OCR Text |
Show Congressman Welling9 s Case H Congressman Welling, recently returned from a safe position forty miles behind the firing line, is now in Utah 'H telling the people how tho European trip improved his H political powers. Perhaps it has worked wonders for him ' hut why not stop at Washington long enough to apply this H newly found knowledge to the affairs of the nation. Why H "ush home, while Congress is in session, to feed it to the 'H home folk and deprive his colleagues in the House, who H have not found time to tour Europe, of the information 'M he has gleaned from Admiral Sims, Admiral Wilson, Am- , bassadors Page of London, Sharp of Paris, and Thomas .Nelson Page of Rome. Having been sent by the War de- 'M partment it would seem that he should at first report to ' M this department. M m Mr. Welling says: "To my astonishment, the cam- '' paign in Utah seems to.rJ revolve around a so-called H junket for pleasure made by Mr. Mays and myself in Europe," from which it may be inferred that his aston- , V'H ishment prompted him to leave the affairs of state to' M come back to Utah to tell the people of Utah they are 'H mistaken. In this, however, Mr. Welling is mistaken as H he will later find that the people of Utah are no more in- H terested in his report of his European trip than are his ?H colleagues at Washington, tho W.iv rlonnrfmnnf. -m fiia :'H President, who to all intents have not thought of asking H for a report. JM itt JVe note tllat Senato1' Smoot was enthusiastic that- 'H Welling make the trip, which is nothing but natural. Ev- H or since the sinking of the Lusitania Senator Smoot has 'H been enthusiastic in the education of Democratic Con- j gressmen to a vigorous, successful and final prosecution - ffl of the war, even at the expense of a European trip, and 'H further, should any senator or congressman say to Sen- ator Smoot "I am thinking of going to the war front. Lthmk it will make me a better man, a better representa- tive, and a better American," would he object? On the other hand would not the hard-working, well-wishing " Senator say: "Go right along, I am sure it will do you ' good, and God bless you. I wish I could find the time and feel hke-I could go." But note that Senator Smoot can- not find the time to go, in fact he finds it necessary to be on the job working over-time every day. H But there are other things to which the attention of Mr. Welhng's constituents should be called: 1. Mr. Welling declares "I was for the war not be- cause any other man was for it, but because I knew the , war was inevitable, if our honor was to be maintained." It might be pertinent to ask when he was for the war? Was it prior to or after the last election? And if not be- fore election why not, as nothing happened since to I change the situation that had not transpired then. Re- publicans knew before election that war was inevitable. Did Mr. Welling, and if not, why not, and if so why did fl he not say so? M 2. Mr. Welling says: "I was for conscription," etc., M which is to his credit. And so were 169 Republicans in the W House, and only 143 of his Democratic colleagues. But M 42 Republicans were jjjgainst it, and 67 of his Democratic colleagues voted nay. It is unfortunate that Mr. Welling $ was not more successful in converting more of his Demo- M cratic friends. It is pertinent to ask Mr. Welling what M would have happened to conscription had the House been 11 overwhelmingly Democratic, assuming that the vote M would have been in the same proportion! The answer is .2 evident. Conscription would have been defeated. Con- -'la senption then is a Republican victory. 3. Again Mr. Welling says: "Utah people, regard- M ess of religious creed or political convictions, have been J loyal. It is a despicable thing to appeal to voters on the - m ground that there is politics in the war." Here he is un- W informed. While he was on his junket lie did not get all ' the news. Vice President Thos. R. Marshall, while re- I cently sounding the key note in the Democratic campaign I m the state of Indi- said "This war is a Democratic (Continued on Pago rivo) Cong. Welimeaie -v , j (Continued From Page One) s assett." This is one thing that was not cabled to him, and since his return he has not had time to stop at Washing-ton Washing-ton long enough to brush up. According to Mr. Welling, ' Vice President Marshall is spreading despicable propa- j ganda, or telling. the naked truth. Which? 