The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1920-09-21

SENATOR At
HAMMOND
Gilbert H. Hitchcock Defends
League of Nations
In His Speech.

Before a crowd from all parts OF
Lake county which filled Unity Han.
senator Gilbert H. Hitchcock Of Nc
braska delivered the opening speech
Of the celnocratic campaign in liam
moni last night.
Tho senator was Introduced by Judge
J. c. Ibach who acted as chairran OF
the meeting
Senator Hitchcock reviewed his own
political career and called attention >
the fact that he was the first and only
democratic senator elected from the
republican state Of Nebraska. He con
ceded the republican party to be the
largest under ordinary conditions but
said that it was really the unnamed
third party the great mass of inee-
pendent voters. which throws the cleo
tion one way or the other
Praises Legislative Record.
The senator holds that in the first
SIX years of the Wilson administration
where he had a democratic congress.
more constructive legislation was
passed than in any twenty years prior
to that time. He named a number 3t
the outstanding features of this legis-
laticn. Laws which make for good
roads. Alaskan development, expansion
Of the merchant marine, the federal
trade commission. regulation of child
labor, agricultural extension. rural
credit banks, and the federal reserve
bank act. The last two mentioned. he
says. have stabilized banking, pre-
vented bank panics and fixed it so that
the country does not have to look TO
Wall street for permission to move
the crops each year
Covenant Draws Crowds.
Hitchcock then took up the ques-
ton nearest his heart and the one
which really drew the big crowd-the
League OF Nations. He told Of the con
troversy in the senate over the peace
treaty and the league covenant ana
the final submission to the people as
an election issue making the election
a solemn referendum"
He says the republican platform is
straddle on the proposition and has
been interpreted in six or seven differ
ent ways by Senator Harding in order
10 hold the support of the different
factions of the republican party Re-
publican statesmen and newspapers.
he said. are engaged in campaign or
Misrepresentation and neither the
newspapers nor the republican text
book have dared to publish the league
covenant.
Says 1t Prevents Wars.
Mr.. Hitchcock believes that adoption
Of the league means the prevention of
future wars. None of the contracting
nations would dare go TO war under
nine months after the dispute arose
and he thinks this cooling-off period
would be sufficient to prevent hostili-
ties. No country he said. could stand
the world wide boycott longer than
three months with the possible excep-
tion Of the United States.
Article X, he said is the most abused
section Of the covenant He read the
article and explained that it was aim
ed TO prevent wars OF conquest ana
that It referred only to external ag-
gression and had nothing to do with
the internal affairs of any country.
He called il a threat similar TO the
Monroe doctrine.
Takes Up Irish Question.
The Irish question, said the senator.
could be brought before the league
council and threshed out under the
provisions Of Article NJ England
purported six votes to Americas one
in the assembly, he said. was non
sense He told how England had op-
posed separate votes for her colonies
but how Canada and the rest had
wrung them from her. He also sa
that Canada's views more nearly CO
incidod with Americas than with
England's
Following the address Of Senator
Hitchcock. q short speech was made
-
had a number Of important things u
tell both men and woms voters ana
showed that she was accustomed to
holding large audiences from the
platform.