Evening times-Republican., 1920-10-26
HARDING IN FINAL PLEA.
Democrats Unready for War ano
Peace, Last Worw to Voters.

Peace, Last Worw to Voters.
BY Associated Press.
Washington, Oct. Ex-senator
Harding in pre- election statement
to the American people, made pub
lie here last night, said the republi-
can party "goes to the people assured
that they will recognize it's superiori-
ty as an instrumentality of admins
! tration and that in the election now
/ impending they will give it the cer-
| tificate of their confidence and
/ trust"
He criticized democratic admins
tration of governmental affairs, say
ing "the nation is determined to be
done with democracy under the mere
Suise of democratic forms"
Senator Harding's statement fol-
lows
In asking the suffrage of the
american decorate this year, the
republican party has in mind both
the record OF service from it's be-
ginning. whereof it is very proud and
the vision of opportunity for service
IN the future. which it's spokesmen
nave presented during this campaign.
we are asking that a great re-
sponsibility be imposed upon us. It
is a responsibility i that must be
ihea by both the gravity of the
crisis that confronts the world and
the lncapacity with which the pres
end administration has met the
problems Of the last few years.
onerous as is the responsibility
we seek, our party has no thought of
evaains, for 1T never has been guilty
of that. Q s'o's''
democratic economic and admin
is.ratiVe policies had brought this
country to the verge of disaster be-
lore the outbreak of the war in Eu-
rope.
From the beginning OF the war IN
Europe the democratic administra-
.lon staadfastly refused to prepare
tor the national defense in case we
should be involved.
In 1916. when it was apparent TO
most people that our country was in
imminent danger of being drawn into
the struggle, the democratic party
made its campaign on the boast that
IL had kept us out of war and the
promise to continue keeping us out.
Thus when we found ourselves at
last In the struggle we were utterly
unready for 1t, and, our participation
cost immeasurably more than it
should have cost.
SO we entered into peace quite, as
unready for it as we had been for
war Our economics were disorgan-
ized. our debt enormous, our foreign
commerce devoted largely to supply
ing the necessaries of war.
Instead of setting itself to remedy
ing these conditions. the administra-
tion has devoted itself from the day
of the armistice to promoting a
project OF world reorganization in
which America should bear the rarg
T est responsibilities Of guaranteeing q
new scheme Of things.
Instead Of making local peace as
soon as actual peace had been won
the American people, alone of all the
warning nations, were denied by their
government the privilege Of a return
to the legal status Of peace and to
the enjoyment Of those rights which
1
they had temporarily surrendered un-
der the circumstances Of war.
$50 long as war was on republicans
upheld the hands Of the administra-
ton, forgetting party considerations,
and gave their vote In support of war
! measures far more generously than
did their political opponents.
"Yet an autocratic administra fiof,
repaid this loyalty with the demand
in the campaign Of 1873 that repub-
lfcans be removed from every posi-
ton of influence and power. That
demand the country rejected
ut was the first time in the history
Of this nation that an administration
had been defeated in the midst of a
foreign war. That defeat would have
been ample admonition to any admin
istration not entirely absorbed in its
own peculiar policies and purposes