New-York tribune., 1920-06-12
Harding Placed Before Contention;
Called ':Fighfing Republican ,,

Mr.. Willis recited briefly Senator
Harding's record in the Senate and
promised that if nominated he would bc
elected.
He charged that production had been
hampered by so-called government reg
u!ation, and announced that the Re-
publican party had been called upon
to rescue the country and save Ameri-
can institutions. Mr.. Willis said in
part:
Republican success is always desir-
abie-in 1920 it is imperative. Called
into being by Abraham Lincoln to save
the Union, the Republican party mer-
tied its long years of triumph through
It's valiant service to the Republic and
its promotion Of the peoples progress.
1t battled for national prosperity and
sound finance under the leadership of
Ohio's knightliest son, William Nc
Kinley; it raised the victorious stand
ard of the square deal and obedience
to law at the call of that stalwart
-blooded American, Theodore Roose-
velt -O0e
"But vast as are its achievements
and brilliant as has been its leadership.
the man nominated here to-day must
pc OF type Dig enough to enable him
to look with level gaze to the leader
ship of other years and to face un-
daunted problems more serious than
those which confronted Washington
or Lincoln. We have emerged from
world war victorious and unafraid;
that great struggle to maintain the ma
tlonal honor and preserve free govern
ment among men.
1.-The Republican party here assem-
bled, with the faces of the heroic
dead looking down upon us and COM
manding us with mute lips to stand by
the principles Of the party and defend
to the uttermost every American
ideal, will go forth to victory
on a platform pronouncing unequiv-
ocally in favor of constitutional
government and obedience to law; in
favor of repeal of wartime legislation
not needed in times of peace, but
seized upon by a power-grasping, au-
tocratic administration 20 perpetuate
itself; in favor Of legislation to pro
mote industrial peace, not by protecting
rich man because he is rich, nor n
poor man beacuse he is poor, but
rather by protecting the upright citi-
zen, rich or poor, because he is up
right; in favor Of the ratification of
only such peace treaty as, while fully
discharging our obligation to other
nations, will at the same time protect
unequivocally every American right
and reserve for decision by our own
people exclusively every purely Ameri-
can question; and in favor of the main
tenance of the principle of an Ameri-
can protective tariff and an American
IN rchop+ MARINA Ithaca oro ho,rJ
be the dominant issues of the forth.
coming campaign. Then why not name
as our candidate the man whose rec
ord is the party platform, for the rec
ord of Ohio's candidate is the record of
the Republican party for the last
decade.
"He fought for an American mer-
chant marine to carry our commerce
under the American flag to all tie ports
of the earth, while other leaders were
skeptical or quiescent; by the side Of
bear the heat and burden of the day
in the struggle for rehabilitation of
American industry; four years ago he
stood on this platform, the choice of
both William H. Taft and Theodore
Roosevelt for chairman Of the con
vention; and it is only fair to add that
as a member of the Senate he enjoyed
the intimate and confidential friend
ship of both these great leaders.
A Fighting Republican
"In personal character he has the
dignity, urbanity and breadth Of vision
of Mckinley. Like that other great
Ohioan, he is one of the common folks,
best loved by those who know him
best. With no working capital other
than his own ability and his capacity
for toll he has built up prosperous
business, employing many men, and in
the shop where he works side by side
with his men there has never been an
hour of labor trouble in twenty-five
years Of friendly cooperation. AS
laborer, as employer, as editor of
great newspaper, he knows the many
sided industrial problem and will
bring to it's solution the same good
sense and spirit of helpful coopera-
tion that have characterized his bust
ness and professional life.
"He is a stalwart, fighting Republi-
can, who believes in the efficacy of rep,
resentative government under party
sponsorship; knowing and needing the
lessons of the past, his face is toward