The courier-index., 1918-05-17
PARTIES MAY MERGE
 TO ELECT LOYALETS
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS WILL COMBINE VOTE IN DIS TDIcTS WHERE OiSloYALisTS ARE STHoNS. -eH A5s As

Washington. May 14.-Americsn voters are called upon to elect only loyal and "war-till-victory' men to congress next November, in an appeal presented to congressional leaders today by delegation repre- senting the League for National Unity. The two great political part ies are asked to join forces in doubt full districts to insure the choice of congressman who will be. unswerv- ing in their support of the govern. ment in the conduct of the war. In the party which received the delegation were Representative Fer ris of Oklahoma and Representative Woods of Iowa, chairmen. respect ively of the Democrat and Republi- can congressional campaign commit tees; Representative Kitchen of North Carolina democratic floor leader in the house, and Represent. ative Gillet of Massachusetts, acting Republican leader. {. ..
 The appeal says in part:
 'The nation must be able to count on both parties nominating men at i the forthcoming congressional pri- maries who are whole hearted and unequivocal supporters of the war aims of our government and its pur- pose to prosecute the war to sue cessful termination.
 ''In the interest of the nation we ask for more, if in any district 1t is likely that the antiwar candidate , be successful, it is the imperative duty of the two leading parties to effect a coalition against the non- American or anti-American candi- date in order to make certain his defeat. An equitable arrangement should be effected between the two parties covering all such districts as require the expedient of coalition in order to avert the election of dis loyal candidate.
 eff in any congressional or sem atorial election there prove to be danger of the election of disloyal candidates it will become the duty of Americans, regardless of party affiliations, to defeat such candi- dates and to set loyalty to the nation above personal loyalty to the party.
 Let no party nominate or elect to congress any candidate on a so called peace platform. The Amerf- can nation, under the leadership of the president of the United States, 1 commander in chief of the army and navy, is for peace; but righte- ous and enduring peace cannot be assured until America and the allied powers shall have achieved victory over the armies and governments Of the central powers, or their peoples. having repudiated those who have , been guilty of the crime of willingly 1 initiating and carrying on the war, | shall, in the interest of a just peace have recovered the right to control their own destiny.
 In a personal letter to Represent ative Woods, Elihu Root. one of the signers of the appeal wrote: M 1 "I do not believe that there is a single congressional district which has not a staunch, loyal majority, but I understand that there are probably 20 to 30 districts in which there are enough pro-Germans and pacifists and extreme Socialist votes to make it possible for disloyai candidate to be returned by a plu- rality if the loyal vote Is divided pretty evenly between the republf- 1 can and the democratic parties. Such men would do infinite harm to our country in congress-; their election would bring aid and comfort to the enemy, would dishearten all loyal citizens and would be discreditable to both political parties.
 "Of course, parties must continue; their organization must be maintain ed. and neither one ought to make the patriotism of the other means
 of obtaining an advantage for the
 future; but after all, the difference:
 between parties aer of triflins con
 sequence as compared with the over I whelming issue of life or death fol
 our free republic, which dependi
 upon winning this war. If In an, district there is the least chanc' that a disloyal man may be sent ts
 congress, then there is only on issue in this district--that is the issue of loyalty.
 "The practical and patriotic course
 seems plainly for your two com
 mittees to agree upon what districts
 would be in the least doubtful in
 three cornered flight, and in sucl districts where the republicans seer to have the best prospects for vol