New-York tribune., 1920-06-09
By William Howard Taft


1t is real pleasure, even if one does
not agree with every part of it, to read
such an address as that delivered by
Senator Lodge in opening the Repub-
lican National Convention yesterday. 1t
has been the vogue to speak of Mr..
Wilson's wonderful style, and he has a
facility for the happiness and turn OF
expression that usually produces two
or three phrases or epigrams which
endure in many of his public utter
ances, but in the maintained force of
beautiful and clear statement, ad-
mirable arrangement and easy Sc
quence he is not the equal of Mr..
Lodge.
Yesterdays addsess begins with a
description of the political situation
confronting the Republican party, to
which its policies and action must be
directed-frst in the actual physical
and second in its psychological result
in the unrest Of the people with which
it must deal. His array Of the gigantic
tasks of the party to meet these ex-
gencies is s true as it is formidable.
He says that the Democratic party has
falied IN meeting the exigency part of
which it is itself responsible for, and
the only recourse is to the Republican
party, which, if it fails, will thrust on
US the danger of Bolshevism Mr..
Lodge then points out that the Repub-
lican party, in order to achieve the
proper end, must have an opportunity
Mr.. Wilson and all his disciples shall
be elected from power and the Repub-
llcan party shall take over the legisla-
tive and executive branches Of the gov
ernment. He comments on the arb-
trary and personally partisan admin
istration of the government under Mr..
Wilson, and characterizes it as a die
tatorship resting on a plebiscite car
ried on by repellent methods.
Rule of the People
Mr.. Lodge then exalts the absolute
necessity of law and order, and, as
essential to that. the respect for the
rule of the people by those who are
entrusted with official responsibility,
and in general language SO framed as
to leave no doubt of it's significance.
He denounces the tendency encouraged
under Mr.. Wilson of single men and
groups of men and organized minori-
ties to question the authority of the
pie and to introduce the Soviet meth cd
of control.
He turns then to the economic CON
ditions and what Congress has done to
help its reconstruction, and points out
that Congress has been hampered by
the opposition of hostile President,
who is Democratic free trader of So
cialistic proclivities. He frames an in
dictment against the Administration in
explaining the difficulties that Con-
gress has been under in achieving
economic reform. He says that these
efforts have been resisted by habits of
waste, by maladministration, the sacri-
flee of efficiency to political purposes
never before so recklessly indulged,
and by an incompetency so marvellous
as to seem not to be due to nature but
to the result of art.
Defeated by Wilson's Veto
Then follows recounting of the
legislative work of the present Con-
gress while still one-half of it's life
remains-the reduction of the esti-
mates by billion dollars, the oil leas-
ing bill, the water power bill, the
vocational ehabilitation of the Wound
cd and injured in the war. the amend
ment of the Federal reserve and farm
ers' loan acts, the increase of Civil
War pensions to meet the high cost of
living, the civil service retirement act,
the minimum wage bill for government
employees, the navy and army bill and
the army reorganization BILL the ship
ping bill, the budget bill and the rail
road bill-a list which he says, and
says justly, would be most remarkabl
at any time except the present, when
SO much more than is possible is de-
manded and when the Congress is
wrestling with All unfriendly and op-
posing Executive. The defeat of the
water power bill and the budget bill
by veto, of course, cannot be attributed
to Congress.
Senator Lodge speaks of the railroad
bill and of the defeat of government
ownership in we'll chosen and wise
words. He says that government own
crship means not only that the govern
ment shall own the railroads. but that
those who own the railroads shall run
the government that the rights of the