Putnam patriot., 1920-10-22
HAMILTON HOLT
 ON THE LEAGUE
Tells Patriot Republican Lead- CTS Might Have Claimed
 It's Perfection
How Harding Has Undermined Stand
 Taken By Taft

Hamilton Holt, editor of The lnde- pendent. who immediately following his arrival from Europe a month ago, led the revolt of Republicans who re- fused to see the League of Nations "scrapped' by the leaders of the Re publican Party, has sent to The Patri- ct the letter which we, print below. Mir. Holt has been one of the staunch- est supporters of the League since it's inception. He vas in Paris in the Spring of isfs.wi,eH the pcaee Cen ference was in session and he has been in close touch with both the ad- ministration and the leaders of the Republican party throughout the whole fight over the League. MT. Holt's letter, brought forth by The Patriots editorial of last week, IS as follows:
 To the Editor of The Putnam Patriot
 Permit me to offer you my ..eartiest congratulations on your courageous stand in refusing to support Senator Harding because of his betrayal of the League of Nations.
 When Mir. Wilson came back from Paris with the first draft of the Gov enant in his pocket, the four greatest constitutional authorities in the Re- nublican party all made suggestions for it's improvement. MT. Taft and Senator Lodge made four suggestions, MT. Hughes made seven, MT. Root made nine. Mir Taft told me after wards that Mir. Wilson had incorpor- ated every one of his suggestions in the revised Covenant and that he was completely satisfied" MT. Lodge however. who curiously enough made the same four identical suggestions that Mir. Taft did, said the Covenant is now sworse than ever One sug- gestion by MT. Hughes and three by Mir. Root were not accepted by MT. Wilson. But it so happened that none of the other gentlemen made the same suggestions. In every case, however, where two or more of these preeEii- nent Republican constitutional au- thorities agreed on suggestion It was accepted by MT. Wilson and finai- ly incorporated in the treaty.
 The Republican Senators, under these circumstances, could have claimed with much justice that the Covenant was perfected by their par ty. But they did nothing of the kind. Instead they started in to poison gas inc treaty. In this they were success ful. Not only did they defeat the Covenant twice in the Senate, but +hay were able to nominate for the Presidency one of their own number and actually to get themselves indors- ed in the Republican platform. linen the campaign began. Senator hara- inc at first tried to straddie the issue. carator Johnson, if not placated, could throw California against him as he threw it four years before against uuobes Mir. Taft and his wing of the marty did not threaten to bolt as John- son did, but they supported Mr. hara- inc on the remarkable theory that the ca,ator could be depended upon to break faith with Johnson after elee- ,;on and then bring the United States ;rto the League. In his Des Moines sneecb of October 7th, however, MT. Harding completely took that argu- ,nent from under MT. Taft by aban- doning the Covenant altogether.
 The Republican party IS supporting Mir Harding on this stand. It pro noses to elect a man who calls the Covenant a fraud" and who declares it is already Ascrapped," although 4s member nations have accepted it, pre- sumably without any apprehension that it would limit their sovercignity or impair their constitutions.
 But worse yet, the Republican par tv has fully ratified the acton oi tne Republican Senators in the past Mo years. I regard this acton as sns