The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-10-20
ELECTION PROSPECTS

3
believe, be interesting to our readers:
| On October 3rd President Wilson
put out an appeal urging the voters
/ to approve the League of Nations.
i"Every one" he said, "who sincerely
believes in government. by the people
must rejoice at the turn affairs have
taken in regard to this campaign.
This election is to be genuine ma
Etional referendum The determination
fof a great policy upon which the in
lauence and authority of the United
Estates in the world must depend is not
to be left to groups of politicians of
Eeither party, but is to be referred to
the people themselves for sovereign
mandate to their representatives.
iThey are to instruct their own gov
lernment what they wish done.
"The chief question that is put to
Iyou is, of course, this: Do you want
Your country's honor indicated and
1.-THE treaty of Versailles ratified? Do
Eyou in particular approve of the
League Of Nations as organized and
empowered in the treaty? And do you
wish to see the United States play its
responsible part in it
That is how it ought to be, but is
lit the fact? Has the determination of
la great policy been taken away from
groups of politicians Are the treaty
of Versailles and the League of Ma
ltions the real issues of this cam
lpaign?
They are issues, undoubtedly, but
lonly in a limited degree do they APP
Ipear to be issues that will swing the
Votes. It is most extraordinary
campaign. On the League of Nations
1.-The democrats have by far the best
lposition. IF the platforms and the
declarations of the candidates are to
lguide the voters, that is one thing.
But are they going to?
Not by long shot. A great many
Republicans and some democrats who
want the league sincerely are going
tic vote for Harding, who is, one can
not say frankly against it. but is
: against it as much as he can afford to
: be against anything. He is against
lit to Borah and Johnson and Brande-
Igee and Penrose ard Lodge, but to
Taft and Wickersham and Lowell and
Hoover and Strauss he seems to be
lopen to conviction The republicans
who hate the league are going to vote
for Harding on the ground that he
has killed it. The republicans who
want the league are going to vote for
him on the ground that there is just
as good chance. of getting it through
him as through Cox. The Hearstites,
the Germans and the Irish are going
to vote for him because they hate
England. A lot of democrats and
others will vote for him because they
hate Wilson. and thousands more be-
Icause they want change.
1t is a very curious situation. An
issue that cannot win the voters that
belong to it is only imperfectly an is
lsue. At this writing, this election
! does not seem to be the genuine ma
tional referendum that, Mr. Wilson
says it is. 1t seems to be just a mix
up. In with the league as an issue
goes Mr.. Wilson's failure to take re-
Isponsible republican advisers with him
Ito Paris. In with it go the fight in
the Senate and the failure to get the
treaty ratified in the best form attain
/; liable. 1t is a great party fight, with
the league very much in the position
of the innocent bystander, slightly
concerned in the cause of the rumpus,
but very liable indeed to : be hurt.
There must be many believers in gov
eminent by the people who cannot
join Mr.. Wilson in rejoicing at the
turn affairs have taken in regard to
, this campaign. Tt is one of the mean
est campaigns ever known, and the
. prospect that it viii settle anything
: about the league seems remote.
The rest of what Mr.. Wilson said in
) that appeal is all true enough. There
: has been an immense amount of mis-
; statement about the treaty and the
: league by the leaders that have OPP
, lposed it. The "America-frst" idea of
} those leaders would. as he says, "sub-
t stitute America for Prussia in the
/. Ipolicy of isolation and defiant segre-
t CATION" It is a highly Disseminating
{ conception, and Mr.. Wilson speaks
t with authority when he says that ''the
conception of the great creators of the
: government was absolutely opposite
1 Ito this
t He is on safe ground, along with
: Taft, Wickersham. Lowell, Strauss,
5 Hoover and others. in saying that the
i truth about Article X has not been
e told by the opponents of the league
S and that it is absolutely false" that
2 that article would make it possible for
f lother nations to lead Us into wan
J. against our independent judgment. He
:. winds I'D his appeal to the people by
:, saying, "The whole world will wait
S for our verdict in November as il
would wait for an intipation of what
It's future is to be-"
r Let US hone the world is better in
+ formed about the quality of the cam
It lpaign that is raging here than tn,
+ president seems to be, and will still
Il have hopes about its future, no mat
IS ter how the coming election goes
st There is not the slightest objection
re its taking courage if Governor Co
i'd wins, Int all earnest well wishers 0
n hunlsaAs@fA must fIeDrerafa the ida