Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-09
II GLOOMY PARTY
OUTLOOK

GIld!lCCS u IC-CiSSlIOii ASA AA0JS
ity of the present republican con-
gress. The stalwart republican
party organ, the Boston Transcript,
has labelled the present congress as
"inconparably bad" and Secretary
of War Weeks, a republican Of the
most partisan sort, says the pres
ent congress reveals 1.-The lowest
depth to which congressional gov
eminent has ever sunk"
With these singing criticisms
still ringing in the ears of east
erners, many are wondering why
democrats are reticent. Why don't
democratic politicians take advan-
tage of the. general dissatisfaction
with republicans and emphasize in
the minds of all America the spec
tacle at Washington of leaderless
confusion, unrealized expectations
conflicting purposes, forgotten
promises, subsiding popularity and
general deadlock, all of which goes
to make up the republican picture?
The New York Times answers
this question with: "A democra,
may we'll conclude that from a par.
tisan standpoint things are proceed.
ing quite satisfactorily. He might
naturally prefer not to defect re
publican attention, by more criti.
cism or a discussion Of issues, from
this intensive effort at party sui.
eide"
The Times continues:
at nay fairly be said on the par,
of the democrats throughout the
country that they are not happy
over the republican failure. No
maj whose patriotism is worth its
salt can have any feeling but one
Of depression, and even Of alarm,
at the course of the republican adj
ministration. That President Hard
ing and his unwieldy majority in
congress should stumble and fail
in some important respects is not
altogether surprising, considering
the infirmities of human nature and
the complexity of the problems
confronting the nation. Uniform
SUCCESS was too much to expect.
But the nation regardless of
party did expect a sober, consci-
entious, dispassionate and patriotic
approach to the problems of the
day. This expectation has been
wholly disappointed. Instead of Sc
rious work on the part of congress
we have been RECALLED by intermin-
able discussions, endless recriInin-
atoms between individuals, vulgar
dlatribes, pettifogging speeches in
praise of achievements that haven't
been achieved, and puerile and self
refutirg claims of economies which
haven't happened, such as the
speech of Senator Mccormick on
republican savings.
The republican party promised
a reduction Of u taxes, but it
cannot forego the old republican
habit of indirect plundering for the
enrichment of the contributors to
its campaign fund. Therefore we
have promise of a tariff worse than
the Payne-Aldrich bill of evil mem-
Dry. Not protection, but monop-
oily and extortion, are its objects,
and the puny attachments of our
taxes, if any there shall be, will be
lost in the overwhelming increase
in the cost of all the necessaries
Of life.
SIN the field Of foreign relations
we seem content to avoid every
thing that savors of 'involvements'
or commitments We are in ia
vor Of peace, but only where it al
ready exists. We will not even
discuss peace in Europe where our
help is sorely needed, lest per-
chance we find ourselves 'entan-
gled,' but in the orient we ally our
selves with the two foremost i'm
perialisms in the world against our
protege, China, and our traditional
friend, Russia.
Toward the 81 sovereign and en-
frightened peoples who compose the
lie; que of Nations, we have not
made a single friendly sign. No
helpful action, no stanch and
friendly word, no constructive de-
cision or endeavor is allowed to
qualify or disfigure our rigid aloof-
ness. We have drawn the protect
i've mantle Of our barrier oceans
around us, thankful that we a
only read of Europe's distress and
cannot hear its cries, and persist
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