The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-03-21
SENATOR REFUTEs
Dem. PROPAGANDA
BY HENRY CABOT LODGE
Omitted States Senator, Mass.)

49, f~@AASo Va - K60-
eral character to which wish at the
outset to bring attention. In the
first place remember that the choice
which lies before the voters next
autumn is not between the Republic
can party and some ideal oreaniza-
ton which never makes q mistake
but which passes laws, especially tax
laws and tariffs, which please every
body, an organization which has
never yet existed and never will
exist. The choice before us IA
much simpler that that-very diff
ferent-it Is q choice between the
Republican party and the Demo-
cratic party. Those two parties in a
practical way are all you have to
choose between.
Therefore, when you are making
your comparison you are not making
1t with counsels Of perfection as
against the Republican party, you
are making it as against the Demo-
cratic party and nothing else, and,
therefore, what the Democratic or
ganization has done and promiced to
do is that with which the comparison
must be made in determining how
to vote.
Denies Cry of Democrats
Now the second point il this:
The Democratic organization in Con-
gress, and no doubt elsewhere, has
been filling the air with the cry that
this is do nothing" Congress
that nothing has been done. That
is easily said and It's ease commends
itself, Of course, to the Democratic
intelligence, on which 1t Is not we'll
to put too severe o strain. By
every artifce Of delay and time
wasting they have done their best
to make this Congress "do moth
ing" body and although they have
failed, they are keeping on saying
1t just the same.
The proposition, however, that
this has been an "do nothing
Congress Is a statement l purpose
to disprove. In the first place, con-
slider what the situation was which
the Republican party was obliged to
take up when II came into control
Of the government less than a year
ago. We had passed through a
great war, q war won not by any
party organization, whether Repub-
ican or Democratic, but by the
courage and quality Of our soldiers
and the enormous patriotic energy
Of the American people. 1t was a
time when everybody was profound
ly moved-it was a time of excite
ment.
The American people were de-
termined to win the war they
were ready to make any sacrifice
in money to secure success. AL
though they are the most generous
on earth and did not question in
that war time any appropriations or
expenditures, they had right to ex-
pect that the money they freely
gave with both hands should not
be spent needlessly or recklessly.
Then the war ended and the ex-
element died down and in cold
blood we began to look about US.
The tragedy was over, the lights
were out, the music was hushed,
and the country was left to con-
template what had happened in the
calm Of returning peace. It is an
OLD saying that they who call the
tune must pay the hiper. but in
this case, so far as the government
was concerned, the Democrats
called the tune and, being rejected
by the country, left it to the Repub-
ican party when it came in to pay
the piper.
The Great War Debt
had been in Washington, OF
course, through all those months OF
the war. l thought l knew some
thing Of the extravagances, but
until the burden fell upon US l had
no conception Of the extent Of the
waste or Of the amount Of debt and
wreckage with which we were
obliged to deal. The sum Of ST.
600,000,000 had gone to the ship
ping board, and we had to take over
that financial wreck. We are max
ing an endeavor to save from that
wreck enough to secure the future
of our American merchant marine
the difficulty of which can hardly
be overestimated. We had spent
$365, 100000 on aircraft and we
had not q single combat plane In
France when the war closed. We
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