The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-08-13
HARDING SILENT. ON
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Considers Poland Situation
a Pending Matter of
AWAITS RETURN Or
ROOT FROM EUROPE
Expected Veteran Statesman viii
Bring a SET of Amendments to
League Of Nations Acceptable to Eu-
rope and Republican Party.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Especial Despatch to The Reformer
Copyright l92O.l
q MARION, o.. Aug. l3.-World politics.
the disturbing situation in Poland and
the menace of Bolshevism, the American
governments note refusing to recognize
the Bolsheyik regime and expressing
again friendship for the Russian people,
have failedfto draw any comment from
Senator Harding, the Republican candi-
date for the presidency.
Beyond the general statement made in
his speech at Columbus, the senator de
elined to say word on what he considers
"a pending matter OF state.
When he said, There is just as much
menace in the world today as there was
in the turbulence of rehabilitation has
not settled down" his hearers interpreted
that utterance as having been inspired
by a reading of the distressing reports
from Poland.
The senator confined himself to the
hope that America would stand as a
barrier to revolution and disorder
throughout the world" but did not go
into detail as to how the United States
might use her influence in that direction
most effectively. The mention of the use
Of force in fighting Bolsheyism by aiding
foreign armies is just as much taboo in
Republican as Democratic circles For
the campaign against the league of ma
tions has been carried on so much on
the theory that the United States would
have to send soldiers across the seas to
mix in European quarrels that neither
candidate is to be found urging military
aid for Poland.
Senator Harding, however, did not
even intimate that America should do
more than protect her own boundaries
against the spread of Bolshevism by
standing on firm foundations and settling
affairs at home. The Democratic doe
trine is that unrest in America is par
italy the result of disorder abroad and
that the possible spread of Bolshevism
across Poland and into Germany and
the continent of Europe cannot but affect
the ECONOMIC, life of America through
depreciation of foreign currency and the
continued Inability OF European coun-
tries to pay America her interest on the
ten billions of dollars loaned them during
the war, factor which, it is contended.
has much to do with the depreciation of
Liberty bonds.
OF course the Democrats claim, too.
that had there been an effective concert
of power in Europe, had the present
league of nations not been impaired in
functioning through the failure of the
American senate to permit the United
States to throw her moral force in the
scales of Europe, the new republic of
Poland might have been saved long be-
fore this.
But the Republican doctrine on such
things i as vet underlined for while SEN
ator Hiram Johnson has given his pledge
TO take an extremely active part in the
campaign against the league of nations
and the treaty, another element i'm the
Republican party looks forward with
Keen anticipation TO the return of EIihu
Root from Europe with new plan to
preserve world peace.
Mr. Root, it will be remembered,
thought the covenant should be qualified
by reservations and while he was will
ing at the outset to take Article 10 with
a reservation, he later denounced the
whole thing and finally wrote the league
of nations plank which was embodied in
the Republican national platform at
Chicago last June. Since that time he
has been actively engaged in drawing up
IN company with the iurists of other
countries a constitution for the perma
.nent court of international Justice the
establishment of which was provided for
IN the league of nations covenant brought
back by President Wilson.
But Mr. Roots journey to Europe has
meant conferences with many of the
statesmen over there who think he will
be the biggest influence in the Harding
administration if the senator is elected
and European diplomats usually take no
chances. They try to get in on the
ground floor with whatever administra-
ton seems likely to be in power in the