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Show W00DR0V7 WILSON. -THE ELECTION AND BRYAN What will history say as to the public careei of Woodrow Wil-son? Wil-son? At this time, tne answer will In- purely tin- point l view and reflected lilies or dislikes the beginning of his career, Voodrow Wilson was regarded with much favor, although Ins character wjas assailed with relentless fury. In his second contest for thi presidency much of tin- criti-eism criti-eism directed at tin man was a whispered campaign. Then with the ending "t' his second term the furies broke loose and men were heard to hops, for his destruction. When lie was in Europe, tin- acclaiming ni the pvesidenl was unprecedented and CpUUlieiltators said In- would go down in history .as the greatest mind oi modern limes! When In- came home, tin- ciouds descended and criticism deep and bitter criticism -pourefl down upon his head Then the day arrived when, defending the league ef nations, his health was impaired, In.- was stricken down ami virtually elimi-l nated from the leadership of thought in world affairs. Ou Tuesday the "solemn referendum on the league oi nations"! was taken and the greatest measure i world reconstruction, as viewed by tin- followers of Woodrow Wilson was destroyed b th mandate of tin people, so far as tin United states is concerned That was the undoing of Woodrow Wilson's achievement at! Versailles, and the effect musl lie to discredit tin- president at least ! temporarily, and thai is why we ask the question: "What will histor Are we too close up to tin- lir events since tin- war i- get , proper perspective 1 Without question the American people are dissatisfied with tin 1 present administration, Whj I The replies are as varied as tin- cpl-ore cpl-ore in the rainbow, but one 'answer i- that tin people, having hciome fl restless ami discontented, wani-ci a change Anothei is thai insom-potency insom-potency had been shown in administration ami extravagance was re- buked. A third is that the foreigii polic; was offensive. fourth is that the people had experimented with democracy ami now reeaU ized. Republicanism was the source "i wisdom. Secretary of State Colby, in commenting on the election sdid he fell confident that ' 'in BOmc way and by some avenue, not at tin-moment tin-moment di&ClOsed, this country will ai l up 1 the hiirlu st e ropt oi duty" i hough he was depressed ami disappointed over the elec Senator Johnson says the decision of Tuesday was a coniplett rejection "i tin,, league, and. therefore, a repudiation of Wilson But om- of the severest reflections on Woodrow Wilson is from William J, Bryan aa 1 1 o . up to a i w years ago, was tin- unquestioned loader of the Democratic party. Bryan declares Wilson fell because! he was autocratic, and he points to the league bi nations as one of H the factors' entering into defeat, r.ut the real "li nsiveness of Wo id-row id-row Wilson rested in his uneoinpromisiny attitude in dealing with other Democrats, according to Bryan, who .ays: "Th.' presidcnl attempted to drive out of public life every Democrat win. dared t differ from him eveti in minute details, while I. I'" made mi effort i.. - rengthet thi Democrats w ho mad.- him th' keeper their conscience. He alienated all Republican support ami invited partisan opposition by his appeal, .inst before the election of I l'Jlv. t..r a cougresh that would support his peisunal leadership, and tlipn. though knowing full well that the majority in the nation was against him. he refused to deal with the senate and a eo-ordinale branch of the government Instead of recognizing that the consti-tutional consti-tutional provision rerpuring a two-thinls majority for ratification eompellcil compromise, he insisted upon dictating the terms upon which ratification could be had. and then, on he 19th of Man h. stubbornly rejected ratification with reservations, even when Sena-tor Sena-tor Harding and thirty-five other Republicans were willing to ac-cept ac-cept Ihe league as he wrote it with the few changes upon which they insisted. By thus preventing ratification, the president assumed re-sponsibility re-sponsibility for the nation's, failure to enter the league, and thrust -thc league into the campaign as a partisan issue. "Governor Cox, instead of repairing the injury done by the pres ideut, aggravated the situation by the manner in which he avoided domestic issues and misrepresented the position of the Republican party on Ihe league issue, which be declared to be paramount. His attempt to put the Democratic party in the attitude of being the sole guardian of peace was ridiculous, and his assaults upon such well kuown advocates of peace as ex-President Taft and Herbert Hoover were disgraceful. "Now that our participation will rest upon the Mill of congress and not upon the arbitrary opinion of a single man. wc may expert that universal disarmament will be made one of the conditions upon whieb Ave attempt to advise."' No Republican ever offered a more stinging denunciation "t the president and governor than has Bryan, who places the whole responsibility of bringing the- league into partisan polities on th-; two men and charges Wilson with narrowness and Cox with mis representation. From now on the Democratic party is facing internal discord aud factional bittemos. with Bryan and his followers assailing th-works th-works of AYoodrow Wilson. Can the Democratic party reeoe0? l'arle. Christenseo declares' l ' Deioc) ic in dead. Much depends on a correct analysis of the vote of last ruesday. If the mightj swing qt electors in thi past eigbl years, including the progressive campaign of mean's that a big majority of the voters have broken away from party ties and have become untrammelfid b party lines, voting first for this side and tin ii for the other, no one accurately can forecast the politics of four years hncc |
