Part 20 (2/2)

Ie there arose an insistent de of the Republican drive for as called a bi-partisan governland and France under their coalition cabinets, and when the President refused to act upon the suggestion, the i that the President's refusal arose froness to share the responsibilities and glories of the ith people outside his own party

As an historian, the President knew the troubles of Washi+ngton with a coalition cabinet, Lincoln's embarrassments froacious refusal in 1898 to form a coalition cabinet He also knew human nature; knew that with the best intentions, men sometimes find it difficult to hole-heartedly with a leader of a political party not their own He could not risk a chance of division, in his own official family in the face of the coitation for a coalition cabinet as a partisan effort to hamper and embarrass his adestion that looked toward the establishested by his too-solicitous Republican friends

The following note which I addressed to the President and his reply, bear upon the subject:

THE WHITE HOUSE WAshi+NGTON

DEAR GOVERNOR:

The newspaperwhat the attitude of the Aded as much as I could, but I asked if it was not the sao, advocated by Senator Weeks, in a new disguise--if it was not the same kind of a coht to let our attitude be known unofficially for the guidance ofat this time to let it be known, it would seeislation had been silenced by the furore over the fuel order In other words, we ought to show by our attitude that the tantru no impression on us whatever

TUMULTY

DEAR TUMULTY:

Of course, I aard it as nothing more nor less than a renewal of the perpetual effort of the Republicans to force representation in the Administration

Republicans of the finest sort and of the finest capacity are working for and with the Administration on all hands and there is no need whatever for a change at the head of the ad of the sort and will never consent to it You will kno to create the iard it as merely a partisan effort to hamper and embarrass the Adivings in the minds of the people as declared in April, 1917, and the nation eantic of all its wars, under the leadershi+p of a college professor, a doctrinaire, who did not believe in war as ainternational problems, and a Secretary of War as an avowed pacifist

There was another e Ale was the Dee men and women of America Our Republican friends had so cleverly ”advertised”

their conduct of the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, that many people in the country felt that the Republican party, because of its leading enius of its anization that could be depended upon successfully to carry on a great war

Colonel Roosevelt's diary, first ht on Republican claiement by Republicans of the Spanish-American War Under date of May 7, 1898, the Colonel, then a lieutenant-colonel, recorded in his diary: ”The delays and stupidity of the Ordnance Department surpass belief The Quartermaster's Departood There is no ood nation we should be helpless,” and these ani coreatest of conteht of the Republican party to conduct all American wars and transact all other American business of iotten all this in 1917, and otten as notorious in 1898 and the ineptitude of the Republican War Department, which, as Lieutenant-Colonel Roosevelt said under date of May 21, 1898, had ”no head, no energy, no intelligence” But the old myth sedulously cultivated by Republicans continued in 1917, that only Republicans are fit to govern, no overn Direful prophecies and predictions of disaster to the country by reason of the Democratic auspices under which the as to be conducted were freelyRepublicans in the Senate and the House harboured for the President a partisan and personal hatred which ht Yet the expected did not happen, to the arin of the Republican enemies of the President No other as attended with so little scandal and with greater expedition The cause was plain It was the ressive leadershi+p of Woodrow Wilson exerting itself all along the line, and that leadershi+p was based upon certain funda form in the President's ress asking for the passage of a war declaration They were as follows: (1) There was to be no ”politics” in the conduct of the war; (2) no political generals would be selected; (3) every ounce of energy and force in the nation was to be put back of the heads of the Army and the Navy in a supreme effort to make our influence, moral and physical, quickly felt Every effort was o on the activities of ar to me one day about the conduct of the war, shortly after the delivery of his war e, he said: ”We must not in our conduct of this war repeat the scandals of the Civil and the Spanish-Aenerals and admirals must be tabooed We et and we must back them up at every turn Our policy ardless of his political affiliations This must be the only test, for, after all, we are the trustees of the boys whose lives will be spent in this enterprise of war”

This was not an easy policy to pursue Every kind of harassing demand came from Democratic senators and representatives to induce the President to recognize political considerations in the conduct of the war, the argu that after all the responsibility for its conduct resting with the Deht to be under Dehout But the President was firh to the end without political considerations The political predilections of generals, adnored

Mr Creel by furnishi+ng a list of Republicans appointed by the President to conspicuous office has disproved the charge against the President of niggard partisanshi+p Although the President would not tolerate a coalition cabinet, he gave to Republicans all manner of opportunities to share in the conduct and the credit of the war I quote from Mr Creel:

The search for ”the best ard to party, faction, blood strain, or creed, and the result was a coanization in which Democrats, Republicans, and Independents worked side by side, partisanshi+p forgotten and service the one consideration

It stood recognized as a matter of course that the soldier selected to coht well develop into a presidential possibility, yet this high place was given without question to Gen

John J Pershi+ng, a life-long Republican and the son-in-law of Senator Warren, one of the masters of the Republican machine

Admiral Willialish waters in high command, and while Secretary Daniels arned at the time that Sinize the obligations of loyalty or patriotism, he waved the objection aside out of his belief that Sims was ”the best man for the job”

For the head of the Aircraft Board, with its task of launching Aramme, Mr Howard E Coffin, a Republican, was selected and at his right hand Mr Coffin placed Col

Edward A Deeds, also a Republican of vigour and regularity