Evening star., 1920-06-14
RECORD SHOWS
HARDING VOTED WITH PARTY
Favored Lod &c Reservations and Persist
emily Opposed Presidents Plan.
Backed Anti-Strike Clause. . ..

The legislative record of Warren G..
Harding, the republican nominee, is
now the subject of close study.
He favored the Lodge reservations
and cloture on amendments. and has
been a persistent opponent of the
Wilson plan for a league of nations.
He was recorded with the republican
majority on practically all of the
war measures and issues. He sup
ported the Cummins railroad bill and
anti-strike clause, on account of
which it is claimed that organized
labor is not friendly to him. He ap-
proved the suffrage amendment.
Senator Harding was asked today
to outline his attitude on the Vol
stead act, there being many conflict
ing S-ports as to whether he Is,
bone dry" or damp"
He admitted he voted for the Vol
stead act, and also admitted the en-
forcement of the prohibition amend
ment might be big factor in the
coming campaign, but was humorous
ly evasive when it came to inter-
preting the republican platform in its
relation to prohibition and to pro-
hibition enforcement. He gave the
IMPRESSION that both the republican
and democratic platforms might be
slightly indefinite as to these queS-
tions
He had read the platform, he said,
but had been so overwhelmingly busy
in the convention maelstrom that he
had not even read Senator Lodge S
KEYNOTE speech. He said his nominal
ton had not changed any OF his pre-
nomination opinions, SO far as he
knew.
SDeech shows Position.
Students of the nominees record in
the Senate cite one of his speeches In
the league of nations as being directly
in line with the party platform, as
follows:
international arbitration and world
court for justiciable disputes appear
to all who think justice is sustained
in reason rather than in armed dls-
pute The establishment of an agency
for the revelation of the moral 1uog
ment of the world can never be amlss.
These things might well have come
out of the combined consciences OF
the nations awakened to new ideals
amid the sufrerings of war. and they
will yet come. But it does not re-
quire a supergovernment to erect
them. nor the surrender of nationality
and independence of action to sane
| ton them"
Opposition Began in Ground Robin.''
The frSt record or Harding Oppo-
sition to the Presidents plan for de-
| claring peace is found in the round
robin" submitted to the Senate March
4, 1919, by Senator Lodge. Mr.. Hard
! ing was one of the thirty seven sena-
| tors who signed it. thereby notifying
| the world that they disapproved the
way the President was linking the
| league of nations with the peace
treaty.
When republicans organized the
new Congress, which convened May
! l9, 1919, Senator Harding was one OF
| those chosen member of the foreign
relations committee. He had not beer
on that committee while the demo.
crats controlled the Senate. but ha(
| served on the committee OF commerce
naval affairs, territories and others
August 20. 1919. he was one Of the
members of the foreign relations
committee at the White House dis
| cussing the league OF nations with
| President Wilson. He interrogatet
the President on the moral obliga'
tfon" feature Of the treaty, raising
the question as to the value OF the
treaty because of this.
Harding voted for the Boraf
amendment in November requiring
four nations instead Of three to rat
ify the treaty before it could become
effective.
| Voted for Reservations.
He voted for the Lodge reservations
one to fifteen, inclusive, and voted
for cloture on the amendment& HI
kvoted .for the KNOX EesAEynxtor