The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1920-10-15
cox RAPS BOTH TAFT AND
HARDING

ST. LOUIS, MO, Oct. 14.-An-
swering of former President William
Howard Taft with shafts fashioned
from his previous utterances with re-
spect to the central idea of the
League of Nations" Article, x, was
the task to which Governor James M.
Cox Monday night set himself before
a great audience in this city, to which
he came from Springfield. ILL.,
where he spoke to an equally
impressive meeting upon tie
spot where Lincoln debated with
Douglass.
1t was calculated by the president
ial candidate that the publication of
the White House correspondence
Monday would drive the former
Chief Executive into the open and
expose his hitherto sheltered flank
to direct fire, and this was not with
held. long.
At the very outset in Springfield
he ridiculed the recent assertion of
Mr.. Taft that Senator Warren G.
Harding's election meant some kind
of league, and quoted from a signed
article, published in St. Louis news
paper but Sunday, in which the for
mer President said that "Harding's
plan for a new association of ma
tions" was ''impracticable."
Signatories Are Involved.
The 40 countries now in the league,
which, he declared, was functioning,
would not be likely to abandon all
that had been accomplished to make
a new agreement, the article added.
1t was the utterance of Judge Taft
Monday at Vancouver, virtually de-
claring for the elimination of Article
x. and repudiating almost entirely all
that had been revealed by the publ
cation Of the kilograms, that induced
Governor Cox to level his rapid fire
of interrogatories at the head of the
league to enforce peace.
There was recalled initially the
speech delivered by Mr.. Taft in jan
uary, 1920, at the Academy of Mu-
sic, Brooklyn, in which he used this
expression:
81 am inclined to think that the
persons who prepared the reserva-
tions, as a whole, were shooting
down Pennsylvania Avenue at the
White House,"
There were nine salient queries di-
rected at the object of the interroga-
tons, the foundation of all of them
being publicity spoken or printed ex-
lpressions of Judge Taft since the
controversy as to the ratification
was begun.
Text of Questions.
The questions were these:
81. Did you not discuss Article
x. in an article in The Covenanter,
under the title The Principle We
Fought For,' in these words: The law
of the league, with the sanction of
power of the league, thus forbids the
violation of the international COM
mandment, Thou shalt not steal by
force. 1t is the embodiment of the
principle that we entered and fought
this war to maintain"
"2. Did you not say also, in the
same article: 'The Monroe doctrine,
as originally declared by Monroe,
was Article x. limited to the aggres-
sion of non-American nations against
countries of the Western hemis-
phere?"
$50. Did you not also use these
words in the same article: Article x
is one of the great steps forward pro-
VlQeO III the league LOT CIo securing
: of general peace?"
I "a. You say that the League to
Enforce Peace, of which you were
Chairman, had no Article I in its
I proposition. Shouldn't youshave been
more frank with the American citi-
zens by telling them that your plan
) had nut four articles in it, and that
your substitute for. Article x was
Article III? Can you deny that in
: your Article HI. you provided fol-
! the joint use of the military forces
of the signatory powers in event of
violation of the conditions of the
| covenant?
Appeal To Force Alleged.
? "5. Did not your proposal carry
, definite legal obligation to employ
: force, and in this respect was it not
: very much more drastic than Article
: X Of the league?
Sc. You say that Senator Hard
| ing already has voted twice for the
) league with reservations, but have
you. not failed to say that your can
didate, within the last two weeks
very definitely announced that if he
had it to do over again he would not
, vote for the league, even with the
Lodge reservations?
81. You say that Senator Harding
: promises that as President he will
indorse the covenant without Article
x. To whom ha she given tn eprom-
!, Use? Certainly not to Senators John
son and Borah. Everyone knows that
he has not given it to the American
public. Has he given it to you? If
so, is it not so much in conflict with
Senator Harding's recent statement
that he proposes from now on to turn
his back on the league, with or with
out reservations, that it joins both
you and him together in deliberate
deception.
$50. Assuming that the pledge has
been given to you, then may we not
answer it with your own words,
. spoken at luncheon given by the