Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-10

TAFT ADVISES FIRM
/ STAND ON TREATY
Evasion Of Issue Likely to En-
danger Success at Polls,
He Says
"lET THE RADICALS BOLT"

The foIo,cing article by former
President William Ho,cdrd Taft is re-
printed from toddV's Public Lcd1Cr.
Copyrighted, 1920, By the Public Ledger
Compdny.l
Norton, Kan. June 10-The dis.
patches from Chicago report the meet
Ing of the resolutions committee Of
the convention and the choice Of Sen
ator Watson. of Indiana, as its chair
man. Without further information
this might indicate the purpose of the
committee to report the unsatisfactory
and non committal declaration of the
Indiana convention on the subject OF
the league, but the dispatches say that
Senators Watson, Lodge, Lenroot
Kellogg, Hale and McCumbcr and
members of the advisory platform
committee favor a plank which, after
lndorsing the acts of the senator's. pre-
venting the ratification Of the peace
treaty MS submitted, pledges the party
to the ratification of treaty of peace
and an association of nations with an
international tribunal for the deter
minatiOu of non iuStiCinblP questions
between the nations and with such safe.
giards aS will secure the protection of
every American interest.
II was further reported that the
declaration of uncompromising opposi
ton of the party to any such plan of in
ternational government as is Contcm-
plated in the League of Nations em
bodied in the treaty of peace with Ger
many by President Wilson, and af-
firmipg its determination to preserve
for this government its foreign policy
of Washington aud Monroe. OF course,
the members Of the Republican party
and they are in the majority. who ap-
prove the League Of Nations with the
Lodge rcsolutions-if they can get
nothing better must be content with
such a vague declaration as that now
proposed by the senator's who voted for
the treaty with the Lodge reservations,
and assume that what the senator's
mean is to approve their own course
II would seem vastly better, however.
to adopt such n resolution as that Of
the New York state convention, which
was much more explicit.
League Issue Unavoidable
The circumstances are such that when
the 4th of next March comes the issue
will and cannot be otherwise than the
approval of the league. with tho Senate
reservations or something similar to
them. or its defeat. There is no other
league; there is no opportunity to make
any other league or constitute any other
association. 1t is this league. modified
by the reservations, which Mr.. Lodge
said in his speech protected every Amer
lean interest. Why not for once gratify
the desire of the voting public and make
clear what it is that the resolution
means. SO that It may be applied by
the voter to tho situation and he may
vote according TO his Judgment?
Rpal bp nVOiIn1 hv
ambiguous words in a party declaration
and .if Mr.. Johnson and Mr.. Borah
insist on straight out dcclarati tior
against the league. with or without
reservation their insistencc will make
this vague resolution mean what il
ought TO declare explicitly-commrnda .
tion of the thirty five senator's who
voted for the league with the Lodge
reservations and a pledge of the party
to abide by their attitude as its future
policy. They, having 50 voted, should
have nothing TO apologize for. Neither
should the party in their behalf The
Republicans who would have preferred
to have the treaty without reservations
were not in the majority of the party
and have accepted tho course of the
thirty. five Republican senators. Why
now attempt 10 bccloud the position
which these senator's should be willing
clearly to take, when they will be driven
. TO sustain II in tho campaign by the
opposition of Mr.. johnson and Mr.
Borah?
RumbIngs from Mr.. Borah indicating
q bolt are not to be taken so seriously
as explicit statements by Mr.. johnson
In respect 10 the platform. Mr.. Borat
has been threatening to bolt on thi!
subject for a year. Unfortunately foI
him, he has thundcrcd in the index 81
1. 4. l.
opposition to senator Penrose. tina
many are inclined to take what hC say
as only for present use and in Pick
wickian sense. One may ConieCtur
that Mr.. Rorah would be much EN-
barrasscd If Senator johnson were 4
bolt this issue, and he were called upoI
10 follow. 1t is doubtful what he vii
do. In respect TO Senator johnson,
defeat on the subject of the resolution
would certainly presage a defeat of hi
nomination in the convention. whicl
indeed has never been at all probable
1t is quite possible that stratPgicaIll
he would prefer to bolt the platform
rather than await his personal defca
as candidate.
Mr.. Hearst has been most formid
able supporter of Mr.. Johnson. Mr.
Brisbane's article Of yesterday fore
shadows Mr.. Hearsts cag"rncss tina
Mr.. Johnson run as an Independent
candidate. That Mr.. johnson wOul,
secure very large number of votes
that he would unite the Sim Feinors
the pro Germans, the more radica
labor men and all the vncforous ole
mentS Of unrest, goes without saying
and Mr.. Hearst would enter upon th
campaign ss a labor Of love. But Mr.
johnson would br defeated. nnd woul
elect the Republican candidate.
Explicit Declaration Urged
differences from Senator Lodge
speech that he favors a platform dcCla
ration, which, to use Senator Johnson
expression. pussy footed as between th
thirty-hve senator's and the fourteen,
him an injustice if, as now reported
he is in favor of firmly standing up t
the course of the thirty five. 1t ma
be that in a keynote speech he folt il NJ
appropriate for him as chairman to
n special advocate OF his own Cours
II would seem now to b" the wiSCl
course of the party to choose the Groun
for the battle by an explicit dcClara
tiop of vote of confidence in the aCtio
of the Republican Senate majOrit.
Then let Mr.. Johnson and Mr.. Bora
yield to the party ma jOrities, both
the Senate and convention. or with
draw. II is question Of principl
and the party should meet il,
To make declaration 80 vague thj
Mr.. johnson and Mr.. Borah may gi
ID strained construction to suit the
plainly hostile view aud avoid reCOur
10 a bolt will not help matters, and W
.,a.oI, ,orrv rho fight into the can