Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-23

| Editor Every Evening: MIR. Root and
his thirty recruits, distinguished in business
| law, educa ton, doubtless believe they are
actuated solely by patriotic motives IN
announcing their support Of Mr.. Harding.
! They seem to have discovered, by care
| full examination Of his doublings and twist
| ings. that he will help to give US league
at least ss good rs that negotiated at
! Paris by Statesmen and specialists from
| the great nations of the world. Some OF
| these gentlemen are on record "a favoring
| the League of Paris a. ii ia written, and
some of them actually helped to frame
! that League, for their essential sugges-
tions were Incorporated in il by way of
amendments. Furthermore, many gentle
men a. wise and distinguished MS any
OF the thirty-one, not only Democrats, but
Independents and Republicans, affiliated
with some of the thirty-one IN approving
the League of Paris are urging the election
of Mr. Cox as the only assurance that We
shall be able to get into any kind of
League Of the world
Mr. Root and his thirty-one should be
heard respectfully, and without unneces-
saTy partisan criticism, with the charitable
hope, and if possible belief, that they
mean well by this country and by the
world at large. We can not forget, how
ever. that some Of these gentlemen have
been lifelong Republicans. and that
several of them have received high honor
at the hands of the Republican party.
Again. we must remember that most of
them are intense conservatives and some
of them mere reactionaries, sincere enough,
no doubt, in their habitual attitude, but
not men for time like this, when an in
telligent sympathy with new ideas is the
only thing that can save us from pcrilous
propaganda Of mere madness. Yet once
more, a good many of the thlrty-one
belong 10 the teaching profession. a pro
fexsion that has always suffered from Ill
pay, and that for the past few years has
found itself worse paid in dollars and
cents than many youths Just out of college,
than skilled mechanics even than some
unskilled laborers. 1t is entirely natural
that these gentlemen should be uncon-
sciously affected IN their attitude toward
Mr. Harding and toward Mr.. Cox by the
fact that the former Is a hard and fast
conservative. The latter sympathetic
with the hopes and aspirations of wage
earners. Fortunately some broadEnlnded
men Of the teaching profession do not let
their own ieaderships IN any degree blind
them TO the essential soundness Of Mr..
Cox's forward looking attitude.
Finally. whatever the wisdom and Hn-
oerity of Mr.. Root and this thirty, the
men behind Mr.. Harding are highly prac-
tlcal persons, eager for President in the
White House pliant TO the wishes Of big
business, ready to grant whatever tariff
protection private interests may demand
subservent to reationary Republican
majority III the Senate led by that stiff old
fashion ed New England Federalist, Henry
Cabot Lodge. Every man that reioices at
the in incoming food of European inni-
grants, not because America should be
the asylum of the oppressed of all ma
tions' but because millions of hungry
aliens will set the labor market right"
will denounce the League of Paris and
shout for Harding.
The powerful selfish In terests behind
Mr.. Harding thought opposition to the
League OF Paris a good issue to get In on,
but they have discovered that advocacy
of that Leagne seems TO be a good thing
10 get in on, and now, after their candidate
has once scrapped that League, they
think patchwork League, made Of the |
Paris League and water, IS also good
thing to get in on. Mr.. Harding's patch |
work league is merely blind used by re-
dictionaries who wish to control the govern
ment for their own ends. 1t IS 8 pity that
honest m en- should lend themselves to the |
triumph of reactionaries.
E. n. Vallandighan.
Boston, Mass, Oct. %, 1920