New-York tribune., 1919-04-27
Sherman, Mondell
And Burke Score
Wilson at Dinner
Administration Accused of
Wasting Public Funds
and of Drifting Toward
a Political Monarchy
Spec.al CORRESPONDENCE

Special Correspondence
PITTSBURGH, April 26,-The thirty
third annual dinner of the Amcricus
Republican Club, commemorating tho
ninety anniversary of the birth
of General Ulysses s. Grant. took place
this evening, the main speakers being
Senator sherman. OF Illinois: Repre-
sentative MondeN. Of Wyoming,
Speaker of the next House of Repre-
sentatives. and James Francis Burke,
OF Pittsburgh, all three of whom
criticised President Wilson and the
Administration. Senator Sherman
said:
"The Democratic party to-day is n
political monarchy. 1t has practically
ceased to possess even remote vestiges
of popular organism. and its functions
are exercised by the President and a
group OF satellites who long ago sew
cred their connection with free govern
ment. They now seek to convert the
government into a socialistic state or
into vassal of European powers.
"The evidence of one is its drift
toward government ownership of all
the great enterprises of our country.
The other is proved by the first form
of the league of nations, presented by
the President last February. Railways
and wire communications are not now
held for war purposes, nor were the
latter even taken for such purposes. 1t
is openly avowed by certain response
BILE heads of the great departments of
government that it is proposed to keep
such agencies of public service perma-
nently and to operate them by the
government
Sovereignty Declared Pawned
'It undertook to deliver the great
ign powers of the Republic to
European governments and to commit
US to participation in all the controver-
sizes of the entire world. The American
people are willing 70 join with other
nations to preserve free government,
including our own. This is an act of
necessary elf-defence. 1t binds US to
such defensive conduct when our own
peace and safety are menaced.
"After making due allowance for the
haste of war activities, the extrava-
gance and wastefulness of the present
admin stration are inexcusable. The
first duty of the 66th Congress is
reduce expenditure to the lowest
sum consistent with national require
ments. Responsibility for the waste
fuinesS mentioned ought to be fixed SO
the public may understand against
whom the charge must be laid"
Representative Mondell said in part:
while the permanent success of our
system of self-government depends
upon common understanding and in
depreciation of the great truths and
ideals on which it was founded, we
have sadly neglected the duty of teach
ing these truths and ideals through the
medium of common language to those
from foreign lands seeking a home on
our shores.
Work of Congress Outlined
Il can think OF no more inspiring
work, know of none more in harmony
with the principles of the great man
IN whose honor we are gathered, than
that OF teaching American ideals in the
tongue which should be common to us
all and to those who come to us from
other lands.
"As regards the Administration, we
must at the very first opportunity un-
tangle the tangled skein of the wire
systems of the country; we must evolve
a national shipping policy out of the
chaos or the present situation; we must
work out tariff plan fitting the new
conditions of world trade and safe
guarding American labor and industry:
IN the words of the great captain we
are met TO honor, we will fight it out
on this line II 1t takes all summer"