Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-08-07

Our soldiers fought side by side with
the allies. So complete was the coalt-
ton of strength and purpose that Gen.
FOch was given supreme command, and
every soldier in the allied cause, no mat
ter what dag he followed, recognized him
as his chief. We fought the war to-
gether, and now before the thing is
through, it Is proposed to enter into
separate peace with Germany In good
faith we pledged our strength with our
associates for the enforcement of terms
upon offending powers, and now it Is
suggested that this be withdrawn.
WHAT IF GERMANY
PROVES STUBBORN.
Suppose Germany, recognizing the
first break in the allies, proposes some
thing we can not accept. Does Senator
Harding intend to send an army to Ger
many to press her to our terms? Ger
tainly the allied army could not be ex
pected 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 in
surfing a German American alliance, rec
ognizing that the allies, in fact no ma
ton in good standing-would have any
thing to do with either of US.
This plan would not only be a piece
of bungling diplomacy, but plain, I'M
adultered dishonesty, as well.
No less an authority than Senator
Lodge said, before the heat of recent
controversy, that to make peace except
in company with the allies would "brand
US everlastingly with dishonor and bring
ruin to US"
And then after peace is made with Ger
many, Senator Harding would, he says,
hopefully approach the nations Of
Europe and of the earth, proposing that
understanding which makes us a willing
participant in the conservation of nations
TO new relationship"
vro4r % area
the league of nations NOW already es-
tablished by twenty mine nationsl and
bearing and deserving the contempt Of
the world, would submit an entirely new
project
This act would either be regarded
as arrant madness or attempted in
ternatiOnal bOSsism.
The plain truth is, that the republic
an leaders, obsessed with q determination
to win the presidential election, have
attempted to SATISFY too many divergent
views Inconsistencies, inevitable under
the circumstances, rise to haunt them
on every hand, and they find themselves
arrayed in public thought at least,
against a great principle. More than
that their conduct is opposed to the
idealism upon which their party pros
pered in other days.
EQUALLY LOUD IN
BLUSTER IN 1911.
Illustrating these observations by con-
crete facts let 1t be remembered that
those now inveighing against an interest
in affairs outside of America, criticised
President Wilson in unmeasured terms
for not resenting the invasion Of Belgium
in 1914. They term the league of nations
a military alliance, which, except for
their opposition, would envelop our coun-
try, when, as a matter OF truth, the sub
ject of a league OF nations has claimed
the best thought of America for years,
and the League to Enforce Peace was
presided over by so distinguished a re-
publican as ex-President Taft. who, be-
fore audiences in every section advocated
the principle and the plan Of the present
league. They charge experimentation,
when we have as historical precedent the
Monroe doctrine, which is the very es-
sence of Article Y OF the Versailles core
nant.
Skeptics viewed Mon-oe's mandate with
alarm, predicting recurrent wars in de-
Tense of Central and South American
states, whose guardians they alleged we
need not be. And yet not a shot has
been fred in almost one hundred years
in preserving sovereign rights on this
hemisphere. They hypocritically claim
that the league of nations will result In
our boys being drawn into military serV-
Ice, but they fail 10 realize that every
high school yOungster in the land knows
that no treaty can override our Constitu-
ton, which reserves to congress, and 10
congress alone, the power to declare war
They preach Americanism with mean
ing of their own invention, and artfullJ
appeal 20 a selfish and provincial spirit
forgetting that Lincoln fought war over
the purely moral question OF slavery,
and that Mckinley broke the letters OF
our boundary lines. spoke the freedom
OF Cuba, and carried the torch Of Amel =
lean idealism to the benighted Philip
pines. They lose memory Of Garfield q
prophecy that America, under the bles-
stubs Of Godgiyen opportunity. would
by her moral leadership and cooperation
become a Messiah among the nations OF
the earth.