just what meant when the
president says tina - he present con-
gress the leaders - ne minority, al
though unquestionably pro-war have
been anti -administra;Ion. Thess lead
ers supported the administration when
a declaration of war was need a, They
supported II when there was demand
for the draft. They supported II when
we sent the army overseas, They sup
ported every demand for "IoheS
whether by taxation or by loan. They
supported it or gave 1t initiative and
guidance on every Issue where II stood
for vigorous prosecution OF the war,
and they supported II on these issues
when half the leaders of President
Wilson's own party opposed him wheh
he had committed himself to war
measures-and yet President Wilson
now makes a partisan appeal in favor
of the democrats who opposed the war
who supported them.
Now what does Mr.. Wilson mean
when he speaks of these leaders as
being, although 'pro-war' yet anti
administration? He means that when
the war department was administered
with utter inefficienCy they Investigate
ed the matter and Insisted upon eff
cheney. He means that when they
found that nothing effective was being
done in shipbuilding they insisted that
the WORK be speeded up. He means
that when they found that $6OO,OOO.OO0
had been spent for airplanes and yet
that not an airplane had reached our
soldiers at the front they insisted that
our soldiers should get the airplanes
for which the people had paid.
''Mr. Wilson regards it as anti
administration to demand that our
gallant men at the froNt receive the
guns and auto rifles and tanks and
airplanes and shoes and clothing for
which congress has appropriated so
many billions of dollars. The entire
offense OF the republican leaders in Mr..
Wilson's eyes is that they have de-
manded that inefficiency, waste and
extravagance be rcmedied. Such n de-
mand he treats as anti administra-
ton
In other words, the attitude which
patriotic people regarded as pro-
United States he regards as anti
administration.
II hold. on the contrary, that these
republican leaders have in a great
crisis shown complete Indifference to
party and complete devotion to the
union. They have disinterestedly sup
ported Mr.. Wilson in everything he
did that was right and fearlesssly OPP
posed him where he was wrong.
"Over half the democratic leaders
whom he is now supporting opposed
him when he was right and supported
him when he, was wrong. He urges
that the people return to congress tae
men who are anti-war, but who
shielded the failures Of tho admins
tration. He urges that the people de-
feat for congress the men who were
pro- war, but who sought to remedy the
failures of the administration. He
puts loyalty to the nation second, and
adherence to his personal leadership
first.
Republicans Put Loyalty First.
"The republican leaders he assails
have put loyalty to the nation ahead
of all other considerations and have
conditioned their support of every eX-
ecutive official solely upon the eff
cheney with which that official serves
the nation.
And 1 ask you, consider the thing
more. You republicans and indepen-
dents and you democrats who decline
to put crinSing subservience TO Any
man ahead of the republic. Indeed.
appeal most of all to the high minded
and patriotic democrats whose boys
are over in the army side by side with
the boys of their republican neighbors
treated as enemies of the republic.
president Wilson says that repub-
Hcans are not good enough to serve
the republic in congress at this time.
But they are good enough to die for the
republic in the army and navy. They
are good enough to pay taxes and sub
scribe to the loan. We have sent our
sons and brothers to spill their blood
have given our strength and our money
without stint to serve the country at
home, to float the loans, to back up
the war activities of every kind: and
now we are told that the blood of our
sons, and the money saved at the ex-
pense of our wives and little children,
do not entltle us to any word in say :
ing how the war is to be wa2ed or
what are the terms on which peace Is
to be made, or what shall be our
places after the war.
MT. Wilson says that this Is nc
time for divided counsels. Yet the
constitution of the United States says
that he must counsel the congress OF
the United States. 1t is mere inso-
lence for the servant Of the people to
say that he will not counsel with those
other servants Of the people whom
the people have elected for the ex-
press purpose of giving him counsel
The world would be better off now by
hundreds of thousands of fearless lives
and many billions Of dollars OF
.treasure II MT. Wilson had been will
ing to supplement his own self suffi-
cient ignorance by the counsel OF those
who would gladly have counseled him
wisely but who would not creep into
his presence as slaves.
No Democrat Resigns to Fight.
80 far as l know, no democratic
congressman has resigned his seat to
60 to war. But six republican con-
gressmen have resigned to go into tho
army and already one of these has
died. These men are deemed mt to die
for their country, but the president
says that they and those like them