Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-11-16
PACT is DEAD,
SAYS HARDING
President-EIect of U. S. Pledges
New Efforts for World
Peace.
YANKS TO HOLD LEADERSHIP
Makes First Speech Since Election at
Celebration of His Victory by the
Home FoIks-"Corpse" at
Front Porch.

Warren G. Harding said the last sad
rites over the deceased Versailles
League of Nations when its corpse"
was brought to the front porch in the
midst of great celebration by his
home folks in honor of his election.
The bier bearing the remains" was
carried in the parade on the shoulders
of six 'pallbearers." A "mourner"
held aloft a banner telling the identi-
ty of the departed. The President
elect smiled and waved his hat as the
cortege passed, a band behind played
funeral dirge and later when the
corpse was taken in front of the steps,
he turned to Mrs. Harding and said:
There's the corpse"
In his speech to the crowd of thirty
thousand or more, the first address
since his election, he said in comment
ing ON the league:
II saw in the procession the mourn
full spectacle of the dead League of
Nations and I didn't see as much sor-
row in your faces as 1 rather appre-
hended But it was not because you
or l question the wisdom, the justice,
or the desirability of America having
its part in a new fraternity of nations,
OR because we question the high ideals
of those who were responsible for the
Versailles covenant.
''You just didn't want a surrendered
United States of America.
"You wanted America to be free
and unmOrtgaged to the Old World.
You wanted the America you have
seen made under American ideals to
go on under American ideals. That's
why you didn't want the league which
is now deceased"
Visbly affected by the demonstra-
ton, President-elect Harding told his
home folks he was not talking in
partisan spirit; "election is over" he
added. '"The task is such that it makes
any man pause. 1t is too serious to
be exultant. like TO stand before you
and tell you I dent have to come with
a single apology or regret. If I had
to seek the presidency at the cost of
speaking i'll or telling a lie l would
spurn the office, because it would not
be worth any honest mans occupancy.
eve are the greatest people in the
world in America and the world looks
to us for leadership. But America
is not expecting a superman.
II told the American people that this
was going to be government of law
and not of men. We are going to have
in America once more a government
of the Constitution, a government of
the people through their chosen rep
resentatives. We are going to have
a government again where it is the
will of the people and not the will of
the chief executive of this republic.
"Those who know me will agree that
maybe I have one qualification that
will fit into the present situation.
alone have preached conference, con-
sultation and exchange of IDEAS I
have never been a radical. Sometimes
they have called me a reactionary or
an ultra conservative.
"What we need is a little slowing
up by the radicals and a little speed
ing up by the ultra so we
can come to a common understand
ing and give the stabilizing influence
Of America to the civilization of the
world.
81 am going into office knowing the
heart of the American people is right
and in the spirit of compromise and
desire for an understanding for the
promotion of our national interests,
and America is going on safe and sure
at home and giving its steadying and
stabilZing influence to mankind and
the civilization of the world.
'My work among you has been as
a fellow booster, and, God helping
me, am going to Washington as
booster for the United States of Amer
lea. But | don't mean that we want
America to lead q selfish existence.
We don't want to advance our own
country at the cost of dlscouragiEg
or neglecting the rest of the world.
"The United States will meet every
obligation it owes to humanity and
to the world. There is much to do.
A new world relationship is to be es-
tablished and through you l tell the
world when the next administra ton
comes into power we are going TO
play our part"