Part 2 (2/2)
”Senator Harding e of policy in behalf of his party:
”'I promise you forress can pass its declaration for a Republican executive to sign'
”This --a separate peace with Ger event in civilization since the Russians made their separate peace with Germany, and infinitely more unworthy on our part than it was on that of the Russians They were threatened with starvation and revolution had swept their country Our soldiers fought side by side with the Allies So coth and purpose that General Fochs was given supreme command, and every soldier in the allied cause, no nized hiether, and now before the thing is through it is proposed to enter into a separate peace with Gerth with our associates for the enforceested that this be withdrawn Suppose Ger the first break in the Allies, proposes so intend to send an army to Germany to press her to our terms? Certainly the allied army could not be expected to render aid If, on the other hand, Ger the bond it would be for the express purpose of insuring a Ger that the Allies--in fact, no nation in good standing--would have anything to do with either of us
”This plan would not only be a piece of bungling diplomacy, but plain, unadulterated dishonesty, as well”
”No less an authority than Senator Lodge said, before the heat of recent controversy, that to make peace except in coly with dishonor and bring ruin to us'
”And then after peace iswould, he says, 'hopefully approach the nations of Europe and of the earth, proposing that understanding whichparticipant in the consecration of nations to a new relationshi+p'
”In short, Aue of Nations (now already established by twenty-nine nations) and bearing and deserving the contempt of the world, would subarded as arrant madness or attempted international bossism
”The plain truth is, that the Republican leaders, obsessed with a determination to win the presidential election, have atteent views Inconsistencies, inevitable under the circumstances, rise to haunt them on every hand, and they find thereat principle More than that, their conduct is opposed to the idealism upon which their party prospered in other days”
”Illustrating these observations by concrete facts, let it be reainst an interest in affairs outside of America, criticised President Wilson in uniuue of Nations a military alliance, which, except for their opposition, would envelop our country, when, as a ue of Nations has claiue to Enforce Peace was presided over by so distinguished a Republican as ex-President Taft, who, before audiences in every section, advocated the principle and the plan of the present League They charge experimentation, e have as historical precedent the Monroe Doctrine, which is the very essence of Article X of the Versailles covenant Skeptics viewed Monroe'srecurrent wars in defense of Central and South Aed we need not be And yet not a shot has been fired in alhts on this heue of Nations will result in our boys being drawn into h-school youngster in the land knows that no treaty can override our Constitution, which reserves to Congress, and to Congress alone, the power to declare war They preach A of their own invention, and artfully appeal to a selfish and provincial spirit, forgetting that Lincoln fought a war over the purely moral question of slavery, and the McKinley broke the fetters of our boundary lines, spoke the freedom of Cuba, and carried the torch of Ahted Philippines They lose s of God- given opportunity, would by her moral leadershi+p and co- operation beco the nations of the earth
”These are fateful tiovernment has a definite duty all over the world The house of civilization is to be put in order The supreme issue of the century is before us and the nation that halts and delays is playing with fire The finest i above national lines, merely seek to make another horrible war impossible Under the old order of international anarchy war caht, and the world was on fire before we knew it It sickens our senses to think of another We saw one conflict into which uns, subases It is no secret that our chemists had perfected, when the contest caases so deadly that whole cities could be wiped out, armies destroyed, and the crews of battleshi+ps smothered The public prints are filled with the opinions of military ases or bo pestilence and destruction Any nation prepared under these conditions, as Germany was equipped in 1914, could conquer the world in a year
”It is planned now to reed upon The League of Nations is in operation A very important work, under its control, just completed, was participated in by the Hon Elihu Root, Secretary of State under the Roosevelt adue of Nations, February 11, and organizing committee of twelve of the most eminent jurists in the world was selected
The duty of this group was to devise a plan for the establishment of a Perue This assignurs well for world progress The question is whether we shall or shall not join in this practical and humane movement President Wilson, as our representative at the peace table, entered the League in our name, in so far as the executive authority per, as the Republican candidate for the presidency, proposes in plain words that we re in Let us analyze Senator Harding's plan offor a 'new relationshi+p aument only, that the perfidious hand that dealt with Germany would possess the power or influence to draenty-nine nations away from a plan already at work, and induce the This would entail our appointing another commission to assemble with those selected by the other powers
With the Versailles instrument discarded, the whole subject of partitions and divisions of territory on new lines would be reopened The difficulties in this regard, as any fair reater than they were at the peace session, and we must not atteenius, patience, and diploreat as was the Allied triumph in war, no less a victory was achieved at the peace table The Republican proposal means dishonor, world confusion and delay
