New-York tribune., 1920-10-02
Presidential
Nominees Sum
Up Main Issues
Harding, in Legion Weekly,
Says Fact That Nation Is
Still on War Basis Causes
Greatest Store of Trouble
He Urges Retrenchment
Cox Declares Formalizing
Peace and Securing Fruits
of Victory Are Big Things

Senator Harding and Governor Cox
have summed up the principal issues of
the campaign in signed articles contrib
vted TO the current number of The
American Legion Weekly.
The Democratic candidate regards
rs the two big tasks facing the coun-
%ry: to formalize the peace won by the
American and Allied armies. and to
,ecure the fruits of victory by making
rs nearly impossible as may be a repe
tition Of the great w9r.
Harding states: Il believe that the
rre.test cause of trouble and distress
Is due in large part to the fact that we
Ere still on war basis. Certainly we
cannot hope for any material relief
from the intolerable high living cost
until we recover from the imitation that
affects everything Once we get our
feet on solid earth and thereby recover
hur balance, we may put our house in
order To my mind this is one of the
big problems.
Harding On the War Debt
"precedent and contrihutory to the
Saturn 70 normal are other matters, af-.
fecting the main question directly or
rollaterally. which must be likewise
disnosed of before the hopedfor aim
can be achieved First, the govern
msnt must function in all of it's CO.
ordinate parts. Our government has
much more to do now with' our most
intimate affairs than ever before.
Hence. whenever the government re-
fuses or negiects to function proper
IL that failure is imm ediately reflected
in our social and industrial life"
Senator Harding next writes of the
war debt and observed that the Liberty
and Victory bonds had greatly depre-
ciated, occasioning considerable loss
to the 1000, coo Americans WHO pur-
chased then,.
Something surely can be done to
bring those bonds back to par ne
said.
Governor Cox. in addressing himself
TO what he regards as the two big
tasks facing the nation, said:
Both 60 together and neither Of the
great assets which were brought to
America and the world can be dissi-
pated without betrayal Of the soldiers
who served in the great struggle
a have found that better than those
who 'emained at home, the soldiers
understand what measure Of moral
turpItude and dishonor would be in-
VOWED by our action in making a
separate peace with Germany We
cannot pass by this issue without
reference to it, for although it has
been said that peace by Joint reso-
luton does not entail separate peace
with Germany. the President of the
United States IS directed to make such
treaty by the terms of the resolution
itself.
81 quite agree with Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge that such action would
brand US with everlasting shame and
dishonor,' but the difference between
Us Is that he and Senator Harding have
SET out TO secure that separate peace,
Wnlle continue TO urge that faith
with our associates in the war for
freedom be kept"
League Issue Paramount
Governor Cox declared that until this
issue was settled no other issues can
be permanently settled.
Senator Harding. in urging retrench-
ment IN both private and public life,
pointed out that despite the opposition
OF Ene Wilson Administration Repub-
.icaH congress had cut $500 900 900
from the national budget. He said that
there must be q reduction in the ex-
pehses Tor administration. as the bur
den OF taxes is one of the chief causes
ior the nigh cost OF living
Our railroads" he declared. care so
badly crippled that they are greatly
inadequate for the demands of COM
me!ce, another cause for the high cost
OF living. They must be sustained in
tnelr credit to enable them to borrow
the necessary money to put thems selves
IN order. Likewise the other trans
por'a'ion facilities Of the country. such
as electric interurbanss waterways and
highways, must be brought into one
general scheme Of cooperation is the
needs Of the country are to be met.
Cheaper and more efficient trans
portatlon which Will follow these i'm
provements will make for reduced cost
O. materials cf l.,rde