New-York tribune., 1920-09-22
johnson Takes
Stump to Help
Elect Harding. 9.
fCoatInued from page ons)

vent war we were to be inextricaby
bound hereafter to every future world
war. When first in soft and honeyed
phrases the subject was broached we
had become so accustomed to ready
assent to every word and act of au-
tocratic power that our people enthu-
siastically acclaimed the league with
out knowledge Of its detail or under
standing of it's injurious possibilities.
The long and arduous debate in the
Senate finally illumined sthe subject,
and what was originally accepted as
humanity's greatest boon was finally
seen as the most perilous project which
had ever been attempted in the Repub-
lie. The League of Nations not alone
will irrevocably change our foreign
policy and involve us in the quarrels
and controversies in which we have no
concern and from which we have ever
held aloof, but will also seriously affect
us in our domestic relations. 1t be-
assert and as the President himself
has desired. the dominant issue in this
campaign.
Men like ourselves who have fought
the good fight for the last year and
half enthusiastically welcome this is
sue, and in the election in November
we will repudiate beyond redemption
the Wilson league which has been pre-
sented to US and reaffirm again the
time-honored policies of Washington,
Jefferson, Monroe and the whole gal
axy of American immortals.
Issue Clearly Defined
upon the League of Nations the IS
sue is clean-cut. There are some gen.
tlemen who seem by shifty construc-
tion Of words to obscure it. I do not
object to these gentlemen and their
newspaper protagonists saving their
faces SO long as they do not save their
league. But the language Of the two
candidates is plain and unambguous;
the one says he will go into the
league, and l am proud 20 say that our
candidate says that he will stay out of
the league.
Every normal man desires to pro-
private citizen and every individual in
o oBcal position will do their utmost
in the endeavor to promote peace and
prevent war. 1t is possible that this
may be done in one way or another in
the future without involving US in es-
arrangements or in imperialistic poll
cies or European or Asiatie schemes of
aggression or ambitions.
THAT he will strive to find way to
prevent war goes without saying, but
the present issue is the League Of Ma
tions. This has been the issue since
the return of Mr. Wilson from Europe.
this has been the fight. 1t finally cul-
inmates now in solemn referendum to
the people.
"Mr Cox says if he is successful he
will go in. Our candidate says he will
stay out. Mr.. Harding happily for him.
self and for America has scrapped the
league. On August 28 he said: 'We
know now that the league constituted
at Versailles is utterly impotent as a
preventive of wars. 1t is SO obviously
impotent that it has not even been
tried. 1t could not survive a single test
The original league mistakenly con-
has undoubtedly passed beyond the
possibility of restoration. 1t rested
upon the power of might, not Of right.
And in this Ms. Harding is eternally
right.
Harding Definition Quoted
"On Saturday last Senator Harding
again stated The issue is the Con-
stitution or the covenant-that is the
paramount issue. The two are irrcc-
oncilable. We cannot be governed
from both Geneva and Washington.
We cannot follow our present Chief
Magistrate without forsaking the
Father Of our Country
Here is an issue, my friends,
which arouscs not only our greatest
enthusiasm but our loftiest patriotism
and which can carry us to the highest
pitch of cndcavor 1t is European and
Asiatic imperialism and cynical diplo-
macy on the one hand and our time
honored policy upon the other We
neither hazard nor forget nor lose our
progressivism and our independence
upon such an issue. but rather safe
guard and protect them in safeguard
ing and protecting our country.
Ut is nonsense for our opponents t.
chlde us with aloofness and selfish
isolation in remaining as We have ever
been. We never have been and never
will be isolated from the rest of the