The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-08-07

volt among leaders of the party Is | averted. but the minority position as expressed in ths Senate prevails as l that of the party. In short prin- i ciple, as avowed in support of the 1 Lodge reservations, or of the so-cs.ll- | ed mild reservations, has been sur | rendered to pediency.
 Senator Harding makes this new i pledge of policy in behalf of his party:
 "I promise you formal and effective peace so quickly as a Republican con- gress can pass its declaraton for a Republican executive to sign
 This means nucA one things seRa- rate peace with Germany!
 This would be the most disheart- ening event in civilization since the Russians made their separate peace with Germany, and infinitely more unworthy on our part than 1t was on that of the Russians They were threatened with starvation and revo- lution had swept their country Our soldiers fought s1de by side with the Allies. So complete was the coall- ton of strength and purpose that General Foch Was given supreme command, and every soldier in the allied cause, no matter what flag he followed, recognized him as his chief We fought the war together. and now before the thing is through II is pro posed to enter into a separate peace with Germany! In good faith we pledged our strength with our as sociates for the enforcement of terms upon offending powers, and now 1t is suggested that this be withdrawn Suppose Germany, recognizing the first break in the Allies, proposes something we cannot accept Does Senator Harding intend to send an army to Germany to press her to our terms? Certainly the allied army could not be expected to render aid If on the other hand, Germany should accept the chance we offered of breaking the bond it would be for the express purpose of inSuring Ger man-American alliance, recognizing that the Allies-in fact, no nation in good standing-would have anything to do with either of us.
 This plan would not only be a. piece of bungling diplomacy, but plain. un- adulterated dishonesty, well.
 No less an authority than Senator Lodge said, before the heat of recent controversy, that to make peace ex- cept in company with the Allies would 'fbrand everlastingly with dishonor and bring ruin to us"
 And then after peace is made with Germany, Senator Harding would. he says, "hopefully approach the nations of Europe and of the earth, propos- ing that understanding which makes us willing participant in the con- secration of nations to a new relation ship"
 In short, America, refusing to en- ter the League of Nations (now al- ready established by twenty-nine ma tions) and bearing and deserving the contempt of the world would submit an entirely new project. This act would either be regarded as arrant madness or attempted international bossiSm.
 The plain truth is, that the Repub- ] lican leaders, .obseSSed with a deter imitation to win the presidential cleo | ton, have attempted to satisfy too l many divergent views Inconsist- ! encies, inevitable under the circum- 1 stances rise to haunt them on every | hand, and they find themselves ar | rayed in public thought at least, against a great principle. More than 1 that, their conduct is opposed to the idealism upon whcih their party pros pered in other days.
 i Illustrating these observations by | concrete facts, let it be remembered | that those now inveighing against an | interest in affairs outside of America, l criticised President Wilson in un- | measured terms for not resenting the | invasion of Belgium in 1914. / They | term the League of Nations mili- tary alliance, which, except for their
 opposition, would envelop our coun- try, when, as a mater of truth, the subject of a League of Nations has claimed the best thought of, America for years, and the League to Enforce Peace was presided over by so dis tinguished a Republican as Ex-Pres-
 ident Taft, who, before audiences in every section advocated the principle
 and the plan of the present League They charge experimentation, when
 we have as historical precedent the Monroe Doctrine, which is the very
 essence of Article X of the Versailles
 covenant. Skeptics viewed Monroe's
 mandate with alarm, predicting re-
 current wars in defense of Centra
 South American states, whose guard , rans they alleged we need not be
 And yet not shot has been fired 1T
 almost one hundred years in pre-.
 serving sovereign rights on this hem
 isphere- They hypocritically clain , that the League of Nations will re . suit in our boys being drawn into
 military service but they fail to req
 lize that every high school youngstel , in the land knows that. no treaty cal
 override our Constitution, which re , serves to Congress, and to Congres
  7 They preach Americanism with , meaning of their own invention, ant
 artfully appeal to a selfish ant
 provincial spirit, forgetting that Lin
 coin fought a war over the purel. , moral question of slavery, and tha
 Mckinley broke the letters of ou boundary lines, spoke the freedom o , Cuba, and carried the torch of Amer
 ican idealism to the benighted Philip r pines They lose memory of Garfield
 prophecy that America, under tn e blessings of God-given opportunity , would by her moral leadership an r cooperation become a Messiah
 among the nations of the earth.
 These are fateful times. Organiz " ed government has definite duty a '; over the world. The housv or civiliza e ton is to be put in order. The st prerne issue of the century is befor s us and the nation that halts and de q lays is playing with fire. The fine: - impulses of humanity, rising abov
 | national lines, merely seek to mak