The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-07-09
WILSON WISHES IGNORED
IN PARTY PLATFORM
LODGE IS MADE TARGET
Conduct of RepubIicanCon
Toward Treaty Is Severely
Condemned
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l


mitted to the democratic national
convention today: The democratic
party, in its national convention now
assembled, sends greetings to the
president of the United States. Wood
row Wilson, and halls with patriotic
pride the great achievements for
country and the world wrought by
democratic administration under his
leadership.
1t salutes the mighty people of
this great republic, emerging with
lmperishable honor, from the sew
ere tests and grievous strains of the
most tragic war in history, having
earned the plaudits and the graft
tude of all free nations.
1t declares its adherence to the
fundamental progressive principles
of social, economic and industrial
welfare and advance, and proposes
to resume the great work of trans
lating these principles into effective
laws, begun and carried far by the
democratic ADMINISTRATION and in
terrupted only when the war claim
ed all the national energies for the
Jingle task of victory.
League Plank Framed.
dc party favors the League of Ma
lions as the surest, If not the only
practical means of maintaining the
permanent peace of the world and
terminating the insufferable burden
sf great military and naval estab-
1shments.
It was for this that America broke
away from 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
pre- arrangement with our allies,
consented to a suspension of hostili-
ties against the imperial German
government the armistice was
granted and a treaty of peace nego-
tiated upon the definite assurance to
Germany as we'll as to the power
pitted against Germany, that "a
general association must be formed.
under specific covenants, for the
purpose of affording mutual guaran-
tees of political independence and
territorial integrity to great and
small states alike.
We commend the president for his
courage and his high conception of
good faith in steadfastly standing
for the covenant agreed to by all the
associated and allied nations at war
with Germany, and we condemn the
republican senate for its refusal TO
was the product OF democratic
craftsmanship, thus interposing par
tisan envy and personal hatred in
the way of the peace and renewed
prosperity of the world
Honor OF Nation.
By every accepted standard of in
terr,ational morality the president is
justified in asserting that the honor
Of the country Is involved In this
ing fact that. before 1t was deter
mined to initiate political antagon-
ism to the treaty, the now republi-
can chairman of the senate foreign
relations committee himself public
1y proclaimed that any proposition
for a separate peace with the Ger
many such as he and his party as
sociates thereafter reported to the
senate, would make us guilty Of the
blacklist crime"
On May Is last the Knox substf-
tute for the Versailles treaty was
proposed by the republican senate;
and this convention can contrive no
more fitting characterization of its
colloquy than that made in the For
UNI magazine of December 1913 by
Henry Cabot Lodge. when he said:
statement vi LOCqc.
eff we send our armies and young
ed 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
intent Of the president was that
there could be no peace until we
could create a situation where no
such war as this would recur. We
cannot make peace except in COM
us with everlasting dishonor and
bring ruin to us also If we under
took to make separate peace"
Thus to that which Mr.. Lodge. in
saner moments. considered "the
blacklist crime" he and his party in
madness sought to give the sanctity
OF law; that which eighteen months
ago was of Everlasting dishonor,"
the republican party and its candi-
dates today accept as the essence of
faith.
I'VE endorse the presidents view
of our international obligations and
his firm stand against reservations
designed to cut to pieces the vital
provisions of the Versailles treaty
and we commend the democrats in
congress for voting against reserva-
t1OnS Tor separate peace which would
disgrace the nation.
Recover Moral Leadership.
I'VE advocate the immediate rat
ification of the treaty without res.
ervations which would impair it's es-
sential integrity; but do not oppose
the acceptance of any reservations
making clear or more specific the
obligation fthe United States to the
league associates. Only by doing
this may we retrive the reputation of
this nation among the powers of the
earth and recover the moral leader
shin which President Wilson won
and which republican politicians at
Washington sacrificed. Only by do
ing this may we hope to aid effec-
lively in the restoration Of order
throughout the world and to take the
place which we should assume in the
front ranks of spiritual, commercial
ard industrial advancement
1--WE reject as utterly violent, If not
vicious, the republican assumption
that ratification of the treaty and
membership in the League Of Ma
tons would In any wise impair the
integrity or independence of our
country. The fact that the covenant
has been entered into by twenty nine
rations, all as jealous of their inde-
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