The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1940-11-15
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Washington, D. C.
A DECISION is MADE

n DEOA6hON 40 MfAUG i+s
Regardless Of our feelings, 1t Is
the duty of us all to accept the cleo
TONS decision. That is our de-
mocracy, for which we must fight
to the last in this dangerous world
the most precious thing in our ma
ticnal life.
This may not be easy. This has
been the bitterest campaign in my
experience. Deep wounds have been
given-and received. Low blows
have been struck. Hatreds have
been melted. Class and religious
prejudices have been infiamed.
Hints of reprisals, repressions and
even prosecutions have been
dropped. Never has this country
been so torn and disunited.
We can't let this 60 on. 1t is
perhaps understandable in such an
election, but as that vote decides, SO
must it be. Bad and surly losers
at such time as this are bad and
surly Americans.
There remain issues that were not
voted. Chief among them is the
extent to which our people wish to
be involved in war. This must still
be debated and fought in congress,
but as to everything which goes to
make us strong for defense, our war
ring factions must do their utmost
to be united-one for all and all for
one-the country.
It is a good thing too that the cleo
ton was close. We should hear
no more the cries of the victors,
I'VE have mandate" and, there
fore, we hope, no new attempt to
ride rough-shod over minorities
through popular inhibitions and con-
stitutional restrictions.
Goose-stepped Nazi SO per cent
''ya" votes are what create dictator
ships and make wars. There will be
no war. There will be no American
F'uehrer, if we can maintain large
and live political group Of oppose
ton in the country as well as in the
congress.
It was hard fight. / for one, am
glad it is over. For me it involved
something like the job Of taking
in washing by day and digging wells
by night" I'm tired and battered
and I'm going down to Bethany
Beach and sleep for a week-turn-
ing over each day only long enough
to get my column out.
In this domestic eruption of cam
paign and election, we seem to for
get all about the war which, after
all, is the greatest interest outside
our shores. Some columnist who
seems to have miraculous sources
of information, says that Winston
Churchill is getting very impatient
about us. He wants to know when
we are coming into this shindy.
/ hope Churchill can restrain him
self because we're never coming in.
It will cost us another hundred mil
lion and if we spend that much
and get into this war, we shall have
seen the last of our democratic and
economic system as we have known
it.
The most remarkable thing I saw
in this election was the enthusiasm
of young people for Mr.. Willkie. He
himself seemed to grow younger in
this campaign regarding of its Cruel
ing demands. never saw Mrs.
Willkie look better than on its last
night. / think she is the best cam
paigner he has had. When told
her that, she said:
ooh, no, all did was to wave"
Although he lost, Mr.. Willkie rep
resents something most precious and
valuable in American life, and the
whole country has come to know it.
Eggs, wastebaskets and political
scurrility cannot obscure it.
If he had had at least little pro-
fessional organization = if he had
been attended by people with a lit
tie more experience in campaign
speaking-if advisers who were rank
war interventionists had not pre-
vented him from taking the forth
right stand against war that is in his
heart, his election would have been
a walk-in. ! know that from my
own experience in many states. and
before audiences in the aggregate
tens of thousands. It was the livest
issue in this campaign, but such
was Mr.. WILKES instructive shrink
ing from. any appeal to emotion
any appeal to- anything but what he
regarded as debate on absolute fac
tual issues alone-things that did not
reside in conjecture but that he
could prove by the book-that he
wouldn't use it.
1t was pretty but it wasn't politics
--even perfectly legitimate politics.
Yet, much as regret to see a failure
fully to express and to represent
what / know to be the heart and
soul of the American people-be-
cause there was no way to lay it out
with T-square and compass on q
drawing board blue print he
wouldn't touch it. Yet, am glad to
have been so closely associated with
man so scrupulously conscientious,
so fundamentally honest.