The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-02-20
ROOT CALLS ON
Republicans To
END CLASS WARS
Demands Some Limit On the
Right to Strike
TO END DICTATORSHIP
Says Country Is Uneasy After the War
and Needs Government That Win
Enforce Justice

New York, Feb. 20 -Elihu Root, IL
speech intended to be guide fol
Repub lean Presidential campaign o.
1920, called the party last night c
the defence Of freet self-government
against class denominat'on on"
The former United States Senator
and e der statesman of his party was
speaking az temporary chairman al
the opening session of the unofficial
S ate convention held in Carnegis
Hal.
Some will suffer- he said referring
to the defence of self-governmant
some votes will be lost, some Offices
will be sacrificed; but American de
mocracy wi be saved. Shall Repuh
licans not answer? VII. they tenn,
porize? Can they refuse?"
A considerable par. of the address
was devoted to the economic strug.
gl now going on We should not
attempt to take away the right to
str Ike, Mr.. Root said, bu by law the
right should be limited at the point
where 1t comes in conflict with the
right of seif-preserva ion for the
community.
"The war; SAID Mr.. Root. "has left
the whole world in a condition of dis
turbed nerves; old habits are broken
up; the machinery OF production.
transportation, trade and finance
through which indus ry produces
prosperity has been dislocated After
years of sustained excitement. with
nerves keyed to the highest pitch of
effort. old occupations seem anne
and distasteful; there is a widespread
desire for something different TO be
attained, no one knows how.
Mu titudes of peope are neglect
ing their own affairs and distressing
themselves over the shortcomings of
others. lit Is a prevailing sta of
mind. II is an epidemic. 1t will
run its course like other epidem;cs,
and some day the world will realize
that the cure is for each man to SO to
work himself Then he high cost of
living will go down.
'Our business as a party Is to ad-
dress ourselves with cheerful courage
and confidence to the public problems
demanding so ution and to bring our
country back TO norma. 1t Is not to
pvt he coun ry back where it was
without profiting by the lessons Of
these wonderful years, but 1t Is to re-
establish The effective control of The
fundamental principles on which
Americas liberty, prosperity and
power for good In the world rests.
and we must do this not by general
ties but by specific ac S."
Thrift stood first on the list of acts,
the speaker said While a political
party could not make individuals
thrift y. 1t could produce the shining
and potent example of thrifty and
economical government
Referring to unbrii ed expendi
lures of the Government during the
war, he declared the officials and
agents of he present Government
having acquired he habit of spending
public money with both hands, they
did not know how to stop. Put the
mon with the habi out and those
who have not got it in, he said
Mr., Root continued: with a par
ty in power free from responsible ity
for defending the mistakes and bad
methods which are 20 be reformed,
three great things can be done.
First the vast mass OF figures
through which the finances OF the
Government are presented in such a
way tha hardly anybody can under
stand to what conclusions they lead
can be reduced to practical and in.
sructive form by the establishment
of an effective budget sys EN-, under
which Government will be obliged to
start with it's resources in order to
determine its expenditures.
IA second thing to be done is to Sc
cure execu i've departments that will
stop urging and Congress that will
stop appropriating money for things
which need not be done now, or need
not be done so expensivey, or need
not be done at al. The present Con-
gress has done well. 1t is, however,
very Difficult for Congressional com
mittees to cut down the expenses of
a vast and complicated business lilEe
that of the United Sta es Government
without assistance from the heads of
the departments and of bureaus.
"A bird thing that can be done is
to revise the system of taxation and
to make some serious changes in it
indicated by experience of its eff
fects.'
The men who framed the present
revenue laws, he speaker said, did
not conceal their dislike for the sue.
cessful busines concerns of the
United States and that they meant to
take away as much of their money as
they possibly could
tn Heal Cnu-h