The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-08-26
ITO PUT HIM IN A HOLE"

the people VINO elected them they Will
have to do more than spend their
time criticising the recent Democratic
administration. The people heard all
the criticism they cared to hear in the
campaign last fall. It's time for the
Republicans to settle down and if pos
sible to show by their actions that
they are better able to administer the
affairs Of the country than the DEM
ocrats. To date there is no evidence
that warrants such hope or predic-
ton.
A fair sample of the attitude taken
by the majority of the Republicans in
congress today, is the example of Mr..
Fordney, chairman Of the Ways and
Means committee of the House and the
author of the Fordney tariff bill. In
speech delivered two days ago on
the floor of the House, he spent the
greater part of his time in dispensing
a brand. of criticism that mirrors a
cankerous, narrow and malicious spir-
it. "I've had all the democracy in the
last eight years that hope God AL
mighty will ever visit upon the
earth," shouted the speaker. A little
later on in his speech he charged that
ex-President Wilson had taken over
the railroads of the country during
the war "for political purposes" and
put his son-in-law in charge of them.
When reminded that he had voted for
the bill placing the roads of the coun-
try in the hands of the President, he
said: 81 voted to put the President in
hole and we did"
We take it for granted that Mr..
Fordney stated the truth and if so, he
is indeed fine specimen of states
man to be heading one of the most
important committees of the House.
The war IVES on when the railroads
of the country were taken under Fed
eral control and management. They
were not taken over for political rea-
sons or because the administration
wanted more work to do. The rail-
roads were failing to function in a
way that would meet the demands of
war. Transportation of troops and
supplies, of necessity, had to be given
precedence over everything else. Com
peting roads were in many instances
not cooperating. There was demand
for coordination that had not been
proven possible under separate and in
dependent management. Congress saw
the necessity of having the roads of
the country under the control of one
head and being run as one great road.
For that reason the control of the
roads was given over to the COM
mander in chief of cur military fore
es. But, according to Mr.. Fordney,
this was not Why he voted for Fed
eral control of the roads during the
war; he voted ITO put the President in
hole" At time when every in
stinct of fairness pleaded for whole
hearted support of the President; at a
time when the British army "was
fighting with its back to the WALL" at
time when American soldiers were
dying at the front, Mr.. Fordney voted
for what? to give aid and support;
to hasten the moving of more troops
and supplies; to clear the way and ex-
pedite the tasks laid upon the Com
mander in Chief? No. He voted ITO
put him in the hole"
And what about the democracy in
the last eight years" that he hopes
will never return? Had it not been
for the passage of some of the laws
now in effect, during the eight years
of Democratic administration, we
would at this time be experiencing
the greatest era of financial depres-
sion that the world has ever known.
Had the Democratic party during the
eight years that Woodrow Wilson
was President, done nothing more than
pass the Federal Reserve Act, it would
be entitled to the enduring gratitude
of the nation. But when to this act
we add the Farm Loan Banks, the Ru.
raj Credits Acts, the Good Roads Bill
the Smith-Lever Bill, the repeal of the
iniqutous Tariff Law and many other
achievements that stand without a
parallel in legislative annals, then il
gives us deeper insight into the
small, spenta nd cramped soul of the
man who today heads the Ways and
Means committee of a Republican
House.-Cape Girardeau Sun.
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