The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-06-11
GOVERNMENT BY HYSTERIA

GOVERNMENT BY HYSTERIA
The Republican Publicity Associa.
tion, through its President, Hon.
Jonathan Bourne, Jr., today gave out
the following statement from its
Washington headquarters:
Successive waves of hysterical
sentiment on one subject after anoth-
er, is given by prominent New
York periodical as an important
cause Of high prices. Why shouldn't t
there be waves Of hysteria, when we
have had government 10y hysteria for
the past seven years? When Presi.
dent Wilson took charge of national
affairs in 1913 he appointed nine cab
met officers, not one of whom had any
particular knowledge of the duties Of
his department. With one exception
those who remained any length of
time were incompetent and naturally
established government by hysteria
In this they were following the lead
Of the President himself. Elected on
platform promising that no injury
should come to any legitimate indust-
ry, the President insisted upon legis-
lation that would close American
mills, and, when business men went
to the capital to protest, he threaten
ed to hang them higher than Hannah
That was the beginning Of hysteria.
After having been pledged to free
tolls for American coaStwiSe shipping
through the Panama canal, Mr.. Will
son received some mysterious COM
munication from some foreign country
and had another fit of hysteria which
caused him to send an urgent message
to Congress asking repeal of the free
tolls provision, asserting that unless
Congress granted this in ''ungrudging
measure" he would not know how to
proceed In vital diplomatic matters.
The cause for this hysterical pro-
ceeding has never been disclosed.
Dealings with the government of
Mexico were characterized with
hysteria. manifested in orders placing
embargoes upon arms, raising EN-.
bargoes, sending troops and withdraw
ing them with nothing accomplished,
recognizing first one faction and then
another, promising American citizens
protection and then advising them TO
get out of the country to which they
had gone under the protection of
treaties.
For many months after the out :
eak Of the war in Europe, and after
the sinking of the Lusitania, Presi-
dent Wilson denounced the advocates
of preparedness but when he finally
became aware of actual conditions, he
declared Historically that "the world
is on fire" and proceeded to inspire
the preparatory movement with the
hysteria manifested by himself.
when the American fleet departed
for Europe, he went aboard the flag
ship of the commanding admiral and
delivered an address in which he adj
vised naval officers to throw prudence
to the winds and do the audacious
thing'-which advice they fortunately
did not follow. They were immune
from the contagion of hysteria.
"When the time came to negotiate
treaty of peace with Germany. the
task was not undertaken in the delib-
crate manner usual i'm internatiCnal
undertakings Of that sort There
was no appointment Of commission
of experienced men of affairs to rep
resent the United States. Instead,
there was an hysterical expedition to
Europe, hysterical speeches to the
people Of France and Italy, hysterical
demands that league of nations
must be formed which the United
States must enter or break the heart
of the world When Senators insist.
ed upon examining the treaty and its
obligations before acting upon it. the
President made an hysterica speech
making trip over the country, with a
result well known to the nation.
SIN view Of such a record as this
what could be expected but that the
people Of the country would be more
! or less under the spell Of hysterias"