Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-27
A BY THE PRESIDENT.

800 S&~
last days of the campaign are Civ
ing out the slogan, stand by the
president" and return a republican
congress. Not SO much was heard
of that in the carly days of the
present campaign because the rec
ord of the republican congress was
too fresh and vivid in the minds
of the voters. The republican con-
gress did not stand by the president
on his soldiers bonus policy. They
passed the bill over his veto in the
house and nearly did the sarne thing
in the senate. They failed to pass
the ship owners subsidy bill in
spite of the urgent pleas Of the
president to the contrary and his
threat of an extra session. They
failed to pass his Liberian loan OF
five millions. The republican con-
gress failed to stand by the presi-
dent in these matters because an
election was pending and they
feared the loss of votes.
"Of two evils, always choose the
lesser" That maxim is as old as
humanity. The republican chief
tains are basing their congressional
campaign upon that principle; OF
all the issues which might be
brought to the front, they are COM
PEELED to choose between those
which are bad for them and those
which are worse. So it IS that,
rather than rest the issue upon the
merits and dement's of this repub-
lican congress, they choose rather
to fight upon the issue Of stand
ing by the president" Small and
shrinking as is his popularity, they
think it better to take a chance or
that than to rest their case on the
do-nothing record of the congress
So now the president has been IN
duced to write a letter to Mondell
praising the record of a congress
which even republican leaders have
repudiated in language almost too
strong to print. Weeks, a member
Of Harding's own cabinet, declared
that congress had sunk to a new
low record for achievement. Wood
republican CONGRESSMAN from lnas-
n and chairman of the congress
sicnaI campaign committee, said on
the floor Of the house in a speech
that the people everywhere r
giving us hell" With testimony OF
that sort coming from the inner
circle of r%eactionism, is it any won
der that the campaign leaders
would try to hide the congress be
hind the skirts of the president
ven though the skirts be botf
short and narrow2 The presidents
own record is one of weakness
vacillation and broken promises
but that of the congress is worse
It has broken every successive
nIedge for relief from high take:
and high living costs, it has done
nothing to protect the public iron
the coal profiteer and all OF the
lesser pirates, it was as helpless
as the president in bringing aoou'
an end of the strikes which were
distressing both the strikers ane
the consumers, it has PRETENDED te
cut the costs of government, but
even the president himself I:
forced to admit that there will 81
a deficiency of three quarters OF
billion by June 30 next. Or course
this is Secretary MELONS estimate
and of course he made it as modest
as possible. 1t will probably be
round billion before that time
comes. AS for constructive legls'
lstion, the record is a blank. Prac.
tically the only piece put through
was the tariff bill; if that had no
been passed at the behest of thu
big campaign contributors TIT
narty could not have hoped TO
campaign contributions for tn
election a few days ahead. Ih
people are just beginning to not
its effect in the rising costs o
sugar, woolens, cotton goods an
an unending procession OF othe
manufactured articles. while tn
articles which the farmers have t
sell fall lower and lower. It IS
tariff which operates like the pois
oped knifs which DR.. Warren de
scribed in a famous novel. In tn
story the blade was poisoned O
n side, so that when 1t was use
TO divide the loaf, it dealt on
health and strength to one, Will
dealing sickness and death to tn
other. Is it any wonder that tn
republican campaign manager
would rather the voters shout
-. &C L. a1svY rnYrn 0n1