The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-15
GOV. COOLIDGE
FOR A LEAGUE
Holds to Roots Notion of
What Party Platform
..u} / Stands for s0H.}
G. o. P. VICTORY ..'.-.
'5t NOT REPUTATION
Massachusetts, Executives Speeches In
dicate He Is Not Bitter Ender, But
Wants Some Sort of an Association to
Ensure World Peace.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Ensure World Peace.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer
Copyright 1920
BOSTON, Oct. 15.-Calvin Coolidge
Republican candidate for the vice presi-
dency. is about as clear-headed and dis
passionate a person as can be found by
the political wayfarer who wants to get
at the currents of thought in Massachu-
sets and not the tides of partisanship.
Perhaps it's the atmosphere created by
men like President Lowell or the influence
possibly of Root Hughes, Taft, Hoover
and Wickersham. but the state house in
Boston doesn't exude bitter enders" or
irrecOnciIable spirit on the league of ma
tons Governor Coolidge insists with
emphasis that he is in complete agree
ment with the Republican platform and
Senator Harding's speeches. The governor
himself, with natural modesty, doesn't
attempt to argue issues that are more
properly within the jurisdiction of the
head of the ticket. Senator Harding, but
such thoughts as he does express in his
public speeches rather incline toward the
Elihu Root notion of what the Republican
platform means than the Borah or John
son view.
Mr.. Coolidge called my attention to a
telegram from Senator Harding published
in the last two days in which the latter
says the speech at Des MOines was not
out of harmony with the one delivered at
Marion on August Is. 1t is from the
latter address that Governor Coolidge
always quotes and he picked up a copy
of it while we talked and pointed to a
paragraph in which. after discussing the
present league of nations and The Hague
tribunal, Senator Harding said: Il would
go even further. / would take and COM
bine all that is good and excise all that is
bad from both organizations. This state
ment is broad enough to include the sug-
gestiOn that if the league has been so en-
twlned and interviewer into the peace
treaty of Europe that its good must be
preserved in order to stabilize the peace of
the continent, then it can be amended or
revised so that we may still have a rem
nant of world aspirations in 1913 builded
into the worlds highest conception of
helpful cooperation"
That's the policy which Senator Hard
ing is expected here to fulfill if he is
elected to the presidency Plainly. the
people who with Governor Coolidge favor
a league of nations or association of ma
tons are pinning their faith on the re-
vision of the treaty-of Versailles to CON
form to Republican doctrines. Some
folks here accept the johnson interpreta-
ton of the Republican platform, but the
predominant Republican feeling is for
league, although it has to be built on the
foundations of the present structure.
Senator Hale of Maine in the recent
campaign in that state made it clear that
he did not believe Republican victory
meant reputation of the idea or principle
of a league of nations. And anyone who
talks with Governor Coolidge, or reads
his speeches, recognizes in them an empha-
sis on the affirmative rather than the
negative side of the league controversy
For instance. he said recently: "A
world relationship exists. 1t is. 1t did
not come into being az the result of any
proposed treaty and it will not be changed
by any great and solemn referendum -
The foregoing is a significant warning
that Republican victory in the nation
should not be interpreted as a rejection
of the idea of partnership or association
with Europe in an effort to preserve
world peace. Rather, it carries the sug-
gestiOn that the interests of the United
States and the rest of the world have
been almost irrevOcaby drawn together
The course of. true craftsmanship. "