Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-09
Cox Displedses
Party Chieftdins
Continued from Page One

vations would have been embarrassing
to the Republican party. Either the
Republicans have had to rCpudiatc the
position taken by majority Of the Re
nublican senators. including senator
Harding himself or they would have
had to declare themselves also for the
Lodge reservations.
In the latter case. the league would
have disappeared as IN issue. Governor
Cox would have cast aside the burden
of Wilson. and the Democratic cam
paign might have been turned into an
aggressive attack upon the Republican
party and upon the Harding theory OF
party government.
Governor Cox had two courses opcu
to him. both courageous. lie might
have accepted the Wilson league issue
outright. or he might have acrcptcd the
league and repudiatcd the President $
unwillingncss to compromise % the cX-
tent of the Lodge reservations. lie
chose the former, and in doing so, in
the opinion Of most of the leaders here
who brought about his nomination. he
selected the more difficult political
ground to stand upon.
Public Is Weary Of League
In the opinion Of Governor Cox. If
the league question is cleared Of techni =
caliticS and presented simply as one OF
! league or no league. the verdict OF
! the country will br in favor of the
! league. He evidently thinks that Sena
tor Harding's declarations on the league
permit of presenting this simple issue.
But in suggesting reservations of his
! own. the governor has opened the way
| to the kind Of technical discussion that
went on in the Senate all la. winter
and wearird the country with the whole
subject of the league.
The Republicans will not be slow to
ask what Governor CoX's reservations
mean. Do they accomplish all in the
way of limiting this C0untry'S $ commit :
mcnts abroad which the public feels
| necessary? What about Article y? l.
Governor Cox's second reservation sutfi =
cient to keep this country from assum
ing the broad responsibilities provided
for in that article?
There is room for endless debate.
The question is not likely to be the
simple ono of league or no league. but
is not no league better than one about
which so much doubt prevails as the
meaning Of Article y, as modified by
the very general language of Governor
Cox's two reservations?
COX at DiSadVantase
In this debate Governor Cox will b.
at n disadvantage. Hc is new to tn,
subject of the league and Article y
while his opponents have been sharpen
lug their wits for n year on the in
tricacicS of reservations. They have
considered all possible reservations
They know the means of diSCreditinl
any suggested reservations. They car
raise cloud of words over the two ap'
parently simple reservations. What thu
governor has proposed he has elected t
join issue with them on their own terri
tory.
Thus the governor probably will no
have his way of presenting the issue O
league or no league, simply and withou
techniCalitieS. to the voters. His op
poncnts are masters of the trchnicalitie
Of this subject. lie is not,
He is repeating tho mistake of Will
son. The public grew impatient will
the President because. though he wa
willing 10 accept reservations, he woulC
not accept the Lodge reservations. The,
could not be made to sec where tn,
Lodge reservations broke the heart o
the world. England and France, al
important part Of the world, indicated
that their hearts were not broken
Why, Why people asked all this bother abou
And now comes Governor Cox will
reservations Of his own. IIc is not fo
the Lodge reservations, though pcrhap
he indicates Democratic senator's VIII,
Yoted for them were justified in doin,
so. He is not for the Wilson resor
vations. He is for an entirely new Sc
of reservations,
1t is bold man who, at this lat
day. would bring forward rev rcscrva
tions for ;he covenant. he runs th
risk Of having the people say "a plagu
on all your reservations. The thin
: that has steadily weakened tho lcagu
with the public and perhaps killed
was the debate upon reservations ~
! Republicans know this; they will b
, glad to debate Governor COX'S rcscrva
| tionS from now TIL election day.
> They could not have attacked tn
Lodge reservations had Governor Co
indicated Willingness to accept ther
: If they proved tn" best compromise oh
2 tainablN, 1t is fer this reason that Gov
, ernor Cox'S friends here feel that h
has made a political mistake in hi
{ speech of acceptance.
g The real hope of Cox lies in bringin
forward his own record Of competpnC
I as a governor; his skill and even hand
t edness in handling labor disputes an
his promise through budget systel
@ and by economies to cut the nations
Y expCnditurcs and reduce taxes.
n
q noo ..t AA..L