The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-08-07

And after the peace is mdue Will
Germany. Senator Harding would, he
saws, hopefully approach the ma
lions of Europe and of the earth, pro-
nosing that understanding winch
makes us willing participant In the
conservation OF nations to new re-
lauonship.'
Contempt OF the World.
In short, America, refusing to enter
the League of Nations (now already
established by twenty-nine nations)
and bearing and deserving the con-
tempt of the world, would submit
an entirely new project. This act
would either be regarded as arrant
madness or attempted international
bossism-
The plain truth is, that the repup-
ncan leaders, obsessed with deter
mination to win the presidential
election. have attempted to satisfy too
many divergent views. mconslsten-
cies, inevitable under the circum-
stances. rise to haunt them on every
hand, and they find themselves ar
rayed in public thought at least
against great principle, More than
that. their conduct is opposed to the
idealism upon which their party
prospered in other days.
Illustrating these observations by
concrete facts, let it be remembered
that those now inveighing against an
interest in affairs outside of America,
criticised President Wilson in IN
measured terms for not resentmg tne
Invasion of Belgium in 1914. Ihey
term the league of nations a military
alliance, which, except for their oppo-
eition, would envelop our country
when, as a matter of truth, the SUD-
iect of league Of nations has cialp-
ed the best thought of America for
years, and the League to Enforce Peace
was presided over by so distinguished
!, republican as ex-President TAFT,
who, before audiences in every sec
ton advocated the principle and the
plan of the present league. Ihey
charge experimentation, when we
have as historical precedent the MOI
roe Doctrine, which is the very
essence of Article x of the Versailles
covenant Skept1cs viewed Monroe's
mandate with alarm, predicting re-
current wars in defense of Centrai
and South American states, whose
guardians they alleged we need not
be. And yet not shot has been fired
In almost one hundred years IN pre-
serving sovereign rights on TINS
hemisphere. They hypocritically claim
that the league of nations will result
in our boys being drawn into military
service, but they fail to realize that
every high school youngster in the
land knows that no treaty can over
ride our constitution, which reserves
TO congress, and to congress alone,
the power to declare war. Ihey
preach Americanism with meanlns
of their own invention, and artfuily
appeal to selfish and provincial
spirit, Forgetting that Lincoln >fought
war over the purely moral question
VI slavery, and that Mckinley broke
ne letters of our boundary lines,
Stoke the freedom of Cuba, and car
md the torch of American idealism
20 the benighted Philippines. They
los memory of Garfield's prophecy
that America, under the blessings OF
Hoo~iven opportunity, would by her
mora leadership and cooperation be-
come Messiah among the nations
of thu earth.
ihes are fateful times Organized
government has definite duty all
over tn world. The house of civil
2atlon | TO be put in order. The
supreme ssue of the century is before
us and te nation that halts and de-
rays is plying with fire. The finest
IMPULSES humanity, rising above
NATIONAL hes, merely seek to make
another hrrible war impossible.
Under the Id order of international
anarchy waicame overnight, and the
world was o fire before we knew it.
~ slckens OF senses to think of an
oLner we wv one conflict into
which moder1science brought new
1orrns of DISSECTION in great guns,
submarines, rships, and poison
gases. 1t is noecret that our chem
lists had perfecN, when the contest
rame to a preciate close. gases so
deadly that whe cities could be
wiped out, arm1edestroyed, and the
crews of battleshs smothered. The
public prints arr filed with the
opinions of militia men that in
future wars the ulbod more effec-
I'VE than gases or lnbs, viii be the
employment of the Ems of diseases,
carrying pestilence Nd destruction.
any nation prepared der these con.
ultions' as Germany y equipped in