Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-10-22
mrs. CHAPMAN CATS
PR0-IEAGUE VIEWS
What Famous Leader of National
Woman Suffrage Has To Say
Regarding Its Value

dent of the National Woman Suffrage
Association, whose influence through
the country is perhaps greater than
that of any other woman, has writ
ten to. Prof, Irvine Fisher, of Yale
University, concerning thePre-League
Independents. as follows, concerning
the subject of thesLeague of Nations:
Prof. Irvine Fisher:
] am glad to accept the appoint
ment as one of. the vice chairmen of
the Pro-League Independents. l am
enrolled in no party and desire to
continue a non-partisan. I have long
been an advocate of League of Ma
lions and l now believe in THE
League of Nations, because a League
Gin the hand" is worth any number of
Leagues "in~the BUSH"
I agree with Senator Johnson, who
said Cleveland, Oct. ~ that 'the
League of Nations is the greatest
campaign issue since the Civil War"
When he announces further that Mr..
Harding .wantsneither interpretations
nor reservations, but rejection" and
Harding does not object, it becomes
clear that the, way to enter the Lea
que does not lie in the direction of
Mr. Harding. The only hope prom
ised by the Root statement purporting
to represent the League wing of the
republican party is that Mr.. Harding
if elected, will cause an entire new
covenant or fundamental revision of
the present one to be written.
What next? To secure its necessary
adoption by the Senate, GA votes are
required. Even of the most roseate
republican expectations are realized
N the coming election, that party
could not command more than Sc and
this number would be hopelessly di-
vided between the group led by Sen
ators Johnson and Borah, which will
consent to no League, and those who.
might be rallied by the support of the
new covenant The republicans would
be forced to secure anywhere from
20 to 40 democratic votes in order to
ratify the new proposal. Is it rea-
sonable to suppose that these demo-
Gratis will be more literally intention
ed toward a republican covenant than
republicans. were, toward an alleged
democratic covenant? A Senatorial
deadlock seems the only possible re-
alt arising from that combination of
circumstances.
Should the impossible eventuate,
however, and Mr.. Harding plus Sd
Senators come to agreement upon q
new-or much amended covenant. what
then? The United States must pre-
sent the proposal to the organized
nations now composing the League
with its explanation that the price
which this country demands for en-
trance into the League is covenant
of our own writing. That covenant
built at Paris by the official represen-
tatives of many nations through
weary weeks of effort, through con-
cesions, reflections, compromise until
a common agreement had been reach
ed must be thrown into the discard
and a new one "made in America"
Would the world accept
SO preposterous proposal? Or, if |
the necessary majority of nations
should accept the covenant which.
suits us, how many and what nations
unable to accept the American plan
would withdraw? The risk of disin-
tegration is too apparent to give con-
fidence to friends of international
peace.
This division of republican views
into two definite and equally unsatis-
factory programs of procedure has
filled millions of republicans with des-
pair. They may still vote for Mr.:
Harding becaus ethey have always
voted republican ticket, but the fact |
that their vote will not bring
what they want.
Remembering that the sole aim of
the League is to abolish war; that |
such League could only come into
existence through covenant of COM
promise which would please no one
that ours is the only eli