South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-11-01

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of our brave Bows die-in vain?
America viii make its answer
at the polls tomorrow.
AS a result of that war Sc ma
tions have Joined i'm a great
League for peace. All the civil
lied nations Of the earth are in
that Lcague-au but the United
States
Whether this republic shall be-
come "A member OF that League
viii bo determined by the election
tomorrow. II Cox wins. the
United States goes in, If Harding
wins the United States stays out.
This question so far oveTshad-
ows all the other issues Of the
campaign as TO make il a waste
Of words 10 dwell upon them Be
side this issue all other issues
fade into insignificance.
There can be no neutrality In
the great battle of principle thus
brought 20 a climax They who
are not for the League are
against the League More than
that, they who are not for the
League are against any League.
League is the only one men now
living have any reasonable oppor-
tunity to achieve And If this
League should fail, the cause of
world peace may indeed be set
back 500 years.
What utterly condemns repub-
lican leadership in this campaign
as vacuous and fumbling is that
on the outstanding issue, Il has
not one single helpful suggestion
10 offer. On the one hand is
Gov. Cox, exponent of American
membership in the League with
definite reservations, seven Of
which have been widely dis
cussed. On the other hand is
Sen. Harding, proposing TO re-
main alOOf from the League. and
admitting that he has not a sin
gle constructive purpose regard
ing an association of nations"
The present League. now func-
tioning, is the first constructive
step toward the long cherished
union of peoples to preserve
peace. II is imperative to remem-
Der that the republican candidate
and the republican platform offer
no substitute. The candidates
misty references to IAN" associa-
ton, "a" league, mean nothing.
They are discounted by his frank
admission that he has mot one
8 n & G constructive purpose"
They are discounted by the fact
that the present League has As
active members and more than a
dozen knocking at the doors 10 be
admitted next month. They are
discounted by the fact that a
league Of states composed of
those remaining Outside-Russia.
Mexico, Abyssiuia, Turkey and
the United States-is fantastic
and repugnant to every sense Of
docency. They are discounted by
the fact that the republican party
not only has no program. but
shows no prospect of being able
10 agree upon program in the
immediate future.
The issue is not whether we
shall enter the League with or
without reservations. 1t is wheth-
er we shall enter the League with
safes guarding reservations or re
main outside. Those gentlemen
who are trying to reconcile their
League advocacy and their Hard
ing allegiance talk vaguely cf
ratification without Article y"
Mr. Harding has never said he
would favor ratification without
Article y. He has never said he
favOrs ratification with rcserva-
tons. He has never said he IA
vOrs entering this League. He
mas repeatedly said he stands for
staying out.
A vote for Harding is a vote
against the League and a vote for
the continuance of the age-old
system Of ornaments and war.
A vote for Cox is E. vote for the
League and fair trial for the
one constructive, hopeful attempt
TO substitute international law
for international anarchy, and
peace and good will Tor war and
slaughter.
That is the issue in this presi-
Dental campaign; it is the issue
in the senatorial campaign-and
the man, be he layman. Anti
Saloon league superintendent. SUI
perintendent of a Sunday school.
or pastor OF a church, who to be-
cloud that issue, TO camOuflaCe u.
smoke screen" II. BY appeal to
religious sentiment or what not.
bringing up something foreign 10
IL, like the liquor question.-whe
that question is not a presidential
issue at all,-is no less a foe 10
society and civilization and Chris