The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1921-09-02
DEMOCRATIC WASTEFuLNEsS
AND lNEFFlciENcy

late Democratic administration Dy
every Republican member who has
spoken in the last Congress or Re
publican orator who has spoken out
side of that bo6y
It is the set phrase.
On August 18th, Hon William NJ.
Green of Iowa, in speech on the
floor of the House of Representatives
started out with that stereotyped
phrase of his party by saying that
the history of the Democratic party
has been the history Of prodigal and
criminal waste in the last war
Will the distinguished gentleman,
whose erudition seems so great, point
out a single war since the dawn of
history, where there was not waste?
That has been and will ever be the
history of all wars.
Read the history of the wars under
xerxes, Phillip, Alexander, Caesar,
Hannibal, Napoleon, and one will find
that Mr.. Green's stereotyped phrase
will apply
It is moss-coYered with age.
If those who conduct them were
even greater geniuses than Caesar or
Napoleon the history would be the
same because. war means the loss of
life. the loss of property, lit means
tears, sorrow. mourning, weeping,
wailing and the gnashing of teeth.
Those things naturally belong to
war and no one, however great, can
separate war from waste and desola-
ton and ruin any more than he can
separate 1t from the loss of life.
just q few days after Mr.. Green
made his speech in which he accused
the late Democratic administration
with sprodigal and criminal waste, :
the Republican administration pur-
chased from Great Britain giant air
ship for experimental purposes for
which the sum of two million dollars
is said to have been paid and on its
initial trip almost within an hour
it exploded, resulting in its total de.
sruction and an appalling loss of life.
Would Mr. Green think it the proper
thing for members of the Democratic
party, because of this regrettable ac-
eident, to accuse the Harding admins
tration with ''prodigal and criminal
wastefulness?
| But ineficiency is another thing.
None of the great commanders that
we have named were accused of ineffi-
cheney
On the contrary they are referred to
as the very thunderbolts of war.
When one brings war to a sue
cessful ending he can not justly be
accused of inefficiency.
Did not the Democratic administers
ton bring the great world was to a
successful and speedy ending?
In the executive department, in the
war department, in the navy depart.
ment and in every other department,
the nations of the world were startled
with the efficiency shown.
Never before was so much Iuster
added to the flag of the nation.
And, then, Mr. Green accuses the
Democratic administration with ut
ter ignorance as to finances.
The wonder is that man eminent
nough to become congressman could
make a statement so astounding
j Notwithstanding the billions OF
money the world war cost our govern.
ment and the billions it lent to other
j nations, there was no financial panic
during its continuance and no finan,
cial panic following it.
This Iowa congressman should at
least familiarize himself with current
history
The Democratic administration was
not only not inefficient in the conduct
of the great world war nor was it
inefficient in any war occurring while
It was in power, and the fact that our
vast domain stretches in an unbroken
chain from the Atlantic to the Paci-
nc ocean and from the Great Lakes
to the Gulf of Mexico tells the story
that the Democratic administrations
We're as efficient in diplomacy as in
war
And then, too, the Democratic party
is morally clean 1t does not build
up one industry at the expense of an
other and it does not bear the faint
of Newberryism.