The Lamar register., 1919-04-02

the Republican party still urging that
this league scheme should not become
a party issue.
Indeed, within ten days Mr.. Charles
+. Hughes, no less man than the Re
publican presidential nominee in 1916,
so argued in speech before the New
York County Bar Association. 1t may
well be that uttcrances of this kind are
ut this puncture more dangerous to
American independence than the open
support of the Wilson league by Mr..
Taft. The fact is, Mr.. Hughes, that
the Wilson league is already n poll
tical issue and the biggest political is
sue since the days of slavery. The
fact is, Mr. Hughes, that it is not only
political issue, but has been poll
tical issue since Mr.. Wilson set foot
in Boston, with this pernicious coven-
ant in his pocket for the denationaliz-
1 ing of America.
Something like two or three weeks
ago the Sun said editorially that the
! League of Nations compact, as it then
stood and now stands, ought not to
make for party cleavage. The thought
of the Sun was that all Aemricans,
irrespective of party, should be against
il; the thought Of the Sun was, there
was every reason why the countries
of Europe and of the Far East should
be for it as grand good thing for
them, but that there was every reason
why all America should be against it.
Since the appearance of that edi-
torial article the League of Nations
has made a century of history. II has
stirred the people of this entire coun-
try to a depth Of discussion and feel
ing that has not been approached since
the close of the Civil War. 1t thrust
itself into the foreground over night
us an overahadowing national issue.
IL couldn't have done otherwise, in fact
conceived by the greatest politician, Of
all time and forced upon the peace
commission by this same politician,
Woodrow Wilson. prasideat Of the
United States.
If the scheme was TO be effectively
Opposed by America obviously the op-
position had to come from The Republic
can party. There was no other way
of meeting the organized forces of the
Democratic party already lined up
with the president, at his command,
to back him up in America and to
L ,ttl. H.. ..tk nf
the world.
| Organization ,aust be met with or
ganization. There is no other way.
There is no other force save the Re
publican party capable Of meeting the
Democratic hordes on the field of COM
bat and scattering them to the four
winds. Disorganized opposition to the
Wilson league will count for nothing
against the highly organized Demo-
cratic party, answering to the party
whip welded by the strong right hand
Of the president.
To say at this stage Of the proceed
! ings that the Wilson league scheme
should not become a party issue when
: it is already mammoth party issue
with the Democratic party is to say
l in effect that the league should have
no opposition at all.
/ Such a conclusion may be good
enough for some Of us, but thank God
I il is not good enough for all Of us.
There are some Americans still among
us, the men and women of the great
Republican party as whole. who ring
true to the ideals of the fathers who
founded this free and independent ma
ton.
With the Republican party the die
is cast 1t must go on and sustain its
great party leaders of the United
States Senate, men Of courage and pa
triotism who have pledged themselves
to overthrow this Wilson scheme. II
Ii is, do this, or through inaction and
indecision, commit political suicide.
"The League of Nations" is grip
ping phrase, meaning the elimination
of war, but the Republican men and
women of America are now awaken
ing to the full meaning of this de-