Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-06-09


the most decisive step in the political
party control Of this great Govern
msnt for the next four years: 1t Is a
possibilities of either good or evil
We'll worth our while Il Is just here
upon this bank and shoal OF time" 10
pause for an instant while We glance
are to Tight our battle: Behind us
lies the greatest war of history. now
for the most part fallen silent. TO-
gether with ali the hideous advances
life. which battened upon II, halted
and quiescent. The tempest has sub.
sided but the ocean still heaves ano
rolls with eTessins waves Thlle h sss
passed, crash sullenly against the
shores that shelter and sustain the
vast fabric which we are wont 10 can
our civilization We find ourselves
trials which the huge CONFUSION has
left TO US and with which we must
cope and cope successfully II we are
TO rebuild and again move onward
tries, the desolated farms are there
before our eyes wherever the battles
were fought. Countless little MOUNDS
mark the resting places OF the dead IN
the fields and on the hillsides torn and
gashed by shot and shell. Signals OF
mourning throughout the world tell US
Of the irreparable losses of all ma
lions. which have swept away such an
appalling portion of the youth OF
every land. those in whom were gar
nered up the hopes and strength of
the future. The splendor Of the
achievement of our soldiers and sail
shrinking service will always remain
one of the proudest memories in the
history Of the Republic. But the
dead return net and the shadow of the
for rhnSa forever
will never be lifted from the hearts of
the people who sent them forth TO
battle The material side OF war re-
suits is, like the spiritual. ever with
pressure of the vast debts and heaped
up taxes which have been piled upon
our shoulders and upon those OF pos
terity. Great empires have been
swept from the earth. ancient mon
arches have crumbled in an hour and
long-established governments have
,ottered. fallen and passed away like
d watch in the night
All these things stare US in the race,
pierce our attention and arrest our
thoughts But this is not all and
what remains. perhaps more than any
thing else. makes incredibly difficult
the immense task which lies before US.
one not TO be escaped but which will
strain governments and people to the
top of their bent if aught that makes
life worth living is to survive The
WEtGhcu lONIS. tic shdticICa vs.
the effaced villages. the sinking ships
were not the only victims of the storm
of war. Other things, the impaipaole
possessions of the mind and heart,
and crippled. In the shock of war.
through long years of bitter conflict:
moral restraints were loosened and all
the habits. all the conventions. all the
customs of life, which more even than
law hold society together. were swept
aside. one passion, one rurpoSe-to
save the country. to save civilization.
TO preserve freedom rose supreme II
could not be otherwise. There cHT'"
be in that hour but one question asked
Of men and women: are you ioyaI
10 your country and her cause. ready
TO work and TO sacrifice and II need be
mand was rightly answered nothing
else mattered in those days of stress
and anguish. No one inquired further.
So the war ended and victory came:
the great adventure was over and
old ways dull. the old life tame, the
old restraints burdensome and they
themselves possessed by longing for
excitement and a hunger for change
unknown before. One sees the result
in the restlessness which is every
where; in the mere triaes of life. in
dress, in amusements. in pleasure
seeking; in the greed for money and
the reckiessness of expenditure and
what is infinitely more serious, in the
discomfort with all forms Of govern
ment or control and in the readiness
and eagerness to destroy even the
fundamental principles Of a free and
orderly civilization without which law
and order. organized society, the pos
sibilities of progress and the chance
for happiness cannot exist This
state of mind born OF the war is the
gravest obstacle in the essential work
OF restoring shattered world and
making the great victory a blessing to
mankind. In order TO succeed at all
We must understand this mental and
moral condition. We must allow for
Il. We must be very patient We
must steady our nerves We must be
tolerant and above all, open-minded.
and self-restraint The complex prob
lem cannot be evaded and il must be-
dealt with in such way as to pre-
serve the foundations of society and
enable US. those once secured. to ad-
vance steadily. never hurriedly but all
ways in order. toward every reform.
every improvement. every form Of true
progress which will help mankind. 1t
is a gigantic task for any government
or any party. No party and no gov
eminent can succeed unless they face
it bravely, looking facts always in the
face and determined to do their best
never promising what they cannot
perform and never yielding to the
facile temptations of momentary sue
cess.
One as our great political parties
has failed TO meet-nay. IS in a con-
periious conditions of the hour. The
only other organized political force
streng enough to grapple with the en-
circling dangers is the Republican
Party. If that too fails and breaks
down. the Russian descent into bar
barism will begin to draw near. Such
an end is inconceivable with the Amer
lean people but they must realize the
peril and drive it back into the dark.
the Republican faith. must therefore
succeed. We must not know defeat
when the great responsibility comes
to our hands. To the service of 1850
we must add a like service of 1920.
No larger victory at any time could be
won by any political party. We must
both earn and deserve it. We did not
fail in the Civil War. We shall not,
must not fail now.
In order TO render TO our country
the service which we desire to render
and which We can accomplish in large
measure, at least. if we undertake il
with all our ability and in disinter-
ested public spirit, we must have the
opportunity for service. That oppor-
tunity can only come through our be-
ing entrusted by the people with both
the legislative and the executive au-
thority. To this end Mr.. Wilson and
his dynasty. his heirs and assigns. or
anybody that is his, anybody who with
bent knee has served his purposes,
must be driven from all control. from
all influence upon the Government OF
the United States. They must be
driven from Office and power not be-
cause they are Democrats but because
Mr.. Wilson stands for a theory of ad.
not American. His methods. his con-
slant II indirect assaults upon the
Constitution and upon all the tradi-
tons of free government, strike at the
life IF the American nYincinlaS