It would keep us in permanent company with Germany, Russia, Turkey and Mexico It would entail, in the ultimate, more real injury than the war itself The Democratic position on the question, as expressed in platform is:
”'We advocate immediate ratification of the Treaty without reservations which would irity, but do no oppose the acceptance of any reservation ations of the United States to the League associates'
”The first duty of the new administration clearly will be the ratification of the Treaty The ht of the bitterness of the past The public verdict will have been rendered, and I am confident that the friends of world peace as it will be proue, will have in numbers the constitutional requisite to favorable senatorial action The captious ue and indefinite Its , in brief, is that we shall state our interpretation of the covenant as a ood faith to our associates and as a precaution against anyin the future The point is, that after the people shall have spoken, the League will be in the hands of its friends in the Senate, and a safe index as to what they will do is supplied by what reservations they have proposed in the past
”Our platforainst any additions that will be helpful, but it speaks in a fir that disturbs the vital principle We hear it said that interpretations are unnecessary Thattothe treaty, there should be no mental reservations that are not expressed in plain words, as a ood faith to our associates Such interpretations possess the further virtue of supplying a base upon which agreeree is started, that proe reservations Those who conscientiously voted for them in the final roll calls realized, however, that they acted under duress, in that a politically bigotedthe arbitrary power of its position to enforce drastic conditions Happily the voters of the republic, under our systeovernment, can remedy that situation, and I have the faith that they will, at the election this fall Then organized government will be enabled to co of better world conditions The agencies of exchange will automatically adjust themselves to the opportunities of commercial freedom New life and renewed hope will take hold of every nation Mankind will press a resolute shoulder to the task of readjustment, and a new era will have dawned upon the earth”
Speaking to the National Guardsust 12, he said:
”I recognize that in a sense you are asse the efficiency of our reat mass of our soldiers are united in purpose and prayer, to prevent wars in the future, if it can be honorably done They know theofhours and the slaughter of the front trench The thought that h the mind of every solder in thewas possible in modern civilization
”The cost to the United States was more than one million dollars an hour for over two years The total expense of twenty-two billion dollars was almost equal to the total disburseovernment from 1791 to 1918 It was sufficient to have run the Revolutionary War for more than one thousand years at the rate of expenditure which that war involved The army expenditures alone, so experts claiold produced in the United Sates from the discovery of America up to the outbreak of the European War, and yet the United States spent only about one-eighth of the entire cost of the war, and less than one-fifth of the expenditure of the allied side
”If civilization has not had its lesson, then there is no hope for it It could not stand such a war again and survive The genius ofthe horrors of conflict, has always htful
When we consider the development in the methods of human destruction between 1914 and 1918 and apply the probleered even to think of the possibilities of the sons of ht into couard in the States, if for no other reason than doovernment will be maintained, but the hope that vast expenditures for ar of the past, possesses every horeat mass of people world-wide is inspired by the vision of peace and the settlement of controversy by the arbitrainning of his canvass for the Presidency Governor cox has gone upon the theory that the League of Nations needed simple explanation to the people of the Country In his own phrase, he has talked the ABC's of the League, finding that the technical discussions had failed to hold the interest of the people Illustrating this policy are two addresses , to the West Virginia Democratic Convention, he said:
”We resisted a world-wide ainst another menace We kno easily wars ca difficult in the future We have a definite plan; the American people understand it, and after the 4th of March, 1921, it is our purpose to put it into practical operation, without continuing months of useless discussion
”The platforives us the opportunity to render hteousness in the history of the world, and at the same time to hold our own interests free from peril Our position is plain The circuhteen months convict the Republican leadershi+p of attempted trickery with the American people Under one pretext after another they prevented the readjustment of national conditions They proposed certain reservations to the League of Nations, and then they were abandoned, to be followed by nothing more definite than the announceht be made in world affairs What method they have in mind, if it is concretely in anyone's mind, the people do not know No unprejudiced person can deny that the consequence of abandoning the League and atteed delay If the voters of the Republic, without regard to party, desire action, and pro lines that are now clearly understood, they will render a verdict so overwhel politicians for years to coet