Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-09
S,sau'as'Sn Hxen,ns Yesterday sseds 1861
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1920.
The Issue Clearly Defined.

rr,en and informed the country as to hif
rcsl attitude towards the League oil Ma
tions. He 10 fatty and unequivocally
apainst II. True. there is no telling how he
may change front hereafter and endeavo'
10 qualify his statement OF THURSDAY
e3wrinr his speech at Des Moines, but that
would not alter the present aspect OF inc
national pnlitical situation. The League OF
Nations ia now the dominant issue OF the
csmpairn, and Mr.. Harding, standing as
Ehe Republican candidate for President OF
the United States, is against 1t. Governor
Cox. the Democratic candidate, earnestly
aapports the League, ard the entrance OF
our country into full membership IN that
organisation, framed for the purpose OF
rrrssrving the Peace Of the World hero
after.
How Mr.. Harding has wobbled around
fhs great issue is attested by his puohc
utter.,nces. On July %, at Marion, ne
f.vored "an association of nations CO.
operating in sublime accord to attain and
preserve peace through justice rather
than force" August IS, st Marion, ne
favored substitution of the detunct hague
Tribunal, with teeth IN it. Septsmoer
Il at Marion, be admitted there WAS
good" in the League and said he had no
desire To throw all that aside" September
u at Baltimore, be frankly declared he
had in mind no program about an assoc'a-
iion of nations. At Des Mo,nes, Thursday,
he plainly declared himself in favor OF
utterly rejecting the League of Nations.
Mr.. Harding. after deal Of wobblns
and uncertainty, thus winds up by sur
rendering completely to Senstors borah
and johnson, thoee unreconcisabie op-
p,nents of ASSOCIATION with any other
nation in The great problem of endeavor-
ing to do away with war and conducting
the affairs of all nations IN peace and
comfy. Thus. he rs in cirect opposition to
Mr.. Taft. Mr.. Wickersham, Mr.. Root ana
other eminent Republicans and hrm sup
porters of combination of nations TO
hsing about universal peace, who have
stood by Hardin. throughout bis wobbhne'
so long as they could make the pretence
that he was not hostile TO the League
How they can longer support the candi-
date who thus repudiates then cause IL Is
difficult to see
At any rate, it is well to know where the
Republican candidate really stands IN re-
s,ect of this paramount issue OF the cam
paign. He is against the League OF Ma
tons. Thus he stands, and would have our
country stand, IN line with Germany,
Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Mexico, and
turn our back upon other and friendly ma
tions, who earnestly desire the effective
sid and powerful influence of our great
country in advancing the splendid cause
of World Peace. He would have us con-
tinue IN state of uncertainty and re-
action BE would have us repudiate ali
that our brave men fought and died for on
bloody foreign fields He would aid and
encourage Germany and confound her
righteous enemies. he would place our
country in position which would make 1t
necessary to indefinitely oppress our
people with burdensome taxation fer the
nxrpoee of maintaining huge and costly
armies and navies, IN view of continuance
of the threat Of war.
The issue, therefore. rs plain Harding
glands for keeping our country OUTSIDE CT
crandly promising combination TO bring
about world peace. Cox stands for our
complete and cordial cooperation with the !
League of Nations, and our participation |
IN all the good that seems possible from |
tins agency, which needs only that Co |
operation 10 make it all-powerful, a bless /
ing and benefit TO I'll the people.