The sun., 1919-05-20
Mr.. Wilson Now Goes Before the
Sixty-s Congress.

When Congress met yesterday, at
President WILSON'S distant call to the
performance of legislative duty, 1t
confronted something more than a
treaty Of peace, a covenant OF inter
national entanglements undreamed Of
previously during the one hundred
and forty-three years Of our national
independence, and a mess In the ma
TONS finances unexampled in all
our history.
For the first time since Mr.. VIII
SON became President the coordinate
department Of the Government Of the
United States is in a position fit for
critical inspection Of the manner in
which he, with the continuously prev
alent assistance Of more or less emf
nent Southern craftsmanship, has
met the tremendous responsibilities
of his post.
The record of the Wilson Admin
istration, good, bad or Indifferent,
wise, honest or reckless In Its deal
ings with the nations wealth, is the
other thing that confronts the Con.
gress now assembled. 1t Is as in
evitable that there shall be an audit
rs that daylight shall follow dark
ness. II 1t were not thus Inevitable
this would be an autocracy without
recourse, not a democracy Of repre-
sentative government.
As the billions Of war expenditure
have accumulated, rs the billions OF
the Incurred Indebtedness Of the peo-
pie have mounted to the staggering
total, the country has responded with
out question TO every demand on Its
patriotism but 1t has done this In
the full knowledge that the day OF
accounting must come sooner or later,
when that shall be made clear which
It has the right to know.
A question presents itself which is
highly Interesting both In the national
and In the political aspect.
II one Of the most adroit and re-
sourceful politicians Of ancient or
modern times were now approaching
the day of reckoning-the day OF
truth concerning not only his own
personal performance but also the
merits or demerits Of set Of subor.
dlnate and subservient officers rea.
sonably suspected in several instances
Of gross incompetency and a gener'
ally bedevilled sense Of responsibility
to him alone-what would naturally
be his tactics in a situation like the
present II he did not eagerly court
the inevitable examination Of the rec
ord here referred to?
Would he welcome the audit and
face 1t right squarely and invite II
promptly? Or would he strive, by
means of all the expedients suggested
by an unsurpassed political imagina
ton, to postpone the accounting, t.
put Il of into that indefinite future
when it becomes matter of history
rather than of contemporary politics
and when by the invariable operation
of a we'll known law of human nature
people are the reader to charge Il
profit and loss an unnecessary loss
p however stupendous?
Would he seize the opportunlt!
which the world situation seems &
him to afford to keep his fellow citl
zens' minds away from the record
TO make them forget as long as posi-
BILE BAKER and BUELEsoN and KITcHIr
and all the rest, and to keep a coun
try now quite ready to sit up ant
take notice occupied throughout
long twilight OF domestic inqulsltive
ness with the affairs Of Dalmatia an,
tho Hedjnz kingdom and all the Iii
tie tribal nations and all the near an
remote consequences Of the Fourteel
self-proclaimed Principles?
Nevertheless, President WILSON nov
goes before the Slxty.sixth Congress