The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-07-30
Editorial
of the Day
GOVERNOR COOLIDGE ON TIN
LEAGUE.

ttrom Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
1t will be evident to the carefuV
reader OF the utterances of publiS
men that there is decided con-
fusion of counsel in the Republican
party on the question Of the Lea
que of Nations. Governor Coolidge, IN
his address of acceptance, strikes a
very different note from that struck,
by Senator Harding. AS a matter ~
partisan necessity, of course, he coJ-
demns "the proposed League of Ns-
tions without reservations" but ne
is decidedly more friendly to the idea
than Senator Harding Instead OF
lauding the Republican party for saw
ing the country from the menace
which such an international organiza-
ton constituted, he defends the par
ty as an advocate of the idea, provid-
ed American independence" is pre-
served.
"our party" he says, "by the rec
ord of its members in the Senate
and by the solemn declaration Of its
platform, by performance and by
agreement among nations to preserve
peace and pledges itself to the making
Of such an agreement, preserving
American independence and rights,
as will meet every duty America
owes to humanity. The Republican
party is not narrow enough to limi,
Itself to one idea, but wiser and broad
enough to provide for the adoption
Of the best plan that can be devised
at the time of action"
What Governor Coolidge thinks is
Of little consequence, of course, for
in the event of Republican success
it would be Senator Harding who
would have both the duty and power
Of fixing Americas foreign policy,
but 1t should be noted that the facts
do not bear out Governor Cooldge's
declaration in any particular, ex-
cept that for purely political pur-
poses the Republican party has in
cluded in its declaration against the
League of Nations a few weasel words
expressing a vague and indefinite sym
pathy with the principle of an as
sociation of nations for the preserva-
ton of peace. But that this is in
sincere and merely TO certain fea-
lures of the covenant as drafted ut
Paris, is proved by the fact that
before one word of the covenant
was written, the Republican Senators
day after day on the floor Of the
Senate denounced the idea. At the
moment that the nations were gathered
together in an effort to ARRIVE at
the best plan" instead of contributing
anything helpful, the Republicans did
everything in their power 70 thwart
their success. When the President
brought the first draft Of the cove.
nant back with him and laid it be
fore the Foreign Relations Commit
tee of the Senate. the Republican
leader. Senator Lodge, refused abso-
lutely to make any suggestions, and
Senator Borah refused even to attend
the conference But other Republican
Senators offered objections to the
covenant as 1t stood and Senator Lodgs
himself was on record in a debate
with President Lowell OF Harvard,
80 with these objections as guides the
President returned to Paris and had
amendments adopted calculated to sat
isfy the Republicans. They con-
tinue only TO pick flaws and to de-
nounce the covenant and finally car
rled out their purpose to defeat 1t.
II anything has been proved by the
events Of the past two years 1t is
precisely that the Republican party
was indeed marrow enough to con.
rno itsoif 10 ono idea" and that idea
was that no matter what kind of a
plan was agreed to at Paris. so long
as the Democratic President had any