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The Commoner
VOL. 16, NO.
30
' V
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Thomas A. Edison for Wilson
From tho Now York Times
Thomas A. Edison, although a
lifo-long republican and a supporter
of Colonel lloosevclt for tho repub
lican presidential nomination, an
nounced yesterday through tho dem
ocratic national campaign committee
that ho. intends to voto and work for
tho re-olootion of President Wilson.
Mr. Rdison said:
"Not since 1800 has any campaign
made such a direct call on slmon
puro Americanism. The times are
too serious to talk or think in terms
of republicanism or democracy. Real
Americans must drop parties and got
down to big fundamental principles.
"More than any other President in
my memory Wilson has been faced
bv a succession of tremendous prob
lems, any one of which, decided tho
wrong way, would havo had disas
trous consequences. Wilson's de
cisions so far havo not got us into
any serious trouble, nor aro thoy
likoly to.
"Ho has given us peace with hon
or. This talk about the United
Statos being desiised is noiiBenso.
Neutrality is a mighty trying policy,
but back of it aro international law,
. tho rights of humanity, and tho fu
ture of civilization.
"With roferonco to Mexico, I
think the President has acted wisely,
justly, and courageously. It was
right that tho United States should
not havo recognized such a murder
ous personality as Huerta. I do not
believe that we should have inter
vened, nor do I believe that wo should
intervene now. Mexico is a trouble-
k some neighbor just-now, but war and
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conquest are not going to make her
a better one. Both against England
and against human slavery- the
United States worked out its salva
tion through revolution, and it was,
a pretty slow, trying process.
"It has been said that Wilson at
first was against preparedness. Per
haps he was, but when convinced
that intelligent public opinion was
overwhelmingly in favor of it, ho
changed. That is tho proper thing
for our presidents to do. A presi
dent defiant of public opinion would
bo a dangerous man in our system of
government. ,
"His attitude on the tariff shows
an equal openness of mind. A tariff
commission will take tho whole prob
lem out of politics. It is my hope
that experts will be named, and that
tho body will bo continuing and
vested almost with the dignity of the
supreme court.
"They say he has blundered. Per
haps he has. But I notlco that he
usually blunders forward. You can't
get 100 per cent efficiency in a dem
ocracy. I don't know that we ought
to want it. Wo would be machines,
and we would havo to sacrifice too
much of freedom.
"As I said at the start, it has been
just one big thing after another with
Wilson. I havo never known so
many dangerous questions brought
up for decision to any one president.
Now he has the general strike of the
skilled railway men, which, if car
ried out, will throw the whole coun
try into confusion, and prove a ca
lamity that, in certain eventualities,
will have results bound to extend
over a long period of time. He is
acting with his usual courage and
sanity.
"In my opinion, Mr. Hughes, if
president, would find it difficult to
decide on tho best course for the
government to take in this strike.
His capacity for hindsight, as we
learn from his speeches, Is highly de
veloped, but as to his foresight,' we
are not equally well informed.
"Mr. Wilson has now had about
four years of experience, and he has.
parned faith and trust. I do not
think it a logical or sensible thing
to change to an unexperienced and
untried man just for tho sake of
change, or without much better rea
sons being given for the change than
I have noticed.
"Roosevelt was my choice. He
has had experience, and Is one of the
best of Americans, but tho machine
controlled republican party would
not have liim. Therefore I am for
Woodrow Wilson."
Roosevelt and Mr. Justice, Hughes
after which tho republican candidate
said tho two were in accord. Mr.
Reed's speech in part follows:
Cites Big Money Banquet
"On Dec. 19, 191B, there was held
in the city of New York a most re
markable dinner, which has since
been commonly khoWn as the mod
ern Belshazzar's feast. It was at
tended by seventeen' great capitalists
who possessed or directly controlled
properties worth ono hundred and
twenty billion dollars, or one-tenth
of the aggregate value of the .prop
erty of one hundred million people of
the United States; a partial list of
those attending, together with the
amount of money by them represent
ed, is interested.
"Vanderlip, representing two bil
lion dollars, had of the Morgan
bank, the fiscal agent of the allies.
"Guggenheim, representing one
and one-half billion dollars, largely
interested in war supplies.
"Vanderbilt, representing one and
one-half billion dollars.
"Hepburn, representing one and
one-half billion dollars.
"Quisenbury, general counsel for
the steel trust.
"Cortelyou, representing the great
Standard Oil interests, and others.
"It is safe to say that every man
present was at that time and has ever
since been making enormous profits
from war supplies furnished the
allies.
"Conspicuous at this dinner was
George W. Perkins, organizer of the
harvester trust, subsidiary of the
Morgan interests and owning vast
plantp in both France and Russia. By
his side, the guest of honor and the
center of attraction, the politician
who was to he converted into a war
asset, sat the redoubtable Theodore
Roosevelt."
