Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-31
LEAGUE IS FAILURE,
SAYS HARDING IN
URGING NEW PACT
Republican Nominee De-
cIares Issue Is CIear-Cut
Between Cox and Himself.
Leaders Praise Speech

MARION, Ohio, Aug. 29-To the
cheers of vast throng of Indiana
and Minnesota Republicans, Senator
Warren. G Harding Saturday dismiss
ed the League of Nations as a hope
less wreck and proposed to erect in
its stead an improved The Hague tri-
bunal combined with whatever good
can be culled from the existing
league covenant.
His denunciations of Democratic
'wiggling and webbing" brought
shouts of approval and the yard in
front of Senator Harding's house re-
sounded with cheering when he de-
clared the present league dead be-
yond hope of restoration.
Party leaders assembled for the
occasion were enthusiastic, declaring
that Senator Harding had swung
into an offensive into the league
issue.
Senator Harding ,traversed almost
the entire ground in his discussion
of American foreign policy.
Much significance was attached to
his declaration that what is in my
real conference the ablest and
most experienced minds of the coun-
try, from whatever walks of life
they may come and without regard
to party utilization, to formulate a
definite, practical plan along the
lines already indicated for the con-
sideration of the controlling foreign
powers"
Il yield to no man in Willingness,
aye in eagerness. to render the
greatest conceivable assistance to
the stricken people of Europe" Sen
ator Harding said Il include all of
them and speak with a genuinely
sympathetic heart. whether it is to
mention devastated France, or sorely
tried Italy, or nobly struggling Po-
land, or distracted and misguided
Russia, or gallant little Belgium, OF
pitiably deceived Austria, or the
ruthless Invader, Germany, which
game to" the supreme tragedy
through leadership which brought
disaster to her misguided people"
Because of these sympathies, he
voted for the league with reserva-
tions, and he added. would do so
again confronted by the same con-
dltlOnS and the same alternatives.
League is Dead
But the conditions have changed
he continued. I'VE know that the
league constituted at Versailles ia
utterly impotent as preventive OF
wars. 1t is so obviously impotent
that it has not even been tried. 1t
could not survive a, single test. The
original league, mistakenly conceiv.
ed and unreasonably insisted upon,
has undoubtedly passed beyond the
possibility of restoration. The ma
ture judgment of the world will be
that it deserved to pass for the very
simple reason that contrary to all
of the tendencies developed by the
civilizing process of the. world, it
rested upon the power of might, not
right"
Characterizing the League of Ma
lions as utterly impotent" in the
matter of preventing war, Senator
Harding urged as a substitute The
Hague tribunal with teeth in
it." He said he was irrevocably
opposed to the league plan while
Governor Cox, he commended, was an
advocate of the plan on the basis
announced by President Wilson.
This division of opinion, he said, was
the whole difference between the
governor and himself.
THAT is the whole difference be-
tween us. but is a vital one, be.
cause it involves the disparity be-
tween a world court of justice, sup
plemented by world association
for conference, on the one hand, and
fHes council of the league on the
other" Harding said