The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-07-23
The Harding Deliverance.

The Harding speech Of acceptance Is
nothing to get excited about, and we
suppose II was not meant to he,
The Republicans have figured that
they will hardly need much this year
in the way OF speeches to win from
De Democrats, and they nominated a
man who had given evidence Of his ahll-
ity to stay on front porch or on the
fence when they put him there, and be
ornamental rather than active,
The whole Republican plan OF cam
paign is based on one premise the
Democrats would come out for the
league OF nations without reservations.
They accepted the promise OF those
Democrats who were most vocal on the
subject last winter and spring that this
would be the Democratic ticket They
used all their big guns OF platform ora
tory on this issue,
The first scare thrown into the Re
publican camp was when tho Demo
cratic nominee came out with two res
ervRtions OF his own that were as Amer
icanizlng as tho most punctilious would
crave. This move was calculated to
take the peace treaty out OF politics.
The reservations were not multiplying to
the covenant, but they were multiplying to
the Republican plan Of campaign.
When Gov. Cox started for Wash
ington to look over the white House.
the Republican leaders began frantic
ally trying to restore the para
mountcy" OF the league OF nations is
sue. They told the governor what to
say to the president and the president
what to reply to the governor. They
recommitted Democracy to tho unpop-
ular theory OF the covenant with its
'i's" indicted and its rs increased,
To the Republicans It Is a scurvy
trick that the Democratic nominee
should propose Americanizing reserva-
tions and that the Democratic presiden.
should accept them.
In the Harding speech there is the
expected emphasis or the Republican
version Of the paramount issue. 1t
is s trts country, and any man may
wsste h's words II he pleases.
In other respects Senator Harding
gives satisfaction to those who noml-
mated him. His words are fairly non
committal, and II is evident that his
long hours OF preparation were spent
ito some effect, II words areSfor the pur-
pose, as has been claimed, OF conceal
ing thought.
One new thing only energies from the
Harding profession OF faith. The nomi-
nee indorses the antistrike provision
that was stricken out OF the Esch- Cum
minis railroad bill that is our railroad
law. The candidate throws beautiful
bouquets at the railroaders, saying they
ought to get the best pay OF all work
men, and such things: and comes cir
cautiously to his point, which is that the
railwaymen ought to be considered as
in the service OF the government The
phrase is, invested with the sanctity
of public service"
But he had already announced, as his
platform before him had announced,
that the strike against the public SER
vice would not be tolerated.
The Republican nominee therefore IA
vors the compulsory settlement OF rail-
road labor disputes. He should have
said this in so many words but having
said 1t by inference. he has taken
position that will make both friends and
enemies for his cause 1t is the one
original idea to the nominees credit
The New York Times recently called
attention to the fact that neither the
Republican nor the Democratic noml-
nee is man OF letters in the sense
TO which the country has grown used
in its public men. Roosevelt and VIII
son as literary men have had no equals
in the presidential chair since Jeffer-
son. in the opinion OF that journal The
shortcomings OF the Republican nomi-
nee in this respect are sadly apparent.
But we doubt II the country will hold
II seriously against him
The country has despaired OF being
saved from it's sins in these troublous
times by somebody's nice sense Of
language.