Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-08-02
Mr.. Taft and
Mr.. Harding
New York World
New York World

William Howard Taft makes labored
but laudable attempt to prove that Sena-
tor Harding and the Republican party are
in favor Of the League of Nations which IN
speech of acceptance and platform they
seemTo have repudiated in support OF an
impossible association of nation" more
to their taste The former President
bluntly accounts for the failure by con-
vention and candidate to approve the
Lodge policy Of accepting the treaty with
reservations by saving it was due to the
purpose of keeping Senator Johnson from
boiling" which is the truth.
After showing with much detail that
every objection to the covenant so vo-
cferouSlv urged in platform and speech
was removed by the reservations for
which most Of the Republican Senators
voted, Mr. Taft considers in lawyer-hke
fashion the probable result Of an attempt
on the part of the United States 10 or
game n new League:
''Of course we can only conjecture how
the other nations would meet a proposal of
the kind suggested by Mr.. Harding. 1t
would have to be gwen definite form,
Mere expression of good will and announce
ment Of moral reasons for making and
keeping peace would not suffice.
Zone cannot make omelets without
breaking eggs. II makes no difference
whether YOU call it an association or a
| league. One cannot create effective as
sociations without obligations OF the
nations associated to do something. We
can I make arrangements to reduce arma-
ments without covenants or agreements
to do so. We can't settle causes in court
of justice or submit nonIustlclable dill
ferences to a conference so as to prevent
war without binding agreements TO do so.
When the required form is gwen TO all
the objects which Mr.. Harding and Mr..
Lodge have indicated as necessary and
proper, then the other nations are quite
likely to say: But here Is the League To
which we are willing to admit you with
all the reservations YOU have insisted on.
1t accomplishes all the objects you pro-
pose. 1t has been functionlng for more
than year and has proved satisfactory.
We must decline 10 give up what has
served IT'S we'll
Faithful are the wounds of a friend. In
the kindest of words Mr. Taft exposes the
insincerity of his party and its candidate
and explains the sordid motive. TO gain
the Presidency the Republicans made
common cause temporarily with Hiram
johnson, BOrah La Toilette, and the
Sim Feiners, pro-Germans and Bolshevlk
propagandists T ey made a cowardly
retreat from their own record of more than
year, and vet 50 indefinite are the
utterances of both platform and candi-.
date that Mr.. Taft, speaking for the
Republican friends of the League, ex-
presses the hope that "Nr Harding and
his administration will find that the best
and easiest solution of the problem as 1t
shall present itself after March will be
to put the treaty and league through with
reservations.
In all this there is no threat Of a bolt,
but there is a powerful demand from a
statesman who represents a large and
respectable clement in his party for
reasonable exhibition of candor and
courage on the part Of Senator Harding.
There can be no ratification of this or any
other treaty without Democratic votes
in the Senate If Mr. Harding is to be
President he may as well recognize that
fact at once. So long as he is even sus-
pocted Of being in accord with the treaty
wreckers and the men who want war with
England and Japan he is not fit leader
of Republicans who place peace and
national honor above office and it spo Is.
Because the spirit Of com romise has
been wholly suppressed at Washington
since the arnistice, we have had one dead
lock which has become a worldwide
scandal Mr.. Harding and his ad Users,
as Mr. Taf, points out, are leading straight
TO another, even more shameful.