The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-01-12
MR.. BRYAN AND Mr.. WILSON.

sraalno # the Jackson Day dinner in Washing
+or Thursday evening in his advocacy Of the mme-
date adopton of the Treaty of Versailles with sucn
reservations as might be agreed upon with repuo-
rcan'n,iorty in the Senate, Mr.. Bryan had the
fonor;ny 10 saw with regard to the much disguised
Article of the covenant of the League of Nations:
sIf we do not intend to impair the right OF Con-
ress to decide the issue of peace or war when the
time for action arises, how can we Insist upon "
moral obligation to go to war which can have no
force or value except as it does impair the mae
pendence of Congress?
~ Mr.. Bryan thus repudiated the claim OF President
Wilson and his cuckoos, as COL George harvey i!AeS
to call them that Article is not IN con1ilct "lta
the constitutional powers conferred upon congress
His statement justifes the position OF the repuoH-
cao na,tv opposng the adoption of the treaty with
the League of Nations covenant, as 1t does C'e po-
sition of Senator Smith of Georgia, Senator Shields
OF Tennessee, and other thoughtful democrats Ill
the Senate.
And Mr. Bryan shows better understanding OF y
the sentiment of the country than Goes Mr. wilson,
we think when he says that the democrats cannot
win on the issue which the President would make.
It matters not whether Mr.. Bryan makes the state
ment from the point of advantage, or from princl-
pIes so far as probable results go, we think ne IS
right:
The results of the off year elections which have
been held this year, in Alabama, in Kentucky IN
Oklahoma, and in North Carolina, where the issue
has been made, have left no doubt that the people
of this country do not favor any agreement OF oo-
legation on the part of the United States to guar
antee against outside aggression the present oouh-
diaries and the political independence of all men,
bers of the League The people OF this country
we think will never vote to agree IN advance thae
the soldiers of this country will go to Europe or
anywhere else to defend the boundaries or the po-
litical independence Of any nationw when called on
by That nation.
It will not do to say as does Mr.. Wilson that it IS
only moral obligation and cannot be made etfec-
tive or binding us 1T given time without the
y sanction of Congress and that Congress may at a
given time decide whether not we shall declare
war AS Senator Lodge says:
Nothing could SO surely destroy all prospects of
the worlds peace as to have any powerful nation
refuse to carry out an Obligation direct or indirect
because it rests only on moral grounds. What
ever we promise we must carry out to the full
without mental reservation purpose OF evasion.
Without the most absolute and minute good faith
without ever resorting to doubtful interpretations
or. to the plea that it is only moral Obligation
treaties are worthless The greatest foundation of
peace is scrupulous observance of every PROMISE
express or implied, of every pledge whether it can
be described as legal or moral No vote should be
given to any clause in any treaty to any treaty
except in this spirit and with this understanding.
The democrats, therefore, would do well, so far
as-the League of Nations is concerned to take
counsel of Mr. Bryan. He may have been defeated
- three tines and he has, but he is still shrewd
politician if he is not far-seeng statesman. With
tho eaoue of Nations as the Platform: the Spar
tanburg Journal expresses it, only Mr. wilson Is
the loeca candidate to make the race for the demo-
cratic party. If he cannot rum some or those "Ao
have taken orders from him or for whom ne mas
claimed the right to think must do so. The League
If Nations which has made such inroads on his pop
rlarity already will do the rest when the people go
to the polls.
As Uncle Joe Cannon said in Washington some
time AGO. the women are all for the League OF Ma
tons at first believing that it will keep the boys out
of war but when explained that instead OF keeping
them out of war it binds this country, and every
mother in it, to send her sons to Europe to take
mart in every war which may arise in that section
of tho world or elsewhere "Hell, they are against
it."
MD ppyAN ACQUITTED AND INDICTED.