Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-10-22
NOn-PartiSan View
on Nations Pact
Henry Ford in His Dearborn
Independent Uses Com
mon Sense in Discuss
ing the League.


1t may be due to the inability of the
candidates, or it may be due to their
unwillingness, but the fact is that the
only issue which comes out of all the
campaign talk is the League of Ma
lions.
If the candidates for the presidency
were as clear-cut on matters such as
coal, profiteering, food production,
and industrial progress, as they are
on the League of Nations, the voters
would have very exact knowledge
Of the program their votes were go
ing to support But as matters now
stand, the only point on which any
voter can be clear is that his vote is
going to effect one definite policy,
and that policy concerns the League
of Nations.
It matters little what the voter may
think he is voting for, the fact is,
whichever way he may cast his bal
lot, he is being involved in this issue:
the candidates have expressed them
selves on the League Of Nations
more plainly than on any other issue,
and every ballot cast next November
will count for one attitude toward
the League, whether for or against.
Now this is strange turn of af-
fairs If the League were burning
question among the people, the stu
alton could be readily understood.
But the League is not burning
question; few people seem to be talk
ing about it except the candidates,
and yet just because the candidates
are talking about it and pledging
themselves definitely upon it, the
common voter is drawn into the ques-
ton whether he will or not
That is to say ,one fact a voter may
definitely know in this election is that
his ballot is going to affect the ques-
ton of the League of Nations one
way or the other, whether he consid-
eEsathe League a vital issue or not.
1t is the only question upon which he
definitely knows that the candidates
are pledged to do definite things
one to go into the League, the other
to stay out.
This is in itself sufficient to bring
the League back to the serious at
tention of the people. If their votes
are to involve the League, whether
they want the League involved or not;
if what they say on their ballots is
to be interpreted as an expression
with regard to the League, they will
want to consider carefully where they
stand. They may wish the question
of the League to be postponed; but
the candidates have made it vital
part of the election.
There is no use recOunting the his
tory of the question. All of us re-
member that the League of Nations
WIS an American idea, and that we
required the nations of Europe to
pledge themselves to it before this
Government entered the war. The
American people had clear concep-
ton of what was meant when they
spoke of a League of Nations. 1t was
to be a Society Of all the Peoples by
means of which better understand
ing could be arrived at, and in cases
where misunderstanding still per-
sisted, an international Court set up
whose investigations should be thor
ough and whose findings should be
impartial and final 1t was the idea
OF the Brotherhood of Humanity
placed on a sound basis of common
interest. 1t was plain common sense
applied to international affairs.
gapI Gun 10 LoAgJ vi sgM HpoqGI9AH
of a League. Everybody is in favor
of it today. But between the idea
and it's practical embodiment in a
workable plan, number of things
have come. In this country the prin-
cipal objection was that the League
as at present planned, pledged us
to go to war if some European or
other nation refused to accept the
Leagues decision.
In Europe, this pledge does not
seem to have awakened any resist
ance at ALL The countries are all
equally bound to enforce the decis
ions of the League, but none of them
seem to object to it. 1t may be, OF
course, that European statesmen have
thought it better to wait until the
occasion arose, rather than interfere
with the organization of the League
at the outset. In any case, all ma
tions invited to become members
have joined except the United States
Other people objected to the
League because it did not include
the countries which were at wal
with the Allies. This objection was
made out of a sense of fairness, anC
in the belief that there never could
be real League of Nations until al
important countries were invited anG
until all the Governments were will
ling to make a new start, forgetting
the old quarrels.
Still others objected because the