The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-09-17
'"'THE CONSTITUTION
OR THE COVENANTv'
Candidate Harding Says the Time
Has Come to Make
Choice.

cilable with the American constitu
tion, Senator Harding declared in q
constitution day address here that tht
time had come for the United States
to decide whether ii would approve ol
abandon the charter under which il
achieved nationality.
he constitution or the covenant
that is the paramount ISSUE" he said
THE two are irreconcilable. We cannot
be governed from both Geneva and
Washington. We cannot follow our
present chief magistrate without for.
saking the father of our country"
He assailed the administrations pol
icy toward the smaller nations of the
western hemisphere, asserting that the
executive had usurped congressional
powers TO carry on an unconstituted
war with Haiti and San Domingo He
declared the recent utteranees of
Franklin ID. Roosevelt, Democratic
nominee for vice president, had re-
vealed officially for the first time the
American governments rape" of the
two little republics.
He reviewed the circumstances sur.
rounding the making of the consti-
tuition and outlined his conception of
the balanced powers of the executive,
legislative and judicial branches of the
government Only by preserving that
balance, he said, could the United
States fulfill its greatest destiny.
The constitution never has failed
America he continued. "and despite
needless assertions to the contrary.
America never has failed the world.
And now as never before, she stands
ready, and, let us hope, soon win be
in position, through earnest co.opera
tion of all branches of our government.
TO lend helping hand, but she herself
must point the way"
How can we, then, in reason and
with confidence make sure of fulfilling
our mission on earthy The first step is
plain. We must strictly maintain and
scrupulously observe, in letter and in
spirit, the mandates of the consttu-
tion of the United States. We are not
doing so now. We are al war, not
alone technically with Germany. but
actually with the little helpless re.
publics of our -own hemisphere. The
wars upon our neighbors to the south
were made and still are being waged,
though never declared, through the
usurpation by the executive of powers
not only never bestowed upon him,
but scrupulously withheld by the con.
stitution.
"0f the fact there can he no question.
1t is admitted. even boasted Of by the
Democratic candidate for ice-presi-
dent. between whom, if elected, and the
presidency itself would be but a single
life. You know he said TO the peo
pie of Montana, as his words were
quoted by the press, i have had some
thing to do with the running of cou
pie OF little republics. The fact is
that | wrote Haiti's constitution nv
self and If ! do say it. think il is
a pretty good constitution. Until last
week had two votes In the league
assembly; now Secretary Daniels has
them
ITO the best Of my information this
is the first official admission Of the
rape Of Haiti and San Domingo by the
present administration. To nv mind.
u u Nff Ifitf~A rHtfahAiiE nN~Fi
tion that ever emanated from a respon
siblc member of the government Of the
[ nited States.
True. Ne know little Of the conduct
Of these wars of occupation and the
imposition of laws upon. our helpless
neighbors The censorship is no less
strict than il was during the secret con
ferences and conspiracies in Paris.
all we know now is that
thousands Of native Hsitians have been
killed by American marines and that /
many Of our own gallant men have
sacrificed their lives at the behest of |
an executive department on order to es
Iablish laws drafted by an assistant |
secretary OF the navy. 60 secure a /
ote in the sague and to continue At I
he point of the bayonet a military |
lominat ION, which At this moment re-
luires the presence of no less than 1
.hree thousand Of our armed men on |
hat foreign soil
VASTLY more important and far
more menaclng To our own popular IN
,titutions than even this distressing /
is the proposal TO transfer by |
Indication. the chief prerogative OF one
department. of the government TO an
,ther As all are well aware, the con
vests in Congress exclusively
he power to declare war. but II also
leclares that duly executed treaty
shall be the supreme law Of the land
Under article y Of the Versailles
ovenant. now being subjected to a
olcmn referendum, il would b, the
ppointee and representa- We subjected
0 solemn referendum. il would be the
Ippuintrt and representative of the
PRESIDENT. not Of Congress nor of the
'eople who would either acquiesce in
y reject a proposition in the council
# the league 10 uphold by force Of
rms the cause Of one power against
mother.
The constitution or the covenant
hat. my eountrymen, j. the para
mount issue The two are irreconcil-
BILE. We cannot be governed from
9th Geneva and Washington. We can
ot follow our present chief magistrate
rithaut forsaking the father of our
ountry We cannot pin our faith to
azv visions Of the future without put
ing out Of mind the stern realities Of
he past