The Washington times., 1920-07-20
The WASHINGTON TIMES SUL- y
The Purpose of Governor COx's
Visit TO the White House

Visit to the White House
Governor Coxs meeting with President Wilson at the
White House Sunday entirely harmonious-sn ooca
sion for mutual compliments everybody knew would be-
President Wilson'S only idea of an agreeable man is
who agrees with him. Governor Cox is too asute
politician not to agree with President Wilson at this stage
of the campaign saying this do not impute insin
cey or lack independence Democratic candidate
for President
Governor Cox has before him the difficult feat of walk
ing tightrope great gulf The rope is held at one
end by President Wilson The other end held by the
Of Democrats who do agree with President Wilson, and
by progresves and independents whose votes Gov
ernor Cox must get if he is to be elected President
If either end of the rope on which Governor Cox is
walking should be dropped at this stage of the campaign
his candidacy would become hopeless
But to win he must walk AWAY from President VIII
toward the group the other side 1t obvious that
at the start he must make that President Wilson is
BACK of him and is holding up his end of the rope, be-
the word should go from the White House
the great army OF Administration oceholders that the
President interested in Governor Coxs campaign
and expected him defeated the whole political
chine would be crippled at the start.
It is significant that after talking with the President
for exactly hour Governor Cox Withdrew to the private
office of the Presidents secretary and there spent hour
and half in preparing statement of 146 words which
any good newspaper like Governor Cox could write in
five minutes.
It may have been and probably was submitted to the
President perhaps several times before completed
In his talk with fifty newspaper men, held later, Gov
Cox made statement that is of signif-
than his formal declaration handed out with
President Wilson's approval of him. Asked by the re-
poters whether he would to state any details of his
conference with the President the League of Nations
covenant he answered promptly:
"We discussed subject only general nav The Pres.
s nad mT o my % EN-" & 'g 1 & s M
POSITION mas, and you have his response"
That all that Governor Cox needed to say.and it
was the most clever Democratic aspran for the Pre-"
dency could be expected to in the circumstances
show that he not simply the Administration candidate
For of the two reservations which Governor Cox
declared to be necessary in his Judgment before the
covenant should be ratified clear reservation" as
follows:
"That Without any suggestion United States sought
to hk It's obligations the League participants should clearly
s M that the n1a9 ro @T ra Congress and
the Constitution in complying NTH ANY League decision"
This strikes at Article Ten of the Covenant which pro-
vides that
aggression the integrity
existing political independence all of League
H a H coSNc lAss s ADH e T
t1 The "a, ME1Ns ANS BY WHICH THE OBLIGATION SHALL BE
This article-the only in the Treaty written by
President Wilson's hand-has been described by him
the heart of the Treaty. He told Foreign
Relations Committee that imposed moral obligation
upon the United States.
Mr.. Wilson's Interpretation of this clause has
changed the doubts and msgvngs of thousands Of
supporters the League of Nations the country into open
hostility to the covenant. It turned twentyone DEMO
CRATIC SENATORS against it in the Senate.
Further discussion by Mr. Wilson the stump alien
ated from him the support of the two outest champions
of the League of Nations exPresent Taft and President
Lowell of Harvard University president of the League to
Enforce Peace Both threw Mr.. Wilson's league
written They demanded the strong reserva
ton for which TWENTYTHREE Democratic Senators out