Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-07

Chairman Robinson. and members or
The notification committee The message
which you bring from the great con;
ference Of progressive thought assembled |
under the formal auspices of the Demo |
cratic party inspires within me pride
and an appreciation which | cannot
voice. At the same time i am mindful
OF the responsibility which this function |
now officially places upon me. AS l
measure my own limitations the task
ahead of US would be approached with |
more than a feeling of diffidence II / |
were not strengthened and treasured by |
the faith that one has only to practice
true fidelity to conscience. 1t is not |
a difficult thing to know what we ought
to do: the sense of right and wrong |
has been given with divine equality.
The mistakes of history are the result
of weakness in the face of tempting
interests. / thank God, therefore. that
I take up the standard of Democracy |
a free man. unfettered by promises and
happy in the consciousness of untram-
meled opportunity to render service in
the name of government that Will hold
for 1t the confidence which it deserves.
We are in time which calls for
straight thinking. straight talking and
straight acting. This is no time for
wabbling. Never in all our history has
more been done for government. Never
was sacrifice more sublime. The I>ost
precious things of heart and home were
given up in spirit which guarantees
\ lthe perpetuity of our institutions-it the
faith is kept with those who served and
suffered. The altar of our republic Is
drenched in blood and tears. and he
who turns away from the tragedies and
obligations Of the war. not Consecrated
to sense of honor and Of duty which
resists every base suggestion of per-
soDal or political eXpedienCy. is un-
worthy of the esteem of his countrymen.
Chart for Future Clear
The men and women who by .eX-
pressed policy at the San Francisco
convention Chartcd our course in the
open seas of the future sensPd the spirit
Of the hour and phrased it with clarity
to read and reread the Democratic plat
form to know its meaning. 1t is docu
ment clear in its analysis of conditions
and plain in the pledge of service made
to the public. 1t carries honesty of word
and intent.
Proud of the leadership and achieve
ment of the party in war, Democracy
faces unafraid the problems of peace.
Indeed, its pronounchment has but TO
be read along with the platform framed
by Republican leaders in order that both
spirit and purpose as they dominate the
-opposing organizations may be con-
trasted. On the one hand we see pride
expressed in the nations glory and a
promise of service easily understood. On
the other a captious, unhappy spirit
and the treatment of subjects vital to
the present and the future in terms
Il that have completely confused the public
mind 1t was clear that the senatorial
oligarchy had been given its own way
in the selection of the presidential can
didate but il was surprising that it
was able to fasten into tbe party plat
form the creed of hate and bitterness
and the vacillating policy that pos
sesses it.
In the midst of war the present sena
torial caba, led by Senators Lodge,
Penrose and Smoot. was formed. Su-
perficial evidence of loyalty to the
President was deliberate i'll order that
the great rank and file of their party,
faithful and patriotic TO the very core,
might not be offended. But underneath
this misleading exterior, ronspirators
planned and plotted, with bigoted zeal;
With victory to our arms they delayed
and obstruCted the work of peace. II
deemed useful to the work in hand no
artifice for interfering with our con-
stitutional peaCemaking authority was
rejected Before the country knew, yea.
before these men themselves knew the
details of the composite plan formed
at the peace table, they declared their
opposition to it.
Custom and Precedent Violated
Before the treaty was submitted 10
the Senate in the manner the Consttu-
ton provides. they violated every GUS
tom and every consideration of dcCcnCy
by presenting n copy of the document.
procured unbushingly from enemy
hands, and passed it into the printed
record of senatorial proceedings. From
that hour dated the enterprise of throw
ing the whole subject into a technical
discussion, in order that the public
might be confused. The plan mas never
changed in its objective, but the method
has.
At the outset there was the careful
insistence that there was no desire to
interfere with the principle evolved and
formalized at Versailles, Later, it was
the form and not the substance that
professedly inspired attack. But pre-
tense was futile when proposals later
came forth that clearly omascuated the
basic principle of the whole peace plan.
1t is not necessary to recall the details
Of the controversy in the Senate. Sena
tor Lodge finally crystalli2Cd his ideas
into what were known as the Lodge res .
ervations, and when Congress adjourned
these reservations held the support OF
tne so Cdlleu TtBuldT htpuDllCdu lcdueTS'
Political Expediency First
From that time the processes have
been interesting. Political expediency
IN its truest sense dwarfed every con =
sideration either of the public intercs,
or of the maintenance of the honor OF
a great political party. The exclusive
question was how to avoid a rupture
In the Republican organization. Tht
country received with interest, to sa!
the least, the announcement from Chi
cago,N where the national convention
was assembled, that platform plank
dealing with the subject of world peace
bad been drawn, leaving out the Lodg
reservations, and yet remaining agree
able TO all interests, meaning thereb
the Lodge rescrvationists, the mild res
ervationists and the group of Repub
lican senators that openly opposed tn
League of Nations in any form.
As the platform made no definite com
initial of policy and was, in fact, s
'artfully phrased as to make almost an
deduction possible, il passed throug
the convention with practical unanim
ity. Senator johnson, however, who's
position has been consistent and who's
opposition 10 the league in any shap
NJ well known, withheld his support {
the conventions choice until the candi
date had stated the meaning of the plat
form, and announced definitely the pol