Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-12
DAREDEVIL CANDIDATES AWAY
IN THE PRESIDENTIAL FLIGHT
Tossed to the Storms, Of Course, by
Wiser Men Who Wish to Test
the Air Currents Aloft

| sky and feet SOdly on the safe old carth
while storms abatc and weather clears.
Presidential candidates who may be
called expert or experienced are follow
ing a precisely similar course for pre-
ciscly similar reasons. They value their
political lives.
Only a daredevil candidate will take
chances in the present atmospheric
tumut. Aviator Harding got his boom
a few feet of the earth in Ohio weeks
ago and had a tail spin. He is no more
| General Wood has just been hustled into
| the air by Senator Moses, of New Hamp-
shire. against appalling head winds. His
friends should be anxious for him. Avia-
tor Bryan is understood to be tuning up
his 1896 model hivver. That sounds like
Mr.. Bryan.
But no course has yet been charted for
the nonstop flight to the White House.
Guide signs have not been established.
The roaring currents of the hour cannot
be Chartcd or measured. AlOft every
thing is confusion and fog.
SO the wiser men are patient. Aviator
Lodge, Aviator Knox, Aviator Hughes and
Aviator Hi johnson remain below, test
lIp IDClI HldClllIltS III SSNltl anu "diIlhS
to see how the winds may blow. When
they hop off they will have the skies to
themselves. The amateurs who took
foolishly to the air before general con-
ditions We're favorable will have been
down in side slips or nose dives-pCrhaps
down and forgotten.
General Woods position has an ele-
ment of tragedy 1t is rumored in the
high places that he has been tossed de-
liberately to the storm and sent out as a
feeer in order that men more astutc than
he may know how the treacherous cur
rents are tending. A good soldier is
being wasted in the mad enterprise. 1t
is because General Wood is good soldier
that he is poor politician. The rule
never varies. If the men who urged him
skyward wanted knowledge Of the cur
rents in which presidential candidates
must fare they have had opportunity to
complete satisfactory observations.
General Wood is steering badly. This
is not only because he revised a familiar
phrase and made a try for the presidency
with the s,ogan "He kept me out of war.'
General Wood seems not to realize or
recognize the march of opinion against
miitariSn.
No one who gets close to returning
| soldiers retains the deluson that they
have any enthusiasm for militarism or
| militaristic policies. They are not senti-
mental about the war or their part in it.
| Their task was too grim. They want to
| forget it.
! ,t,, Al.
are utterly sick of them. We have seen
what they did to the world.
| In England no politician in his senses
would think of saying again that war is
inevitable. On Zeppelin nights, when
the whole earth trembled from the Eng
| lsh coast to the German lines and when
the sky looked like the day of judgment,
| they knew that war had to end. They
may not know how to end it, but they are
not going to quit till they find way.
1t might have been we'll for the coun-
try if General Wood had got to Europe.
In that case he would not be running for
the presidency of the United States on
platform of militarsm.
The rest of the political birdmen can
study him now with interest and benefit
There is Beveridge in the Republican
camp. Who is Beveridge? There are
Borah of Idaho; Cummins, of Iowa; Kel-
logg, of Minnesota; Watson, of Indiana,
and Allen of Illinois. DR.. Nicholas Muir
ray Butler has a flying machine for the
great jump. Will any of these men ever
rise even a foot?
The Democrats have McAdoo, but
McAdoo appears to have quit the flying
game. He crashed in the movies. Un-
derwood, Champ Clark and Newton d.
Baker are also on the off side SO is
Burleson. Mr.. Baker ought to be too
wise a man to toy with disaster. The
others fly only in circles
The next session of Congress will be
the crucble in which great political
issues will be tested. Any man who an
nounces himself for the presidency and
assumes the responsibility of a declara-
ton of principles before that session ends
may be regarded only as a vernal ANA
teur doomed to failure.
Dominant issues may spring from the
peace treaty. The new economic egisla.
ton that certainly will be proposed and
warred over is likely to provide fine new
battlecry for presidential candidates anC
their parties.
We are as yet unprepared in this &C un.
try for the difficult mental readiu
ments that will be necessary within the
next few years. And the sort of ad
vanced thought that Europe has accepted
for its peace and salvation and for thu
solution of questions that have tormentet
: civilization for generations may easil!
: be made to appear shocking to con
siderable body of American voters. Fo
J the moment all qualified politicians ar,
! more willing to wait and save their gas
, Two factors already clearly discernibl
! will profoundly affect the next nationa