The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-10-15
DEGRADING A NATION

The Republican party "has turned
its back on its own principles of 1860
and 1918"
Thus writes the venerable Charles
w. Eliot in the current issue of the
Atlantic Monthly.
DR.. Eliot adds by way of further
comment: "This deplorable change Of
front is a deep modification and dis
tress to all patriotic Americans, Re-
publican and Democratic, and particu-
larly those who remember the politi-
cal idealss which the Republican party
was founded to contend for and which
it led to glorious victories"
AS if to emphasize DR.. Eliot's caus-
tic criticism, Senator Harding said in
his speech at Wheeling Tuesday night:
~ was not present when the Senate
passed the war resolution, but | know
what is conveyed. | know what it
means, and we did not go to war to
make the world safe for democracy.
We did not go to war even for hu-
manity's sake"
Trevelyan remarked of George Ill
that "he could never forgive a politi-
clan for taking the right course I'M
less it was from a wrong motive"
Senator Harding himself had no part
in voting the declaration of war
against Germany, but he is willing to
justify it provided it is agreed that
the motives of the American people
were sordid and materialistic. On
that basis he might even forgive
President Wilson for his successful
conduct of the war.
For the rest, Senator Harding re-
fuses to concede that our dead died
for any noble and inspiring principle.
He refuses to admit that the American
people had any eXaltation of spirit;
that they regarded the war as an ir-
repressible conflict between freedom
and autocracy, between the doctrine
of right and the doctrine of might. To
the Republican candidate it was just
a row over some ships and subma
rines and disputed Interpretation of
the trading status of neutrals.
If Senator Harding is right in his
estimate of the motives of the Amer
lean people, the war was needless
war. Every life that was lost was
wasted and every dollar that was
spent was wasted. We could have
easily bargained with Germany for
protection. Both sides had violated
American rights on the high seas,
and if nothing matters except the ma
terialistic aspects of the case, Ger
many had more to offer than the AL
lies.
The Kaiser was mistaken in his es-
innate of the American people, and
Senator Harding is also mistaken. In
fact, we do not believe that the Sen
ator himself believes what he says
or that the marvellous demonstration
Of devotion to high principle which
the American people gave has been
wholly lost on him. Even a Republic
can Senator cannot be so calloused to
the really fine things in American
life. But in order to sustain their OPP
position to the League of Nations, the
Republican Senators have been COM
PEELED to sneer at everything that re-
sembles idealism and high purpose in
the affairs of the country. They jeer
at ideals because ideals are dangerous
to the kind Of campaign they are
forced to conduct.
They assume that the surest way to
discredit President Wilson is to try
to drag the Nation down to the lowest
level of political motive. That is why
Senator Harding tells the American
people that they went to war without
single generous or disinterested i'm
pulse and asks them to indorse at the
polls his degraded estimate of them.
New York World.