The Washington times., 1920-11-07
LEAGUE DEAD,
]. SAYSWELLER


Ovington +. Weller, Senator-elect
from Maryland. In his first public
utterance on the League Of Nations,
took q firm stand in favor Of IAN
association of nations" as opposed
| 10 the Wilson covenant, that will
safeguard the peace Of the world.
CALLS LEAGUE aDnADs.
IL o dead issue so far as the United
states IL concerned. Mr.. Weller
pledged his support to the Republi-
can movement In the Senate to bring
about Americas participation In flu
ture foreign AFFAIRS.
II was the frst time Senafor-elect
Weller has broken his long silence
on the league question. having main
tained steadily throughout the cam
paign that resulted In his defeat OF
Senator John Walter Smith. Demo
crst. that discussion OF Il was out
OF place In the Maryland race for the
Senate.
There was no use In discussing
the present league" he said. "be-
cause that IL. and for a long time
has been q dead issue so far as this
country IL concerned. Even II the
Senate had not been changed by the
election OF last Tuesday. that league
would never have beeh ratified. But
we will have u league into which the
United States can enter with no mis-
givings. whether 1t will be called
league, or an association. or q
court OF nations, i do not know.
PREDICTS A SOLUTION.
Asked IL he favored such an asso-
iiation or league. Mr.. Weller replied
"Yes. unquestionably. l believe that
President-elect Harding, assisted by
the ablest minds In the United States
Senate and by the members Of his
Cabinet, will be able to work out q
plan that will be acceptable to the
people of the whole country.
81 believe that this matter will be
taken up at once and that a plan
will be worked out that will safe
guard the peace OF the world, that
will make such wars as. that which
we have just gone through impossible
in the future and that will safe.
guard-mind you-that will safe
guard the complete sovereignty OF this
nation and the interests Of all its
people.
shall cooperate with President
elect Harding and my associates in
the Senate in every way I can to
help produce a workable plan, a plan
that will be acceptable to all the
other nations involved as well as to
the American people. and then
will be for that plan"
"Of course, l have no idea at this
time of the details. 1t would be idle
to attempt to discuss details or fea-
cures of the plan that ultimately
will be adopted. No one now knows
what II will be. But l believe that
out OF counsels there will come an
entirely acceptable plan and one
without the defeats and not subject
to the criticisms that have resulted
in the defeat Of the league. that has
been offered as result OF the YER
satlles conference. believe we can
work II out. L believe we can CO.
operate with the other nations OF the
world to prevent war and maintain
peace, and at the same time preserve
our own sovereignty and our own in
dependence of action. And when we
do work out such q plan / will be
for it."
"What about the great economic
questions now before the people, the
labor situation, the high cost Of liv-
ing. the return to pre-war conditions;
where do you stand on them?"
"They are all matters that require
much more thought than I have been
able to give them.
WOULD REDUCE TAXES.
"But I shall study them. / believe
that this country now is well on to-
ward a readjustment and a return to
normal conditions. I feel that one of
the first moves toward costs Of living
would be lower cost Of Government. a
reduction in taxes. We all know, and
I say this without criticism, that our
system of taxation. the means we
adopted to raise revenues to carry on
the Government, were adopted in the
excitement and hurly-burly Of war.
The plan of raising money was made
in a hurry. feel that 1t ought to be
readjusted, and that II can be so read
justed as to save the people many mil
lions Of dollars they now pay to the
Government.
IL believe a more rational plan than
the one we have can be devised and ]
feel that Senator Harding. those he
will have around him and the MEM
bers Of the Senate and the House of
Representatives can work out q plan
that will both lower the burdens OF
taxation upon the people and still pro-
vide sufficient revenues for all the
proper needs Of the Government"