Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-11-06
Wednesday, November 6, 1918.
What Have We Done?

Inc American peOpic I'LL O6h shSAA
localized voters have met the issue,
an issue. to our mind. most vital to
their liberties and their we'll being in
the immediate as in the far future.
They have passed upon and deter
mined whether the countrys affairs
shall be dominated by partisanship
and executive intolerance OF Interior
ence. or regulated by the self deter
mipation" of public opinion.
At the hour Of this writing the de-
cision is not fully assured. We are
confident, because Of the need OF the
country's best in the change from a
war to q peace basis. Those who
were blind to, and lasgard in, war
should not be trusted with recon-
struction and restoration.
In n few words, the country has
passed upon the question: Shall the
Southern political tail wag the North
ern Industrial, commercial, financial,
tax-paying. statesmen providing dog?
Has Tuesdays election left the
control of Congress in the hands of
Southern Democratic politicians, to
be dominated by an executive who
has proven himself in office partisan
another two and a half years the ex-
plotting of the Southern pork bar
rel" and protection Of Southern
products while promoting free trade
In all the products Of the North?
Have we left in the radically partisan
and grasping hands now tending the
government hopper, the power to
frame the revenue legislation through
which must he raised the billions to
meet the cost Of war? Have we left
It to such as Clark and Kitchen and
Dent and Reed and Heflin to say
how the nine-tenths of the nations
taxes now paid in the North shall be
SO levied as to further relieve the
Southern pocket-book of its one
tenth burden Of the war?
We have helped to destroy auto
cracy in Europe and the triumph is
now shining in the eastern sky. And
We are confident that when the re-
turns are all in we shall have
achieved a triumph at home that up
sets political system just as foreign
to our institutions and as 'antagonis-
tic to their interests.
IL VIC have elected a Democratic
Congress. as the President demanded
IN his remarkable appeal" then we
nave placed in the hands of a group
OF the country's most insatiate politi-
clans fun power to audit their own
accounts of the expenditure of the
tens Of billions of dollars freely con-
tributed by the country for prosecu-
ton Of the war. The smothering
hood OF partisan politics would close
down over the reckless wastes and
extravagances. and the rosy George
Creel stories of government sagacitv
would flood the land in other millions
OF tons Of administration political
publicity. Then we have empowered
an arbitrary executive and a parti.
san. sectional majority to dictate ab-
solutely the settlement of such ire.
mendous problems as rehabilitation
government ownership of utilities
tariff revision to meet the necessities
OF world reconstruction, national de-
tense, taxation, universal military
training. the certain and menacing
controversies to arise between CANT
tai and labor. the fixing of the prices
OF the food on our tables and in orr
dinner pals.
We refuse to believe, up to this
hour. that tho country has accepted
and approved a continuance in peace
OF the arbitrary system erected dur
Ing the period Of war. II the coun-
try has failed to call a Republican
Congress we shall be more deeply
disappointed than we can express.
In the kaiscr's latest speech. which
ht- h.