New Britain herald., 1919-03-08
This Is Passing Strange.

We hold this truth to be self-eNi- dent: that if in joining the league or nations the United States would sur render vital points of sovereignty;
 if in joining the league we should abandon the Monroe doctrine: If the war powers of congress and the con- trOl of congress over our armament would be surrendered to the league if control of immigration would pass from the United States government to the league ;--then, the question of ac- cepting or rejecting the league or nations plan is the most compelling and momentOus of all the questions now awaiting the decision of the Am erican people.
 That being true. and it is quite beyond controversy. then the del1Ver- ance of the nation from all these periIs must be the thought and pur- pose uppermost in the minds of the people. Tn any by-election to con- gress, for instance, no trumpcrN issues of local politics. no merely personal preference for one candidate over the other, would determine the choice to be made. If the voters have been persuaded by the speeches of Senator
 Knox and Senator Lodge, for in
 stance, that this danger to our sov- E
 independent nation really impends, then they would cast their votes, so
 far as they were able, to elect an opponent of the league. If the choice were between two candidates of the two leading parties, they would nat
 urally elect a republican, for the re-
 publican leaders have set themselves
 in opposition to the league. Whcr-
 ever the electorate has been convinced
 by the speeches against the league,
 we should suppose the majority for
 the republican candidate would be
 iin posing.
 It therefore follows. either that
 Senator Knox's speech has not con-
 vinced the people of his own state or
 that the voters of the twenty second
 congressional district in PennsNlVania
 are indifferent to the fate of the na-
 ton, to it's sovereigAty. to the Mon- roc doctrine, to the threatened inn pairment of the constitutional powers of congress- For in the election held in that district on Wednesday John H. Wilson, dem ocrat, was chosen to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the republican congressman elect ed last November, F. E. Robbins In the November election MT. Robbins had a majority of 7,231 over his democratic opponent: MT. wilson, democrat was elected on "Wednesday by a majority of 473. Only once since , the republican party was organized 1 has it failed to carry this district; that was in 1912, when the party was | divided by the progressive movement. l Here is a change of some 7.700 votes l in a republican congressional dis l trict in the leading republican state. | MT. Wilson was elected on a plat l form approving the league of na- i tions, urging the voters to uphold l the president. We leave it for op- 1 poncnts of the league to admit or 1 deny that the election of Mr. Wilson 1 is evidence in support of the presi- l dents declaration that the American 1 people approve the league of nations l plan We content ourselves with the affirmation that the result of the clec- ] ton in the twenty-secOnd Pennsyl- | vanla, district proves at least that 1 the speeches of the republican scna l tors against the league and their round robin" have failed to carry l conviction to the hearts of the voters l of that district,