Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-13
REPUBLICAN HOPES REST
ON IDEAS. NOT KNOCKS"
heightened Leadership Must Show Some.
thing More Constructive Than Demo.
cratic Errors TO Win Next Year

lican political leaders these days ar
spending a good deal of time at tn
grindstonc putting an edge on thei
weapons for the 1920 presidential cam
paign. The formal conference Of tn,
national committee last week at Chicago
and many informal sessions in the lob
bies of Congress in Washington show
that the minds of the leaders are nov
concentrated on next years election.
There is much talk of tissues" ano
principles" The national committee
members discussed many topics both in
and out of the regular sessions. but il
was obvious from the news reports that
none was regarded as of such irresistible
appeal or permanent value as to rise to
the distinction of what Mr. Bryan used
quadrennially to call paramount"
The truth of the matter is that the
committee members are cropping in the
dark. 1t would have been folly for the
committee to attempt to frame or even
tentatively outline any planks in plat
form at this distance from the campaign.
Rash, indeed, would be the politician who
today attempted to foretel what is
likely to happen in the next twenty
months.
But from Washington come rumbles
which have an ominous sound. We are
told that some Republican leaders.
backed by number of Democratic mem
bers out of sympathy with the Admins
tration, are planning a series of invest-
cations intended to rake up ammunition
for the campaign out of the mistakes
and bunders of the Administration
during the war. There is even a sug-
gestion that certain secretly disgruntled
Democrats themselves may attempt to
grill different administrative depart
ments before the present session ends on
March 4.
No doubt there is much still remain
ing to be cleared up satisfactorily. 1t
could not be otherwise, considering the
magnitude of the task and the complete
state of unpreparedness with which the
nation entered the war, although for two
years previously that entrance had
seemed inevitable. 1t is certain that
many administrative flaws not already
revealed can yet be exposed.
If such Investigations are undertaken
in the proper spirit they may be entirely
proper. But politically they may be
found to be loaded with INT A few
false moves by some Of the loud-mouthed
but insincere gentlemen of both parties
who are seeking solely to make political
capital for partisan ends or to serve
grudgcs would very quickly swing pub
lie sentiment the other way and nullfy
the political effect of any verdict of
negligence or irefficiency which might
be found.
The people today are in curious
frame of mind They are not thinking
along party lines. And they are inclined
to look for the big result more than to
find fault with details of how it was
obtained. Even though it might he
shown that there was gross incompetcncy
in many Of the departments; that there
was much waste of public money in get
ting the war machinery into running
order; that officials here and there were
not up to their jobs; that the Admins
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So' U''''' way
OF course. President Wilson, "a, he
chief executive Of the country, a we'll as
the self-conscious leader Of the Demo-
cratic party. must expect to answer 10