The Washington herald., 1920-10-10

sea vessels through the St. Lawrent
belongs to no party and no creed. It
will be the critical issue of forward
looking men N all nations until 1t
succeeds in finally overthrowing
militarism as a basis Of world rela-
tions. ...-
Party Must Pay II 1t Fails.
The responsibilities of government
should, in my view. be transferred.
The Republican party has the skill
and constructive ability in its MEM
bership to meet them. If II fails to
provide peace on terms that estab-
lish organized International associa-
tion to prevent war; II IL falls to
attain 1t by methods which secure
the good will of the entire world; IL
it fails to provide those great meas
ures of internal progress and recon-
struction that We require in the
next four years. 1t should and must
pay to public opinion the same pen
atty for that failure which we de-
mand should be paid by the Demo-
cratic party.
have no hesitation in saying
that the successful conduct of this
government and the consummation
of the pledges entered upon is of
far more import than the pTeserva-
tion of a party in office, and no
real citizen will maintain the con-
trary.
There are other great issues that
have insistently demanded solution
ever since the armistice. They are
predominantly of an economic char
acter. They are not solely of war
origin; some have accumulated over
years. The readjustment of war
taxation and debt, the high cost of
living. transportation, agricultural
readjustment, the development of
our industrial employment relations,
the wise guidance in the provision
of our deficient housing, the re-
organization of the business admin
istration of the Federal government,
and a host of other domestic ques-
tions, demand constructive ham
ding. The Democratic party claims
that they could not secure legisla-
tion from an antagonistic Congress
wish to point out that even II
this were true, IL was the business
of the party in power to have as
sembled the best brains in the
United States to each of those prob
lens. and to have laid before Con-
gress and the American people some
sort of a well-rounded program that
could have had public discussion.
This was not done.
Cites sugar Situation.
We have. since the armlstice. gone
through a period of unexampled
speculation and profiteering and.
with all the legislative powers
which the government asked for,
we have seen nothing but the spec
tacular attempts of policemen to
arrest economic forces. There is no
better example of the total futility
of the methods employed than in
the handling Of the sugar problem.
Here is commodity in which the
administration could have contin-
ued a well-established organization
the Sugar Equalization Board
could have purchased through il
the Cuban crop, could have supplied
the American people with full and
ample supplies at a retail price of
not more than IL cents pound. AS
a result of their failure in this sin
gle item, our people have paid as
high as 80 cents a pound for sugar,
representing Is cents a pound con-
tribution to the spectators of the
world. Eighteen cents is a small
sum. but. when it is applied to our
monthly consumption of sugar il is
over 100000, ,0e0c a month charge
upon the American consumer. The
price of sugar has recently fallen,
the inevitable collapse of a fearful
speculation, but what about the
train of preventable charges upon
the community 1t has left behind?
Destructive criticism is role
intensely dislike. To me. its use
today has warranty in proof only
of two things: first. the necessity
of retirement of the Democratic
party in this administration. and
second, of equal Importance. the re-
sponsibilities of the Republican
party in the next four years.
Dimcult Problems Ahead.
We have to look forward to the
necessities of these next four years
and the burden that will be i'm
posed upon the Republican party il
it is to make good its promise.
Never before in our history have we
been faced with so many and so
difficult series of problems.
would make no pretension of being
able to outline solution to them.
There are two or three that should
like to touch upon. The first is the
need of the Reorganization of the
htts inc oh NJ nf L Nal
government. The second is the
wider vision We must have in the
constructive handling of great in
-dustrial issues in the United States
Our Federal machinery is the re-
suit Of a hundred years of patchwork
and has Jagged lamentably behind the
skill or organization and admins
tration Of our people. The strain
of war gave daily vivid exhibitions
of its weakness, it's inability to cope
with great emergency. and dis
played the tremendous wastes that
flowed from faulty organization.
Some of its weaknesses have been
pointed out consistently for many
years. President Taft guided the
preparation of sound recommenda-
tions during the last Republican ad-
ministration. Nothing has been
done.
Budget Prine Necessity. ..
The first necessity is a proper ex-
ecutive budget. To minds charged
with the primary necessity of ad-
vance planning, co-ordinstion. pro-
vision Of synchroHizing parts in or
ganizations, the whole notion of our
hit or miss system of Federal finance
is wholly repugnant. A proper ex-
ecutive budget system provides a
basis of organization that at least
does not paralyze administrative ef-