New-York tribune., 1920-10-17
Johnson Calls
League Biggest
Issue of Epoch
No Ambiguity in Stand Of
Republican Party or Its
Candidate, Californian
Tells Chicago Audience
Denounccs Cox Tactics
Democratic Efforts TO Dis
tort Utterances of Sem
ator Harding Resented

CHICAGO, Oct. To- Senator Hiram
W. Johnson. Of California, in his tirst
public appearance in Chicago since his
defeat for the Republican nomination
for President in June, tonight declared
the League Of Nations "thc greatest is
sue IN the United States since the
Civil War"
Senator Johnson is concluding
speaking tour through the Middle West
at The behest Of the Republican Ma
tional Committee. The league, as the
chief issue of the campaign, is clearly
defined, Senator Johnson said, the DEM
Ccrats being on one side asld the Re-
p1blcans on the other he particular
ly emphasized his statement that there
Is no ambiguity in the stand of the
Republican party or in the stand of
Dir. Harding"
During the evening, the Senator de-
waited from the speech he had prepared
to defend the Republican nominee
against men and newspapers who pre-
tend to be friends of Senator Harding
and who assert that he is to take this
country into the League Of Nations.
Resents Attempts at Distortion
"For reasons of their own, certain
interested individuals and newspapers
may mIsrepresent and misinterplet his
words" said the speaker. II resent
their imputations upon the sincerity of
the utterances Of the candidate and
the manifest endeaVor in some quar-
ters to distort his plain language.
I'm some instances the comment has
been mere rank Misrepresentation; in
others, disingenuous interpretation
There is nothing ambiguous or un-
certain in our candidates declaration.
He has courageously taken his stand.
lie has put the league behind him.
lie wants neither interpretations nor
rescryations, but outright rejection.
"Eighteen months ago the league
was presented as the greatest Magma
ChGrta humanity was ever given, but
gradually the mystical veil which en-
veloPed the document was torn aside.
When the President returned we were
handed treaty which divided up the
earth according to secret trQaties.
Every wrongful. wicked territorial
disposition under the treaty of peace
the league and its members are pledged
10 maintain.
Only Non-Protiting Nation
we are the only non-profting ma
ton under treaty which has given
lands and peoples to Great Britain
France, Italy and Japan, and we are
asked to bear the burden Of maintain
ing the profit of others. They may
have the territory which they have
gained in this manner, but they shall
not commander our blood and our
treasure to maintain it. l make this
plain, not to arouse hostility against
any country that has received vast ter
ritory under the treaty, but to show
that, under the guise OF preventing war
and preserving peace, the League Of
Nations undertakes to guarantee The
territorial integrity of every nation
That added possessions as a result of
the war.
"Amerca broke faith for the first
time in her history at Paris, when
President Wilson permitted the rob
berry OF Shantung The turning of
0,o00,000 Chinese over to Japan We
arc different from the peoples across
the seas. They arc imperialists. They
want new territory, new peoples We
are not inperialists. and desire no ad-
ditional lands, no new Subjects"