New-York tribune., 1918-05-01
The Peoples War
(From The Outlook)
-O LEAD. the President mn

INV LEAD, tne PRESIDENT must place
ability, fitness and patriotism above
adherence to his party and his per-
son. When he put General Wood, an ad-
mttedly great military leader into an in
feror position because Of General Woods
early advocacy of that preparedness which
the President now knows was eminentlv de-
sirable, and when recently he refrained
from calling upon General Wood upon his
return from France to report to him per-
sonally at the first possible moment, the
President failed in leadership. When on
the other hand he sent Senator Root a
political opponent, to Russia, the President
moved in the right direction.
In England sooner had the war broken
out than the political leaders-Liberal Con-
servative, unionist, Home Rule and Ulster
threw party politics to the winds Par
tics still existed, different war policies were
advocated, but partisanshp in war matters
was abandoned. Perhaps we cannot have
coalition CABINET here; but at least
have from the President due recognition
of the fact that earnest and able men of
the other party, like Senator Lodge, to take
only one instance, men who are heart and
soul for the vigorous prosecution of the
war; are not his personal enemies and that
to point out what steps are wrong is hslp-
full to the country's cause and an act of
patriotism To suggest remedies for ex-
listing failures is not hostility. It was not
disloyalty to President Mckinley to bring
to light the "embamcd beef" scandal; it is
not hostility to President Wilson to point
out that the committee on public informa-
tion has made false statements about air
planes.
MIR. Roosevelt never spoke a truer word
than when in his speech in Maine the other
day he declared:
This is the peoples war 1t is not the
Presidents war. 1t is not Congresses war.
1t is the war of the people of the United
States for the honor and welfare of Amer
lea and of mankind. 1t is the bounden duty
OF the Republican party to support every
public servant from the President down, in
SO far as he does good and efficient work in
waglng the war or helping wage the war,
and to oppose him exactly to the extent of
his failure to do such work. for our loyalty
is to the people of the United States and
to every public servant in exact accordance
with the way in which he serves the public"
The right view of this matter is admir-
ably expressed in an article by Professor
George T. Ladd in "The New York Times"
when he says:
Let the red tape be cut; let partisanship
be panlshed. We must demand of
our President and of our government in all
departments and operations bearing on this
war the highest possible efficiency, utterly
regardless of personal preferences partisan
considerations, the necessity of humiliating
confessions of mistakes in the past and the
sacrlhce OF even a reasonable pride in past
achlevements, il these arc to be employed
In any manner or degree to cover up or
atone for past deficiencies and mistakes"
What Mr.. Roosevelt and Professor Ladd
say applies to Democrats and Republicans
alike Blind partisanship is unpatrotic 1t
is as unpatriotic to try to sti1e criticism
mat Will help to correct errors in the pros
ecution of the war as it is to INDULGE in
criticism that merely impedes
At football game the spectators are in
no doubt as to the heartiness of the sup
port OF the team on the part of those who
are shouting: "Get into the game! Whv
don't you put that ball across? What's the
matter with you? Buck up!" And some
times the moment comes when the support
ers of the team in the earnestness of their
support even shout, "Take him out!" That.
as Dr Powell, speaking on his tours under
state councils of National Defence, has
pointed out, is what Americans must keen
saying to their government. And the GOV
ernment can surely be in no doubt that
those who shouting to it to speed I'M
are the most earnest supporters of the
country's cause
The enemies at home are not those who
are showing the defects or urging haste, but
are those who are talking about peace bv
negotiations Or about stalemate or about
the British and French doing it all or are
harplng on vain regrets or are saying "Per-
haps" There is no ROOM in this free coun-
try tor men or women who by their talk are
robbing the people of their will to win and
keep their freedom.
This is peoples war. 1t may take
years, it may exact from us terrible price
for our past negligence; but lit is going to
end in the defeat of Germany.
Whatever is in store for us during this
German offensive we must keep our heads
as steady as the British keep theirs and our
hearts as high as French hearts.
We are freemen, fighting for liberty. We
are not blind men to be guided, but free
men TO De LED. We want leadership, and
whatever leadership will bring US to victory
we will follow