Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-11-01
President Asks Nation To Retain
Party In Power.

President Wilson last Friday issued an
appeal to the people to return a Demo-
cratic Congress in the November elections
II they approve of his course in this criti-
cal period.
Return Of Republican majority to either
House of Congress-, the President said,
would be certainly interpreted on the
other side Of the water as Reputation
Of my leadership"
The President said he would accept the
country's verdict without cavil, but that
if it was adverse the power to administer
the great trust assigned to him would be
seriously impaired
The Presidents statement. which was
given out at the White House. follows
My Fellow-Countrymen: The Congress
sional elections are at hand. They occur
in the most critical period our country has
ever faced or is ever likely to face in our
time. II you have approved of my leader
ship and wish me to continue to be your
unembarrassed spokesman in affairs at
home and abroad, earnestly beg that you
will express yourselves Enthusiastically to
that effect by returning a Democratic ma
jority to both the Senate and the House of
Representatives. | 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 judgment
be adverse, and must frankly tell you so,
because so many critical issues depend
must in grim times like these be allowed
to stand in the way of speaking the plain
truth.
have no thought of suggesting that any
political party is paramount in matters Of
patriotism. feel too keenly the sacrifices
which have been made in this war by all
our citizens, irrespective Of party affilia-
tons. to harbor such an idea. mean only
that the difficulties and delicacies of our
present task are of a sort that makes it
imperatively necessary that the nation
government under a unified leadership,
and that Republican Congress would d.
vide the leadership.
The leaders of the minority in the pres
ent Congress have unquestionably been
pro-war, but they have been anti-adminis-
tration. At almost every turn. since we
entered the war; they have sought to take
the choice Of policy and the conduct of
the war out Of my hands and put it under
the control Of instrumentalities of their
own choosing. This is no time either for
divided counsel or for divided leadership.
Unity Of command is as necessary now in
civil action as II is upon the field of bat
tie. II the control of the House and SEN
ate should be taken away from the party
now in power an opposing majority could
assume control Of legislation and oblige
all action to be taken amidst contest and
obstruction.
The return Of the Republican majority
to either House Of the Congress would,
moreover, certainly be interpreted on the
other side of the water as reputation
Of my leadership. Spokesman Of the Re-
publican party are urging you to elect a
Republican Congress in order to back up
and support the President, but even If they
should in this way impose upon some cred
ulous voters on this side Of the water. they
would impose on no one on the other side
1t is well understood there as well as here
that the Republican leaders desire not so
much to support the President as to con-
troll him. The people Of the allied coun-
tries with whom we are associated against
Germany are quite familiar with the sig
nificance Of elections. They would find
II very difficult to believe that the voters
of the United States had chosen to support
their President by electine to the next Con-
gress a majority controlled by those who
are not in fact In sympathy with the atti-
tude and action Of the administration.
Ineed not tell you. my fellow-countryrnen.
that am asking your support, not for my
own sake or for the sake Of a political party.
but for the sake of the nation itself, In order
that Its inward unity Of purpose may be
evident 10 all the world. In ordinary times