The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-06-30
KEYNOTE
ADDRESS TO-DAY
Cummings Champions Leegue
+ Covenant as the Monroe Doc
trine of the World
REPUBLICAN PLATFORM
RDICULED

'------------ '-----------------s
Laud's Administrations Action
During the War
!, San Francico, June es.- The
League of Nations covenant was
championed as the Monroe Doct-
lrine of the world by Homer Cum77
I,mings; temporary chairman of the
Democratic national convention. IN ms
keynote address here today
OF the peace treaty's defeat IN the
senate he said: No >biacker crime
against civilization has ever soiied the
pages. iof our history.
Heg characterized the Republican
platform as .reactionary and progia-
cial." .seFilled with premeditated SIAN
ders and vague promises. it viii be
searched in vain for one constructive
suggestion for the reformation OF the
conditions which 1t criticizes and de-
plores,r he continued.
..The oppressed peoples OF the earth.
will look to it in vain. It contains no
message Of hope for Ireland; no word
of mercy for. Armenia; and It conceals
a sword for Mexico. It is the work
of men concerned more with material
things than with human rights 1t
contains no thought, no purpose
which can give impulse or thrill to
those who love liberty and hope TO
make the world safer and happier
place for the average man.
He declared that the peace time
record of the Democratic party from
March 1913 to the outbreak of the
world war has to its credit more ef-
tfective, constructive and remedial
legislation than the Republican party
had placed upon the statute books
! in a generation.
Praising the administrations course
in the war he. said: We fought a
great war, for a great cause and we
had "a leadership that carried Ameri-
/! ca, to greater heights of honor and
power and glory than she has ever
known before in her entire history.
| "Let no ore misunderstood u.s.
|Thehe great affairs: were carried
forward under the stimulus of Ameri-
! can patriotism, supoprtedS by the cour-
age and spirit Of our people. All this
lis freely and gladly acknowledged, but
surely the time has come when, pc
cause of the calculated criticism ana
premeditated calumnies of the oppo-
sition, we are entitled to call atten-
ton to the fact that all Of these things
were accomplished under the leader
ship of a. great Democrat and OF a
great Democratic administration. II
the Republican leaders are not able to
rejoice with us in this American trl-
umph they should have the grace to
lremain silent, fortit does not lie in the
Ismouths of those who conducted the
Spanish war to indulge IN
| the luxury of criticism"
Referring to congressional investi-
cations by smelling committees" he
said that over so Investigations have
been made, over two million dollars
wasted and the result has been to
/; prove that it was the cleanest war
ever fought in the history Of civiliza-
! ton"
1.-The Republican party became so
fixed in its incorrigible habit of con-.
Quoting Investigations that it finally
turned to the fruitful task of inveSti-
eating itself They discovered fraud
/, and graft and gross and ineXcusa BILE
/ expenditures. The revelations dis
close the fact that the meeting at Chi
cago was not a convention, but an
auction. The highest bidder, how
ever, did. not get the prize. The pub
]icity which overlook the proceedings
frustrated the initial purpose. The
! Chicago convention left the Demo-
1 cratic party as the sole custodian Of
the honor of the country"
|: Peace achievements of the Demo-
cratic party, he asserted, freed the
farmer from the deadening effects Of
usurious financial control. Labor was
given its Magma Charta of liberty.
Business and finance were released
from the thralldom Of uncertainty
land hazard"
! THE income tax law" he said, ere
lieved our law of the reproach Of be-
i ing unjustly burdeasome to the poor.
The extravagances and inequities Of
/ the tariff system were removed and
a non-partisan tariff commission Gre
ated.s Pan-Americanism was encour-
aged and the bread thus cast upon
! the waters came back to us many fold.
Alaska was opened to commerce and
development. Dollar diplomacy was
/ destroyed. A corrupt lobby was driy-
en- from the national capitol An ef-
! focfiva Sea mans acf was adoptad The
federal trade commission was created.
Child labor legislation was enacted.
The parcel post and the rural free
delivery were developed. A good roads
! bill and a rural credits act were pass
led. A secretary of labor was given a.
seat in the cabinet of the president.
Eight hour laws We're adopted. The
! Clayton Amendment to the Sherman
antitrust act was passed, freeing
American labor and taking it from
1.-THE list of. commodities. The Smith
! r Y: ~