The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-10-29
TAFT CHARGES
WILSON SEEKS
TO BE- DICTATOR
Wants Democratic Congress
He Can Mould "AbsO-
luteIy to His Will"
SAYS REPUBLICANS
HAVE GIVEN AID
Ex-President Points to Cru
cial Time Ahead, When
Peace Must be
Settled
By William Howard Taft

By William Howard Taft
(By Courtesy of The Public Ledger
Copyright, 1918, BY Public Ledger
Company
The President, having put by, in
grim times like these, the scruples of
taste in his appeal to the American
people fer the return of Democra-
tic Congress, of course invites re-
spectful consideration and discussion
by every loyal American citizen of
what he says.
! The appeal of the President is for
chile buo spacious. The unifined
leadership he asks is autocratic pow
er in fields in which the Constitu-
ton and principles of democracy re-
quire that he should consult other re-
representatives. Of the people than him
self.
In pursui: of his policies he con-
suits neither his own party nor any
other He wishes a Democratic SEN
ate, not because he would seek their
assistance in the foreign policy to
which by the fundamental law they
are to advise and consent but because
he can mould them absolutely to his
will without consulting them. He has
visited his displeasure on every Dem
ocratic member of either house who
has differed with him and called upon
that members constituency to reject
him.
Is it necessary for the country's
welfare that he should be absolutely
ruler of this nation for the two years
ensuing from March 4 next? That is
the premise upon which the sound
ness of his appeal, in its ultimate an
alysis, mus t rest. Do we need during
the life Of the next Congress die
tator? CEc who knows the facts of
this war, end our part in it, and who
loves liberty and popular government,
won. 1t may take a year longer. We
hope it will be less. The complex
questions Of the terms of peace are
to be settled in the term of the Con-
gross now to be elected.
The still more difficult questions of
reconstruction after the war are to be
met by that Congress. Do the Amer
lean people by their action in the next
election wish to make both the terms
of peace and the reconstruction after
the war depend on the uncontrolled
will of Woodrow Wilson? That is
the issue which he puts to them in his
appeal.
"Unless you give me uncontrolled
power, you repudiate me and my
leadership before the world"
Aut Caeser aut nul1us.
Never Ill the history of this coun-
try has the President had such vast
and unlimited power as he has today.
1t has beer often exercised through
agencies selected bv him without
great consideration of the individual.
Far too many instances of PARTISAN
ship in the selection of these agencies
are known of all men to give point to
the Presidents disclaimer of thought
of party in this appeal. The people
have restrained protest against arbi-
trary exercise of power in their anx-
iety to win the war. The power
which the President has was voted to
him by the Republicans in both
houses. They manifested no partisan
desire to withhold it, in spite of the
knowledge that it would tempt the
use of it for partisan purposes.
The great measure for which the
President can claim credit in this war
are the two draft acts. The first he
could not have secured but for Re
publican support The second he did
not initiate until four months after he
had first rejected it and until after
Republicans and certain Democrats
: he had prescribed for differing with
him had forced it upon his reluctant
attention.
But for the Republican Congress
sional support that he has had in this
war he could not have conducted it to
it's present status, He charges Re
= publican leaders with seeking to take
the choice of policy and conduct OF
: this war out of his hands by putting
| it under instrumentalities of their
} own choosing.
= The difficulty with the statement is
!, that it is not true. The mere men
2 ton of the name of julius Kahn and
e his work in this Congress answers
l every reflection the President makes
4 on the Republican minority.
What the Republican leaders at,
tempted to do was to furnish the
President with an executive organiza-
ton by which he might carry on the
, war more effectively. There was not
: the slightest suggestion that he was
not to appoint those who were to ex.
ercise the powers under his super
vision and direction. He did not wish
to delegate power to his appointee'
sufficient to enable them to achieve
what had to be done and so objected
In the end he was driven to do il
more awkward way that which
: nonthes before the Republican,
sought &c give him effective machin