Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-06-18

the consummatiOn of their hopes. No
one will recommend referendum on
that issue more than /.
Il suppose | should feel flattered,"
he said, over being made the issue Of
the presidential campaign by the Repub-
lican party. But even the effort of the
platform makers at Chicago to confer
the distinction of being not only burn
ing but a living issue by camouflaging
and obscuring the real issues will not
deceive the people.
Prussianism Charged.
s"I'he process by which the Chicago
platform was accomplished seemed TO
me to have been essentially and scien-
tificaIly Prussian in inspiration and
method. Instead of quoting Washing
ton and Lincoln, the Republican plat
form should have quoted Bismarck and
Bernhardi because the Republican at
titude toward the supreme issues tnat
cannot be abandoned or disregarded
strongly suggests the arbitrary influ-.
ences that dictated the doctrines OF
those two eminent persons.
Every charge directed against me
and my administration is obviously de-
signed to becloud the negative and par
amount issue confronting the people of
America. to befog their sense of re-
spunSibility and make violation of the
obligations they have assumed to be
of small consequence. l sincerely be-
ieve that the attempt of the Repub-
lican party to win the sanction of the
American people for its attempted eva
sion of these obligations will be de-
cisively rebuked. With one thing | am
fully satisfied-that the Republican par
ty in its platform has joined me IN
the suggestion | made in my letter to the
guests at the Jackson Day dinner IN
Washington in January last. In that
letter. | expressed the hope that
sincere attempt would be made TO de-
termine the attitude of the American
people on the League of Nations by
the resort to the genuinely Democratic
process of the referendum.
Does Not Anticipate.
s'Of course, l have no way of antici-
pating the probable trend of sentiment
that will be expressed in the Democratic
national convention at San Francisco or
the ultimate conclusions of
that body But | have every confidence
that the delegates who will sit in that
will repeat the challenge L
issued to the Republican party and ex-
press their readiness to permit the
people to decide between the vague and
ambiguous declaration by the Repubii-
cans and a positive and definite ex-
preston of opinion by the Democratic
party. Whatever else the Democratic
party may do. hope that its convention
at San Francisco will say just what 1t
means on every issue and that it will
not resort either to ambiguity or eva
sions in doing SO.
''This thing (the League of Nationsl
lies too deep to permit Of any political
sculduggery. any attempt to sidestep or
evade moral and humanitarian response
biIities much too solemn to treat SO
lightly or ignore.
Il should prefer at this time not to
discuss partisan politics ar to venture
any prediction as to the probable atti-
tude the Democratic convention will
take on any subject. | sincerely be
ieve. however that the vast majority of
gentlemen who will sit in the conyen-
ton will appreciate The necessity and
permanent value of keeping the word
that America has given to the rest OF
the world
Johnson and Lodge.
"The thinly veiled rejection of the
of the League of Nations by
the Chicago convention will not fool
anyone The attitude of Senator Lodge
and that of Senator Johnson differ only
in degree. Both are really opposed to
it in any form. One of these gentle