The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-07-22
HARDING SPEECH OF ACCEP-
TANCE A NEW KEYNOTE

~ ~~'S Iva "a lAoA4uil Will
all the world.
One may readily sense the con.
science of our America. l am sure
I understand the purpose Of the dom.
fnant group of the senate. We were
not seeking to defeat a world aspira.
ton, we were resolved to safeguard
America. We were resolved then, even
as we are today, and will be tomor.
row, to preserve this free and ince.
pendent republic.
In the call of the conscience OF
America is peace, peace that closes the
gaping wound of world war, and 81.
lences the imprisoned voices of In
ternational envy and distrust Heed
ing this call and knowing as do the
disposition of the Congress, 1 promise
you formal and effective peace so
quickly as a Republican Congress can
pass its declaration for q Republican
executive to sign.
1t is better to be the free and
disinterested agent of international
justice and advancing civilization,
with the covenant Of conscience, than
be shackled by a written compact
which surrenders our freedom of &C
ton and gives to a military alliance
the right to proclaim Americas duty
to the world. No surrender of rights
to a world council or its military al
lance, no assumed mandatory how
ever appealing, ever shall summon the
sons of this republic to war. Their
supreme sacrifice shall only be asked
for America and it's call Of honor.
There is sanctity in that right We
will not delegate.
Leaving America Independent.
Disposed as We are, the way is very
simple. Let the failure attending as
sumption, obstinacy, impracticability
and delay be recognized, and let US
find the big, practical, unselfsh way
to do our part, neither covetous be-
cause of ambition nor hesitant through
fear, but ready to serve ourselves, hui
manity and God. With a senate adj
yising as the constitution contemplates,
would hopefully approach the nations
of Europe and of the earth, proposing
that understanding which makes us a
willing participant in the consecra-
ton of nations to a new relationship,
to commit the moral forces of the
world, America included, to peace and
international justice, still leaving Am
erica free, Independent and self-reliant,
but offering friendship to all the world.
1t is folly to close our eyes to out
standing facts. Humanity is FESTIVE,
much of the world is in revolution,
the agents of discord and destruction
have wrought their tragedy in pathetic
Russia, have lighted their torches
among other peoples, and hope to see
America as a part of the great Red
confagration. Ours is the temple of
liberty under the law, and it is ours to
call the Sons of Opportunity to its de-
Tense. America must not only save
herself, but ours must be the appealing
voice to sober the world.
1t must be understood that toll alone
makes for accomplishment and adj
vancement, and righteous possession Is
the reward of toll, and its incentive.
There is no progress except in the
stimulus of competition.
The chief trouble today is that the
world war wrought the destruction of
healthful competition, left our store
houses empty, and there is q minimum
production when our need is max
imum. MaXimums, not minimums, is
the call of America. 1t isn't new
story, because war never fails to leave
depleted storehOuses and always I'M
pairs the efficiency Of production. War
also establishes its higher standards
for wages, and they abide. I wish the
higher wage to abide, on one explicit
condition-that the wage-earner will
give full return for the wage received.
Production, More Production.
I want, somehow, to appeal to the
sons and daughters of the republic,
to every producer, to join hand and
brain In production, more production,
honest production, patriotic produc-
ton, because patriotic production is
no less a defense of our best civiliza-
ton than that of armed force. Prof.
teering Is a crime of commission, I'M
production is a crime of omission.
We must work our most and best, else
the destructive reaction will come.
The menacing tendency Of the pres
ent day is not chargeable wholly to
the unsettled and fevered conditions
caused by the war. The manifest
weakness in popular government lies
in the temptation to appeal to grouped
citizenship for political advantage.
It would be the blindness Of folly TO
ignore the activities in our own coun-
try which are aimed to destroy orr
economic system, and to commit Us to
the colossal tragedy which has de-
stroyed all freedom and made Russia
impotent. This movement is not 70 be
halted in throttled liberties. We must
not abridge the freedom of speech, the
freedom Of press, or the freedom Of
assembly, because there is no p4'oinise
in repression. These liberties are as
sacred as the freedom of religious be-
lief, as inviolable as the rights Of life
and the pursuit of happiness. We do
hold to the right to crush sedition, to
stifie a menacing contempt for law,
to stamp out a peril to the safety #
%ha ropuhIio or itc naOnln whom pnor-