Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-08-09

see that modern civilization has become
so complex and the lives of civilized
men so interviewer with the lives OF
other men in other countries to make il
1T impossible to avoid except by mon
iastic seclusion those. honorable and in
innate foreign relations which the
fearful -hearted shudderingly miscall
by that devils catchword International
Complications"
As for our home problems. we have
been awakened by this war into a
startled realization of the archaic short
cominGs of our governmental machin-
cry and of the need for the kind of
reorganization which only a clear
thinking business man. experienced in
techniCaltes of governmental proce-
dure can carry out. Such man we
have One who has so successfully re-
formed the business management Of his
own great state Is obviously capable of
doing greater things. This is no time
to experiment with men who believe
that their party can do no wrong and
| that what is good for the selfish inter-
ests of political party is of necessity
! good for the nation as well. I. as a
citizen believe that this year we should
choose as President a proved executive
We need to do things: not to talk about
them.
Much has been said of late about
good Americanism. 1t is right that il
should have been said and it is right
! that every chance should be seized to
Irepeat tn basic truths underlying our
prosperity and our national existence
| itself. But it would be an unusual and
much to be wished for thing if in the
coming presentations of the issues
new note of fairness and generosity
could be struck. Littleness. meanncss.
/ falschood. extreme partisanship-these
! are not i'm accord with American spir-
! it. l like to think that in this respect
also we are moving forward.
Let us be denfite We have passed
| through great war-an armed con
nict which called forth every effort on
the part of the whole population. The
war was won by Republicans as well
as by Democrats. Men Of ali parties
served in our armed forces. Men and
women of all parties served the gov
ernmnt at home. They strived honest
~ as Americans. not as mere partisans.
lRepubIicaus and Democrats alike
worked in administrative POSITIONS
raised Liberty Loans administered food
control, toilcd in munition plants. built
ships. The war was brought to a sue
cessful conclusion by glorious COM
mon effOrt-One which in the years to
come will be a national pride. ! feel
very certain that our children will
come to regard our participation as
memorable for. the broad honor and
honesty which marked it. for the alb
scncc Of unfortunate scandal, ana for
the splendid unity of action which eX-
tended to every position of the nation.
II would. therefore not only serve lit
tie purpose. but would conform i'll to
our high standards if any person should
in the heat of political rivalry seek to
manufacture political advantage out of
a nationally conducted struggle. We
have seen things on too large n scale
to listen i'm this day of trifies, or to be-
lieve in the adequacy of triGing mon.
1t is that same vision of the bigger
outlook of national and individual
life which will. | am sure. lead i;s to
demand that the men who represent us
in the affairs of our government shall
be more than politicians or the errand
boys of politicians-that they shall
subordinate always the individual am
bition and the party advantage to the
national good. In the long run the true
statesman and the honestly forward
looking party will prevail.
Even as the nation entered the war
for an ideal, so It has emerged from the
war with the determination that the
ideal shall not die 1t is idle to pre-
tend that the War Declaration of April
.1917 was a mere act of se1f-defense.
or that the object of our participation
was solely to defeat the military pow
er of the Central Nations of Europe.
We knew the mas a nation, even as
we know them today that success. on
land and sea could be but half a VIC
tory. The other half is not won yet.
To the cry to the French at Verdtm:
They shall not pass" the cheer of our
own men in the ArGonne: "We shall go
throueh'-we must add this: ''It shall
not occur again" This is the positive
declaration of our wills; that the world
be saved from a repetition of this
crime. To this end the Democratic
party offers a Treaty of Peace, which
to make it real treay for real peace
must include League of Nations; be-
cause this peace treaty IF our best and
bravest are not to have died in vain
must be no thinly disguised armi9tice
devised by cynical statesmen to mask
their preparations for a renewal of
grecd-inspired conquests later on
Peace" must mean peace that will last
practicable, workable. permanent
enforcibe kind of a peace that will
hold as tightly as the business con-
tracts of the individual. We must. in
deed be. above all things. business like
and practical in this peace treaty MAX
ing business of ours. The League of
Nations is a practical solution of
practical situation 1t is no more per-
feet than our original Constitution.
which has been amended rs times and
will soon we hope be amapded the 10th.
was perfect. 1t is not anti-National.
| it is anti war. No super nation, bind
! ing us to the decisions of it's tribunals
is suggested, but the method and ma
chinery by which the opinion of civil
ization may become effective against
those who seek war is at least within
the reach of humanity. Through it we
may with nearly every other duly con-
! stituted government in the whole world
| throw our moral force and oru porten-
| tial power into the scale of peace. HAT
| such an object should be contrary to
| American pO1icV nthinE a bile. but if