The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1919-05-05

ever confronted a statesman,-and
Senator Smith is back home trying to
justify the course he and Senator
Hardwick took when they threw
stumbling blocks into the party road
way at time when he knew his
meanness would hurt most. Regrets
81 eli high in our bosom when we
come to think of the good Senator
Smith might have done had he tried.
This is tragedy in high avenues of
public service.
III Macon the other day he permit
ted himself to be quoted as saying;
a will never agree to an arbitration
of foreign tribunal for our domestic
problems. He was talking about
the league of nations He had
not made up his mind as to what he
was going to do about supporting it,
for he had not given it close study
and in the very next breath he put the
foulest mouth on the whole league
principle that he could invent. Hadn't
studied it? Why, bless you, this I'M
fairest of all objections is a studied
effort to find a protest which will lin
ger with the voter.
The league of nations is not for
eign tribunal. 1t includes in it's mem
beship the greatest nation on the
earth, the United States. Thus far
it is not foreign Other nations are
joined with the United States,-with
us home folks--in undertaking by
concerted effort TO stop war. When
Germany started across Belgium, do
you suppose her arrogant kaiser
would have kept on going had he
known that France, Great Britain,
Russia, Japan, Italy and the United
States were going to challenge that
act? The league of nations is our
honor bound pledge, our voluntary
pledge, that if anybody else tries it
we will go after that somebody, much
i'll the same manner as we did after
Germany.
But back to the foreign tribunal dis
posing of domestic problems, that's
your home affairs. Reader, are you
acquainted with the text of the league
covenant? Get it and see if the league
of nations has anything to do with
your own home affairs. Then try to
find therein any sort of binding agree
ment whereby nation must remain a
member of this league should such
nation desire to withdraw
The league covenant is a voluntry
affair from start to finish and the
nation entering is honored, signally
honored. Whoever holds a member
ship there keeps good company, great
company, the best in the world. The
greatest nations of the earth have
created this society and the nation
coming into membership has climbed
up into the company of the best. We
are starting a charter member, and it
is our sincere hope that we remain
till doom's day.
Senator Smith knows about all this
even better than men who have re-
manned at home trying to help win
the war. He has been in position to
help strengthen all the things that
would make the historian of the fut-
ure write glowingly of democratic eff
ficiency while our party held control,
lie could have added to the great sue
cesses we have enjoyed,-but he
would not. And here he is back home
telling the people that de dosen't in
tend to have have anything to do with
a league which would settle our do
nestle affairs in Il foreign tribunal
as much a sto say that is the foolish
thing President Wilson is coming
back to ask us to endose. Would you
call that tragedy for a man in the Of
flee Hoke Smith occupies?
MAKING THE START