The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-09-13
PRESIDENT RESPONSIBLE
Senator Johnson Charges Wilson with
Keeping Up n. c. L.

Keeping Up H. c. L.
Indianapolis, Sept. 11.-Senator Hi
ram w. Johnson of California, con-
tinuing his speech-making campaign
| in the Middle West in opposition TO
the ratification of the league of ma
! tionS covenant in an address here 10.
day declared If responsibility for the
,:ish cost OF living rest upon any
agency or man, it resfS upon the pres
ent national administration and Wood
row Wilson. The senator said:
President Wilson adds to his fear
some harsh names, appeals to our
material interests and even taxes tho
two months that the league and trea-
ty have been before the American
people and Senate with the high cost
of living. He conveniently forgets
the eight months he spent abroad,
secretly pledging our resources and
our manpower to European and Ash
attic governments. The two months
of discussion by our people and our
Senate in the opinion of what he
discussed secretly for eight months
has had, of course, no bearing upon,
and the reasonable discussion in the
future can not possibly affect, the
high cost of living. If any single in
dividual can be charged with re-
sponsibility for the high cost OF liv-
ne that man is Woodrow Wilson.
The living costs in December and
January last were substantially what
they are today. Mr.. Wilson then
had exactly the same laws he now
invokes He had neither time nor
inclination to deal with problem
then practically as scute as 1t is now.
He never even touched the subject,
except patronizingly and as an ephem-
eral i'll of no consequence or import
ance. He makes its solution now up
on immediate ratification Of his treaty
he would frighten us by cheap and
specious statement devoid of ecOno-
mic logic and wanting in any sound
reason He covers his own dereic-
ton by an unfounded counter charge.
When he had ample time for &C
ton last December and might have
prevented the subsequent continu-
ance of hi1h prices, these are his
words: Cur people do not wait to
be coached and led Any leading
strings we might seek to put them in
would speedily become hopelessly en-
tangled, because they would pay no
attention to them and go their own
way The American business man is
If quick initiative" At that time we
had a competent federal food admins
tration completely organized through
out the nation. Mr.. Wilson deliber-
ately scrapped this vast organization
which might have removed a part, at
| least, of the causes of high prices.
Now, months after he has dismissed
the federal and state agencies. he Is
calling them together again to deal
with the question. The ratification Of
the treaty may increase exports; but
increase in exports will not reduce
prices at home. If responsibility for
the high cost of living rests upon any
agency or man, it rests upon the pres
ent administration and Woodrow Will
son.
Speaking of Article Ten of the cove
nant of the league, Senator Johnson,
after quoting President Wilson in
| depreciation of the section, said
| 1t makes American underwrite
every territorial grab of every other
nation, every wrong and injustice
done people, every bargain by which
human beings have been handed
about from one sovereignty to an
other, every violation of natural right
and differentiation. every oppres
sion of the strong over the weak
/ Naively the President remarks that
secret treaties hampered him at the
peace conference and embarrassed the
whole settlement. theoretically, he
comedies the wickedness of those sec
ret treaties, but he was neither ham
pered nor embarrassed to such de
gree as to cause him to stand manful-
ly and courageously for his oft-ex-
pressed principles and abjectly sur.
render his idealism, but he became a
part of the secret treaties he de
nounced when he united in making
them the basis of action at Paris.