Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1920-04-03
THE LEAGUE OF
NATIONS CANDIDATE,

Herbert Hoover, in his telegram
to the Hoover Republican Club Of
California, not only makes himself
a candidate for the Republican NOM
ination for President but he makes
himself the League of Nations can
didate for that nomination.
That is the issue on which he Is
to enter the California primaries
and contest Senator Johnsons title
to the delegates from that state to
the Chicago convention.
Mr.. Hoover's announcement
forces the League Of Nations into
the Republican campaign as an is
sue of first magnitude. He Is the
only Republican a5pirant who is an
aggressive champion of the League.
With the exception of Governor
Lowden. be is the only Rcpublic an
who can be described as an honest
and sincere friend of the League.
Senator Johnson, as a member OF
the Battalion of Death, voted
against the ratification Of the
treaty Of peace and is an uncom-
promising enemy OF the League OF
Nations. Although General Wood has
given a perfunctory Endorsement to
the League, he does mot profess to
believe in it as an instrument of
world peace, and in his speeches he
doubts the possibility of its holding
together Senator Harding. who is
the dark horse candidate Of the
Old Guard, is nominally a support
er Of the Lodge reservations. but he
has shown no real friendship for
the League with or without reser-
vations.
Among all the Republican candi
dates, Mr.. Hoover is the only one
who could be depended on to make
the United States an active partner
in the League and assume the obi
cations and responsibilities that be
long to the richest and most pow
erful nation in the world.
AS to MIR. Hoover's selection of
the Republican party as the agency
through which he prefers to work.
that is largely a matter of personal
choice. The conditions which he
imposes are the condition of a true
progressive:
IL the Republican party-with the
independent element of which am
naturally adopts a for
ward-looking, liberal, constructive
platform on the treaty and on our
economic issues, and If the party
proposes measures for sound bust
ness administration of the country.
and Is neither reactionary nor radi-
cal in its approach to our great do
nestle questions. and is backed hv
men who undoubtedly assure the
contamination of these policies and
measures. l will give it my entire
support"
That kind Of Republicanism does
not differ in any respect from the
kind of Democracy in which The
World believes and which it en-.
de&vors consistently to advocate.
MI Hoover need not worry about
radical tendencies in the Republi-
can party as reactionary. Even in
The days of Mark Hanna it was not
more blindly Bourbon in all its re.
actions to the questions that are
stirring the life of the American
people.
If Mr.. Hooyer's active candidacy
can inspire and encourage the lib
oral Republicans 10 make a new
fight for the principles that ought
dominate it and fer the kind of
men that ought to lead it. he will
have performed a public service of
the utmost value to the whole peo-
pie. In any, event he has challenged
the machine power of Republican
Junkertum and offered himself as
the leader of all the Republican