HUGHES AND WAR: WILSON AND
PEACE
A St. Louis, Mo., dispatch, dated'
uct. ii, says: With American citizens
of Gorman ancestors as hosts, Sena
tor James A. Reed of Missouri, at
the Tower Grove Turnverei.n, tonight
carried the message of "War with
Germany, or Peace," into tho very
center of tho German-born popula
tion of this city,
Senator Reed quoted Roosevelt as
if. tt m . Aft a.
iiio war loru" who will take the
sword against Germany and then
quoted a telegram sent the former
president by Mr. Justice Hughes, the
republican candidate for president,
congratulating Roosevelt upon his
Maine speech in which he said in ef
fect the United States should have
gone to war with Germany over the
invasion of Belgium.
Senator Reed pointed to the capit
alists' banquet in Now York cHy on
December 19, 1915, which Roosevelt
attended, then to the luncheon of
THE REACTION IN FAVOR OP
WILSON
From the Jackson, Mich., Patriot,
Oct. 5.
The- tide has turned, The visible
turning point wag Theodp.ro Roose
velt's speech in Battle Creek, s One
sentence of that speech revealed its
animus, "Wilson Craven, Oust Him,"
snouted Roosevelt.
This seemed to suit th,e Roosevelt
organs, and in big black, letters it
was placed on the first page of the
foremost newspaper supporter of the
republican candidate for president.
The country is brought face to
face with the proposition that repub
lican success in November means an
administration dominated by the
greatest belligerent in America,
Theodore Roosevelt, and with war as
an almost inevitable result.
Mr. Roosevelt has done the country
great service Jn causing a reaction of
public sentiment that insures the re
election of President Wilson and
guarantees four more years of peace
and prosperity.
The Patriot does not advocate the
re-election of Mr. Wilson because he
is a democrat, but because he is the
safest man -in the great emergency
that confronts this nation, . growing
out of the world war. that is devast
ing Europe.
President Wilson has a firmer
grasp and a wiser comprehension of
the perils of thq situation than any
new and untried man can have, and
it is better to trust him to he. steers
man of the ship of state" over the
stormy seas than it is to place the
helm in charge of any man who sim
ply opposes everything that has been
done in the past three years, al
though the course pursued has
brought unparalleled prosperity to
this country. ;
Henry Ford, whose business pres-
MiUWb uo uunieu, whnon
cess as a business man iB on VUc'
most remarkable this coun ry' he
ever witnessed, while denounL 8
an "anarchist" by a leading si nnn ?
or and champion of the RooseS
policy, sees plainly the path o
and is. outspoken in supporting Si y'
idont Wilson. Mr. Ford lis n 5, es
peace is a practical upholder oM
principles of the Prince of ?iS?
without whose teachings and exaX
there would be no ChriaUa?!??!
earthand he avoids self-stultifica
tion by advocating the re-election n
President Wilson, although tX
always been a republican.
fJn? dSf0t CFy 0Ut' gnashine his
teeth "Wilson craven oust him"
but openly and manfully supports
him, because he sees and knows that
the best interests of the people of tho
United States will be promoted w
his re-election. '
MURDOOK PRAISES WILSOK'q
ATTITUDE IN RAILROAD CHISIS
A New York dispatch, dated Sept.
?i ' 7: J1??? Murdock editor o
the Wichita (Kan.) Baglo and a
pioneer of the progressive movement
in the west, has declared unnuall
fiedly in favor of President Wilson's
course in averting a nation-wide
railroad strike. Referring to Can
didate Hughes' opposition to the
eight-hour bill and his insistence
that arbitration should havo hum
compelled, Mr. Murdock's newspaper
says, in part:
"But, Mr. Hughes, like the re
publican newspapers, failed to point
out how this could have been done.
The railroad men took tho position
that the eight-hour day was not
arbitrable. They refused flatly to
arbitrate. Under the circumstances,
then, unless the eight-hour day was
granted, a strike would have been
inevitable.
"Would Mr. Hughes have pre
ferred a strike, with its inevitable
burnings and disorder, its bloodshed
and prostration of industry, Its stir
ring of class hatreds and suffering of
millions of people, to the settlement
that Mr. Wilson effected? For the
strike of 1894 givs a faint idea of
what might have been expected In
1916 if the President, following Mr.
Cleveland's precedent, hadattempted
to settle it by force.
"The great mass of people will un.
doubtedly feel that Mr. Wilson was
wiser in his generation than Mr.
Cleveland, or than Mr. Hughes. The
Adamson bill does not effect a per
manent settlement. Further meas
ures are necessary, and should he
adopted, as thePresident has recom
mended. "As to the surrender of the Pres
ident on the demand for an eight
hour day, progressives demandett
that measure of social justice four
years ago, and it certainly ill becomes
any, one who supported that pisi
form to rail, at the President ior
helping to obtain for the rallrow
men a measure so manifestly jusi
labor."
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