Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1919-11-28
Lodges 'sLeadership Indicated

fFrom Chicago Post, Republican,
The country is on the verge of 9
coal strike; it is passing through the
costly last chapter of a steel strike;
and congress with majority repre-
senting the historically constructive
republican party, has not turned a
hand to legislate upon the threatening
indsutrial conditions which these
strikes represent.
More than that, the republican sem
ate has thrown every element of pas
sion. prejudice and delay against the
ratification of the peace treaty, an
event which every business observer
has set down as the most promising
starting point of real economic read
justment.
And finally, there is no indication
that the republican senate has any in
tention of facing the industrial reali-
ties and clearing the field of the
treaty by the simple compromise that
has been the result evident from the
first.
Look back over the almost endless
varieties of attack that have been
threatened. framed and then dissipat-
ed by every test of actual voting.
Lodge and his followers, including, we
regret to say, Sherman and McCor-
mick, both senators from Illinois
started by threatening to kill the
whole treaty; then they were going to
cut the covenant Of the league of ma
tions from the treaty and kill the
covenant; then they were going to
amend it, Now, finally, they have de-
vised a string of doomed 'reserva-
tions," which remove the United
States from any participation in the
league and require Great Britain,
France and Japan to o. k. that re-
moval.
Each one of these waves of assault
has been backed by>appeals to preju-
dice as devilish In their cunning as
they are unscrupulous in their disre-
gard of national unity and America S
responsibility to her allies and to the
world. Sherman introduced the relig-
ious hatred; Mccormick fostered the
Irish prejudice; Reed, democrat,
brought in the race prejudice; Borah
lugged in the Wall Street prejudice;
Johnson played up the Japanese mem
ace; Knox stirred the German-Ameri-
can hyphenism.
And yet, these men have lost every
single vote on the floor of the senate.
They have absolutely no construct
i've result of any kind to show to Off
set the sins they have committed
against American solidarity and Am
erican honor.
The defeat of the Johnson &c to L"
amendment, representing the strong
est combined appeal of all passion and
prejudice, clearly set the high water
mark of the assault waves. 1t was
beaten despite the most outrageous
campaign of classification that our
foreign affairs have ever known.
How about the responsibility for
all this?
How about the rights of republi-
cans all over the country who elected
a republican congress to pave the way
for the election of republican pres
ident in 1920?
Taft, Hughes, Root, the three ma
tional leaders, have spoken the cause
of the republican voters. Ine Httle
knot Of congressionals have disre-
garded these pleas. Their own ranks
divided. badly led, ineffective, futile,
they have blundered on in course
that cool political observers know to
be costly beyond words to their par
TVS strength.
The truth Is that we have today
one more instance of the political in
competence of "congressionals" Sc
cure in their long tenure office, arro-
giant in their senatorial dignity, sena-
tors have ever failed to keep touch
with the sentiment. of country or par
ty. No man has ever gone from the
senate to the white house, and no
man, we are bold to predict, will
make that step in 1920. Johnson oieI
with his amendment; Knox stepped
off with his plea to the Germans;
Poindexter is stillbern with his Lodge
platform.
In behalf Of Republicanism we In
dict the Lodge leadership. We indict
it for incompetence we indict it for
its disregard of national honor; we
indict it for its world cowardice; we
indict it for its appeals to hyphenism;