Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-07-20

also the tendency Of the administra-,
ton ITO allow party considerations too
much sway in its appointments and
Important tasks" and declared that
politics has not been adjourned" as
indicated by what he termed presiden-
tial interference in the party affairs
of Wisconsin and Michigan.
Must Help Win.
The former president said, in part:
Everything we do now and every
thing we say must help win n a
The president has said politics Is ad-
journed.' He is certainly right, in so
far as politics is to be used for per-
sonal ends or party triumph. But pop
ular government ven in war, must be
carried on by parties. Party spirit
must of course be suppressed where
1t hampers or embarrasses On the
other hand, party organization of pub
lie opinion may be the best way to
secure needed government action. That
is the present case. The nation needs
the Republican party to give popular
expression to an affirmative aggressive
war policy. It's success at the polls in
November will spur the administra-
ton to adopt one. A Republican con-
gress will enact legislation to initiate
and carry 1t on.
1.-THE present administration is to
remain in power two years and a half.
By that time, ever though the war
continues, our then military strength
must leave no doubt of the result. We
are not now concerned with the ma
tional election of 1920. That may take
care Of itself. Its outcome will depend
upon circumstances which can
not now forsee. Our present task, as
patriots and Republicans, is to help
the present administration organize
the potential force Of this country in
to.a knockout blow to William Of
man people.
What can we fairly say of the
preparations for the war by the adj
ministration? We must admit that to
change a p~eace-loving democracy like
ours n a nation which shall make
an effective modern val on a huge
scale is no cas- task. There must be
waste of money, effort and time in
such a transition. Much has been lone
by the administration and we'll DONE.
We should not minimize in any de-
gree the credit due to it for our con-
scription law. It was indispensable to
carrying on this war. It was democrat
ic in its principle and effective in its
operation. 1t could not have passed
but for the efforts Of the president
and the Republican minority. Its axe
cution. under the able, directing hand
of the Judge advocate and provost
marshal general, has been admirable.
"Other achievements in war prep
aration may properly be claimed for
the credit of the administration, whose
patriotism and earnest devotion to it's
great moral war aims no one can
question. We need not dwell upon the
unfortunate delays in the manufacture
of rifles, machine guns, artillery, ships
and planes or the costly blunders of
the coal administration. They should
be used as lessons. The credit of the
administration for the work which
exaggerated by ignoring great pow
ers freely given it by congress, the
wonderful NATIONAL with
which it has had to work and the
militant support it has had from an
intensely loyal. united and morally
outraged people.
1T may be fairly said that the adj
m~inistration has allowed party consid-
erations, which the crisis should have
entirely neutralized, to rule too much
in its appointments to important
tasks. Moreover, for a year it deprived
itself and the country of the services
Of those geniuses Of business organiza-
ton whose achievements have in the
past advanced the material resources
Of this country to their present com
handing power. When men of this
kind were first called to the aid of the
administration. they were given ad-
visory functions, and no actual con-
troll. Slowly the administration has
been forced to use them. The princi-
pie at first obtained that men Of sue
cess in any field Of private business
were not to be trusted with real au-
thority in war production. This made
the qualification for such posts in
many cases a lack of experience in
the field in which the appointees were