Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-07-03

.A convention now assembled, sends greetings to the president of the Uni ted States, Woodrow Wilson, and halls with patriotic pride the great achievements for country and the world wrought by the democratic ad- ministration under his leadership:
 League of Nations.
 The democratic party favors the league of nations as the surest, if not the only, practicable means of maintaining the permanent peace of the world and terminating the in- sufferable burden of great military and naval establishments. It was for this that America broke away from traditional isolation and spent her blood and treasure to crush d colossal scheme of conquest. 1t was upon this basis that the president of the United States in pre-arrangement with our allies, consented to a sus- pension of hostilities against the im- perial German government, the ar mistice was granted and treaty of peace negotiated upon the definite assurance to Germany, as well as to the powers pitted against Germany, that "a general association of nations must be formed, under specific cove nants, for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political inde- pendence to territorial integrity to great and small states alike.
 Hence, we not only congratulate the president on the vision mani fested and the vigor exhibited in the prosecution of the war, but we felicitate him and his associates on the exceptional achievement at Paris involved in the adoption of league and treaty SO near akin to previ- ously expressed American ideals and so intimately related to the aspira- tons of civilized peoples everywhere.
 We commend the president for his Judgment and his high conception of good faith in steadfastly standing for the covenant agreed to by all the associated and allied nations at war with Germany, and we condemn the republican senate for it's refusal to ratify the treaty merely be- cause it was the product of demo- cratic statesmanship, thus interpos- ing partisan envy and personal hat red in the way of the peace and re- newed prosperity of the world.
 By every accepted standard of in ternational morality the president is justified in asserting that the hon. or of the country is involved in this business; and we point to the ac- cusing fact that, before it was de- termined to initiate political antag- onism to the treaty, the new repub- lican chairman of the senate foreign relations committee himself publicly proclaimed that any proposition for a separate peace with Germany, such as he and his party associate re- ported to the senate would make us, guilty of the blackest crime"
 On May 15 last the Knox substi- tute for the Versailles treaty was passed by the republican senate; and this convention can contrive no more fitting characterization of its obioquy than that made in the Forum magma zine by Henry Cabot Lodge, when he said:
 of we send our armies and young men abrohd to be killed and wound ed in northern France and Flanders with no result but this our entrance into war with such an intention was a crime which nothing can justify.
 "The intent of congress and the intent of the president was that there could be no peace until we could ere ate q situation where no such war as this could recur. We cannot make peace except in company with our al lies. It would brand us with ever lasting dishonor and bring ruin to separate peace"
 Thus to that which MT. Lodge, in saner moments considered "the black est crime' he and his party in mad ness sought to give the sanctity of. law; that which Is months ago was everlasting dishonor" the republic an party and it's candidates today view of our international obligations and his firm stand against reserva tions designed to cut to pieces the vii tai provisions of the Versailles treaty and we commend the demo- crats in congress for voting against resolution for separate peace which would disgrace the nation. We ad-I vocate the immediate ratification of the treaty without reservations which would impair its essential integrity; but do not oppose the acceptance of any reservations making clearer or more specific the obligations of the United States to the league associ- ates. Only by doing this may we re- trieve the reputation of this nation among the powers of the earth and recover the moral leadership which President won and which republican politicians at Washington sacrificed. Only by doing this may we hope to- aid effectively in the restoration of order throughout the world and to take the place which we would as- sume in the front rank of spiritual, commercial and industrial advance ment.
 We reject as utterly vain, if not vicious, the republican assumption that ratification of the treaty and membership in the league of nations would in any wise impair the inte- gritty or independence of our coun- try. The fact that the covenant has been entered into by 29 nations all as jealous of their independence