The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-07-23

Victory Bonds.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Dispatch to The Reformer
Copyright. 1929.
MARION, O, July Ex-senator War
rem G. Harding has surrendered to Sen
ator Hiram johnson and Is in favor of
scrapping the treaty of peace which
contains the present league of nations.
Mr. Harding proposes, if elected, to
make separate peace by congressional
resolution and to ask the nations of
the world to create different league
of nations from that proposed by Mr..
Wilson.
Senator johnson had threatened to
bolt the Republican nominee if he did
not accept the Interpretation of the
Republican platform which the Cali
fornia senator had enunciated. Unless
Hiram Johnson reveals himself merely
as poor loser, there is nothing in the
Harding speech of acceptance as it re-
lates to the league issue to which he can
take objection.
L 0nIueStiAHaBlN sESeIldtOf IldldtHS
doesn't believe the league which is now
in existence in Europe has much of a
hold on the American voter and he
has taken his place therefore alongside
Hiram johnson who has managed in
the East, at any rate, to rouse con
siderable following for his views.
But the speech of Mr.. Harding comes
| as a surprise to those who had expected
| that the presence of Elihu Root in Eu-
rope and the record of the Ohio SEN
ator in voting for the treaty of Yer
sailles with reservations would commit
| him to an endeavor at least to fashion
| something out of the present interna-
tional structure. But Mr.. Harding re-
| iects it absolutely and calls for 81
new association of nations.
| Irrespective of how many reserva-
| tons, interpretative or otherwise, may
| be proposed by Governor Cox, the DEM
| oeratic platform commits him to the
| present league of nations and the rat
| ifoation of the treaty of Versailles.
| To the extent that President Wilson
! sought a clear-cut issue on the league
| his wish has been gratified for Senator
| Harding throws overheard the treaty
| of Versailles and calls for new peace
/ agreement with the nations of Europe.
| Naturally the Democrats viii say this
means new peace conference and more
international negotiation and confusion
! and delay.
| But the whole tenor of the Harding
| speech of acceptance indicates that he
believes the Johnsonian view of the
league issue is more popular than any
| other He unhesitatingly subseribes to
| it,
| As for the remainder of the speech,
| the Ohio senator has written an elo-
| quent Grafton with solemn warning in
/ it to the ever-i increasing demand of
labor for more wages which he says
| cannot be needed unless accompanied
| by efficient service in return.
The Ohio senator goes into detail
| slilfully on the subject of farmers co
operative organizations thereby appeal
| ing to the agricultural vote. He goes
| back to the old Panama canal tells
| fight of 1913 and practically reverses
| the position taken by Senators Lodge
and Root at the time who claimed that
| for American ships to be immune from
/ the payment of tolls was a discrimina-
ton against British ships and viola
| ton of the y-Pauncefoote treaty be-
tween the United States and Great
| Britain.
However the Irish voters opposed
| that repeal of the Panama canal tolls
| act and the presumption is that they
still feel indignant about it.
Throughout the Harding speech there
is tone of dignity and conservatism
Not word of denunciation of Pres
ident Wilson by name occurs in the
speech. There are only implicit refer
| ences to one-man government and auto
cratic rule. The Ohio senator gave in
his address an impression of earnest
ness and conscientious desire to do the
best he could if elected to the presi-
dency. His phrase No man is big
enough to run this great republie.'' has
its curious counterpart in Woodrow Will
SON IS speech of acceptance in 1912 when
in referring to the Roosevelt desire
for third term, the then Democratic
nominee said "There is no indispensa-
bic man."
Aside from a belief in the protect
We tariff, efficiency in government bu- |
reaus, a general proposal about more
equitable taxes, a less belligerent state
ment full of hope and optimism about
our relations with Mexico which ear
ries in it no threat of violence, the |
.speeehaof acceptance introduces a new
suggestion that is bound to make a pops |
ular appeal when the stump speakers
get hold of it-namely requiring the /
government to make its Liberty and |
Victory bonds worth all that its citi- |
zens paid in purchasing them. Of /
course bonds win ultimately be re-
deemed at par but the Republican nomi-
nee hints at new fiscal policy that he
hopes will raise the price of bonds.
Thousands upon thousands of Wis
itors crowded this little town to hear
Senator Harding speak The. whole
thing seemed more like an old-fashioned
political rally in state or county than
a national affair 1t was a gathering
principally of plain folks in which the
Visiting politicians from tile iutlrban1
centers seemed in conspicuous minority.