Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-11-04
LEADERSHIP NOT MAINTAINE0.
Wilson Goes the Way Of All Mortaas
and Fails to Hold Grip on
Situation.

President Wilson is now in a Pc
sition to ask himself the question:
What profit accrues to a politician
who seeks through vanity and ego
ism to rule the whole world ana
then loses the election in which his
plans were made a Solemn refer
endum?"
There is no material difference be-
tween the purposes and motives Of
voters in both dominant politicaa
parties in this country. Republicans
ard democrats are alike sincere IN
their desire to promote the common
welfare, The issue in the present
campaign has turned upon leader
shin. President Wilson faced a sit
uation when we entered the world
war where it was possible for him
TO almost wipe all political OPPOSE
ton to himself and his party off the
map. 1t is evident today that he has
failed to accomplish this result.
The democratic party has suffereA
all through the campaign with an
| overdose of wisconsin. lnexcusa-
BILE waste and extravaganza marred
| the record of democracy in the coz
! duct of the war. This was due to
/ Wilson leadership and not to any in
/ tent of purpose on the part OF the
! common membership in his party.
| wilson simply refused to permit q
business organization of congress to
guard the federal treasury from the
swarms of greedy contractors. He fs
responsible for the cost plus system
I
cent commission on cost of building
cantonments, dock yards and ship
| building plants. The Hog Islanh
ship yards cost the government sew
enty million dollars. These yards
were offered at auction last week,
and the highest bid was trifle over
/ four million dollars. Seven million
dollars was the nominal commission
received by the contractors in this
case. But more than likely 1t was
much more.
| Wilson leadership In the league Of
nations issue has been a nightmare
TO his party associates. He has fur
nished opposing political leaders
with all the effective ammunitiou
they needed in the present campaign
in his equally unwise handling Of
our foreign relations. With a demo
crat in the white house during the
war period as sagacious as LincolB
the republicans in this campaign
would have had no political ammu-
milton worth while. A great leader
in the white house during this cru
cial period would have built up an
| invincible democratic party. He
would have spiked all the republican
guns by selecting republican leaders
for responsible places in the govern
ment service during the war. He
would have made them jointly re-
sponsible with him for the conduct
of the war and for the framing at
the treaty and the league covenant.
AS the record now stands Mr.. Wilson
not only refused to take counsel
with republicans but he refused the
| wiser counselors among his own
| party associates.
President Wilson held the destiny
of his party in his grasp Just AZ
Roosevelt held IL in 1908. Roosevelt
was a great leader. He made Tar
his successor. Taft is a magnificent
gentleman and a statesman of mer4
but he lacked leadership qualities
and. under his administration his
party split wide open. He and
Roosevelt rejoined the sundered
| parts before the latter died Ana
now Woodrow Wilson has supplied
the justification for returning the
republican party to it's former status
as the dominant political organiza-
| tion of the country.