The Penn's Grove record., 1920-08-27
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES AND
PLATFORM
Fec President, James NJ. Cox
of Dayton, Ohio.
Vice President, Franklin d. Roosevelt
of New York

AS the Treaty of Peace and League
of Nations included, between the AL
lied Nations in the World War with
Germany and Austria, is the para
mount issue in this Presidential cam
paign, below is the preamble to the
Democratic platform and The plank on
the Treaty and League.
Preamble
The Democratic party, in national
convention, sends greetings to the
President of the United States, Wood
row Wilson, and halls with patriotic
pride the great achievements for the
country and the world wrought by a
Democratic administration under his
leadership.
1t salutes the mighty people of this
great republic, emerging with imper-
ishable honor from the severe tests
and g~rievous strains of the most tragic
war in history, having earned the
plaudits and the gratitude of all free
nations.
It declares its adherence to the fun
damental progressive principles of So
eial, economic and industrial justice
and advance, and purposes to
the great work of translating these
principles into effective laws, begun
and carried out by the Democratic ad-
ministration and interrupted only
when the wal claimed all the national
energies for the single task of victory.
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 insult
ferable burden of great military and
naval establishments. 1t was for this
that America broke away from the
traditional isolation and spent her
blood and treasure to crush a colossal
scheme of conquest. 1t was upon this
basis that the President of the United
States, in Encouragement with our
Allies, consented to a suspension of
hostilities against the imperial Ger
man Government; the armistice was
granted and a treaty of peace negoti-
ated upon the definite assurance to
Germany, as we'll as to the Powers pit
ted against Germany, that "a general
association of nations must be formed,
under specific covenants, for the pur-
pose of affording mutual guarantees
of political independence and territor-
iaI integrity to great and small states
alike.' Hence, we not only congratu-
late the President on the vision mani
tested and the vigor exhibited in the
prosecution of the war, but we felici-
tate him and his associates on the ex-
ceptionaI achievements at Paris IN
in the adoption of a League and
treaty so near akin to previously ex-
pressed American ideals and 60 init
related to the aspirations of
civilized peoples everywhere.
We commend the President for his
and his high conception Oh
GOOD faith in steadfastly standing for
the covenant agreed to by all the asso-
ciated and allied nations at war with
Germany, and we condemn the Repub-
lican Senate for it's refusal to ratify
the treaty merely because it was the
product of Democratic craftsmanship,
thus interposing partisan envy and
personal hatred in the way of the
peace and renewed hatred of the
world.
BY every accepted standard of inter
rational morality the President is JUS
tilted in asserting that the honor of
the country is involved in this business;
and we point to the accusing fact that
before it was determined to initiate
political antagonism to the treaty, the
now Republican chairman of the Sen
ate Foreign Relations Committee him
self publicly proclaimed that any prop
osition for a separate peace with Ger
many, such as he and his party assoc
ates thereafter reported to the SEN
ate would make US equity" of the
blacklist crime"
On May IS last, the Knox substitute
FOR the Versailles treaty was passed
convention can contrive no more fitting
characterization of its obloquy than
that made in the Forum Magazine of
December, 1918, by Henry Cabot
Lodge, when he said:
eff we send our armies and young
men abroad to be killed and wounded
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 in
tent of the President was that there
could be no peace until we o
create a situation where no such war
as this could recur. We cannot make
peace except in company with our
Allies. 1t would brand US with ever
lasting dishonor and bring ruin to us
also if we undertook to make a sepa-
rate peace.
Thus to that which Mr.. Lodge in
saner moments considered "the black
est crime" he and his party in madness
sought to give the sanctity of the law;
that which 10 months ago was of "ev-
erlasting dishonor" the Republican
party and its candidates today accept
as the essence of faith.
We endorse the Presidents view of
our international obligations and his
firm stand against reservations de-
signed to cut to pieces the vital pro-
visions of the Versailles treaty and we
commend the Democrats in Congress
for voting against resolutions for sep
arate peace which would disgrace the
nation. W. advocate the immediate
ratification of the treaty without reser-
vations which would impair its essen