Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-07

and his utterance calls forth the f0l-
lowing approval from Senator johnson ::
Yesterday in his speech of accept
ance Senator Harding unequivocally
took his stand upon the paramount is;
sue in this campaign-the League Of
Nations. The Republican party stands
committed by its platform. It's stand.
ard bearer has now accentuated that
platform. There can be no misunder-
standing his words"
Senator Harding, as the candidate of
the party, and Senator Johnson are as
one on this question. and. as the lat
ter expresses it. the Republican party
is committed both by platform in the
abstract and by its candidate in speci-
fication. The threatened revolt among
leaders of the party is averted. but the
minority position as expressed in the
Senate prevails as that of the party.
In short; principle, as avvowed in sup
port of the Lodge reservations. or of the
so called mild reservations, has been
surrendered to expediency.
Harding's New Pledge
Senator Harding makes this new
pledge of policy in behalf of his party !:
II promise you formal and effective
peace so quickly as a Republican con-
gress can pass its declaration for a
Republican executive to sign
This means but one thing-a sepa-
rate peace with Germany!
This would be the most disheartcn-
ing event in civilization since the Rus
slams made their separate peace with
Germany. and infinitely more unwor-
thy on our part than it was on that
of the Russians. They were threatened
with starvation and revolution had
Il. lac
side by side with the Allies. So com
plete was the coalition 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 it is
proposed to enter into a separate peace
with Germany, In good faith we
pledged our strength with our associ-
ates for the enforcement of terms upon
offending powers, and now it Is Sug
gested that this be- withdrawn.
Suppose Germany, recognizing the
first break in the Allies. proposes some
thing 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
German American alliance, recogniz
ing that the Allies--in fact. no nation
in good standing-would have anything
10 do with either of us.
This plan would not only be n piece
of bungling dinlomacy. but plain, un
adulterated dishonesty as we'll
Senator Lodge Quoted
No less an authority than Senator
Lodge said, before the heat of recent
controversy. that 10 make peace except
in company with the Allies would
brand us cvrrlastingly 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, proposing
that understanding which makes us q
willing participant in the conservation
of nations to new relationship"
In short, America. refusing to enter
the League Of Nations (now already
established by twenty nine nationsI an,
bearing and deserving the contempt ot
the world. would submit an entirely
new project. This net would either b.
regarded as arrant madness or attempt
ed international bossism.
The plain truth il that the Republi
can leaders. obsessed with determine
tion to win the presidential election
have attempted to satisfy too many di
vorgcnt views. Inconsistencies, incvita
BILE under the circumstances, rise t.
haunt them on every hand, and the!
find themselves arrayed in publ,
thought, at least, against a great prin
| ciple. More than that. their conduc
is opposed to the idealiSm upon which
their party prospered in other days.
League Critics Arraigned
Illustrating these observations b,
concrete facts. let it be remembered tha
those now inveighing against an interes
in affairs outside Of America criticized
President Wilson in unmeasured term
for not reSenting the invasion of Bel
GUM in 1914. They term the Lcagu
Of Nations a military alliance, which
except for their opposition, would en-
vGlop our country. when. as a matte
of truth, the subject of n League 0
Nations has claimed the best though
of America for years. and the League t
Enforce Peace was presided over by f.
distinguished Republican as ex Presi
dent Taft. who. before audiences il
every section, advocated the principl
and the plan of the present league.
They charge experimentation, whe
We have as historical precedent tn
Monroe Doctrine, which is the very es
sence of Article y of the Versatile
covenant. SkeptiCs viewed Monroe
mandate with alarm. predicting recur
rent wars in defense of Central an
South American states, whose guardian
they allcgc we need not be. And yet nc
shot has been fired in almost 10
| years in preserving sovereign rights o
, this hemisphere.
, They hypocritically claim that tn
; League Of Nations will result in ou
' boys being drawn into military servic,
but they fail to realize that every hig
, school youngster in the land knows thu
: no treaty can override our constitution
: which reserves to Congress. and to Con
a gress alone, the power to declare war.
They preach Americanism with
u meaning Of their own invention, an
' artfully appeal to a selfish and pre-
vincial spirit, forgetting that LincoI
fought war over the purely moral dues
{ ton of slavery. and that Mckinley brol
the fetters of our boundary lines, spol
the freedom OF Cuba and carried II
o torch of American idealism to the b,
: nighted Philippines, They lose men
II ory Of Garfeld's prophecy that Ame,
= lea, under the blessings Of God give
e opportunity, would by her moral leat
'e erShip and co operation become a Me,
'e siah among the nations of the earth.
:. Supreme Issue of Century
= These are fateful times. Organic
! government has a definite duty all oy
..,o.Il Tho hnuua 81 Al