4. Once more, M,r. Welling says a Democratic Con-' eress ought to be elected, and that "In no other way can Khis country serve notice upon-the despots of Europe that the nation stands squarely behind the President." Five - of Mr. Welling's Republican colleagues have resigned their seats and are now in the army, save one who has made the supreme, sacrifice. With all of Mr. Welling's ( influence he has.not succeeded in getting one Democratic congressman into the service. It is universally conceded that the best way to serve notice on the despots of Eur-1 ope that the nation stands squarely behind the President as long as the President stands for "unconditional sur- J render," is to send men and guns, and use "force without, stint or limit," and now be reasonable, Mr. Welling, would . 'the Kaiser be more frightened over the election of five Republicans of the type of the five who joined the army, or five .Democrats of the type of those who resigned to better their financial condition? Again will the Kaiser be more frightened at the election of Mr. Welling, a follower fol-lower of Wilson and Bryan and Clark and Kitchin, than he wilLat the election of William H. Wattis, who trains with Roosevelt and Taft and Hughes and Lodge and - Smoot? Has Mr. Welling and the Democrats got all the fighting blood of the.nation coursing through their veins, and has it come to a point where notice can be served in no other way than through Mr. Welling and his Democratic Demo-cratic friends that "unconditional surrender" is the "handwriting, on the wall" and that autocracy must be - crushed? The absurdity of his argument is evident. 5. Now 'we come to the main issue. Mr. Welling 1 - says: "I question the loyalty of no man, but I want those i who think another should take my place to point out wherein I have failed the state or the nation." Mr. Welling's Wel-ling's loyalty is not questioned either, and we are glad to know that he has voted right, and are sorry more of his Democratic colleagues are not numbered with him. But to point wherein he "has failed th&state or the nation", is not the issue. Mr. Welling is a Democrat making a grand-stand play for Republican V.ojes. He did the same thing two years ago, and caught a( greatmany "on a pin hook" and now hopes to do so again. ,Th,e tongue in the mouth of any person will cleave to its Very' roof, and there remain fixed forever that would impute to William H. - Wattiathe rale of disloyalty. His enviable record in as-r as-r (Trembling the sinews of war in Ogden and Weber county, L ipind the .work of the members of nis family in theservice r are evidences of his individualWjOjij-thft nationTWhat Mr. Welling has talked, and for what he has voted Hon. William H. Wattis talked, ancLwas ready to vote for, i when Mr. Welling was going upland down state crying 'he kept us out of war" and assuming that the election of the Democratic party was a safe guard against war. '.. -Both then are loyal men, one a Republican and the other -; a Democrat, and under existing conditions there is not , the first good reason why. a single Republican "should vnte -fnr Mr. Welline. Hp. does not svmnathize with them. he does not reflect their policies and ideals, but on the oth-". oth-". er hand is unalterably opposed to them. On the other 1 ' hand there is every reason why Republicans should ral- ; ly with their old time strength to the WATTIS STANDARD. STAND-ARD. He is .a splendid type of rugged western citizenship, citizen-ship, not so spectacular, as ."Mr.-Welling perhaps, and per-' per-' haps not prepared to make quite as flowery a speech. ! ,, He is a successful, hard headed business man, a builder in 1 r whose class Mr. Welling does not come close, and- we say this without any disrespect to Mr. Welling, and is richly endowed with capacity for constructive' legislation, that V " will be in demand at the colse of the war. He is a typical - representative of the common people, easily approached, t with a mind of his own and courage to express it., He is x entitled to the vote of every Republican inthe state, and, all-Democrats of the conservative class, and 'especially! -.. those, and by this' we mean those Democrats, who believe ' in protection. On the other hand we concede to our good '- friend Congressman Welling that he is entitled to the ' votes of all.the rockribbed Democrats, those who believe in free trade with all of its frills and fancies, but when j . .it comes to Milton H. Welling asking for Republican t votes, believing as he does politically, and talking as he ' does politically, and acting as he will politically the very moment he gets the chance, we say he has his nerve. In -: ': his talk and votes on the war we concede he has been loyal for which we are glad, but we are not always going to be in war. Peace will soon come, and then the reconstruction. reconstruc-tion. Milton HWelling will then not talk and vote to the satisfaction of Republicans., Win. H. Wattis, the builder, the Republican, will reflect the ideals and desires of Republicans, and Republicans should see to it that he lis elected. . |