New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-28

HStitutlonal Hfe," he said, "never could
have occurred had it not been for our
own divisions as party. Therefore,
let us hope, and resolve, that in this
supreme matter we shall have no divi~
sions now. for the whole meaning and
purpose of political. party are that
amid the inevitable. and even salu-
tsry divergcnces of private opinion on
secondary matters' there shall be per-
feet unity In that which is immediate
", vital to. the 'pational interest as a
whole" srs
Democrats "Bcfog Issue"
The Democratic party, it was charged,
in order to allure men and women
from this STANDARD of patriotism is
bcfogging the issue by denouncing the
Republican party in general terms and
discrediting its part in war Of de-
fcrse, (which its leaders were the first
to foresee, the first to prepare for, and
foremost in supporting as volunteers,
the burdens of which they bore and
still have to bear" by proposing new
public projects to give the "Demo-
cratic bureaucracy further employ
ment;" and the "insolent pretense" that
the nations honor requires it to as
sumo the political liabilities of the
rest of the world, because President
Wilson has, Sin his own name and by
his own proper authority promised
that he would accept them, if the ma
tions of the world would make him
its chief trustee.
"The first of these attempts to di-
vert the mind of the people from the
real issue, in so far as it relates to
the conduct of the war, leave to the
100000 men--officers and soldiers and
sailors--who put on their uniforms to
defend the rights Of our country.
1.-THE second attempt leave to the
answer of those who are responsible
for the honorable discharge of the ma
tional debt, Republicans and Democrats
alike, by whose toll and management
borne.
"But the question of the nations
'honor'-that is matter which con-
Germs us all. That presents chal-
lenge which every patriotic citizen
must face.
"Let us together, thenANorth and
South, East and West-face the great
national duty that now confronts us.
what is that duty? 1t is a duty
forced upon US by unprecedented po-
ltical delinquencies and departures
protect once more what is vital to the
life Of this nation; to repel absorption
into political system designed to sub
serve the interests of other powers by
the sacrifice of our own, and, finally, to
sustain that great compact of constitu
tional and co0rdinated government
which is the very breath of life to this
nation.
Issue Made by Democrats
awe are told it is already too late,
for we have been so far committed by
our own proposals and promises that
delay and discussion have become dis
honorable.
81 should not dream of treating this
subj ect-the most delicate that can be
suggested to On American mind--in the
way l am about to treat it had not the
chairman of the Democratic National
Committee in his keynote speech at
San Francisco charged the Republican
leadership in the United States Senate
with conduct Of which he asserts mo
blacker crime against civilization has
ever soiled the pages of our history;
had not the national Democratic plat
form perverted history, denatured
tered dates in the hope of supporting
such an accusation; and had it not
been declared in paragraph referring
to the attitude of the Republican party
regarding the covenant of the League
Of Nations negotiated at Paris by the
President Of the United States: by
every accepted standard of interna-
tional morality the President is justi-
fed in asserting that the honor of the
country is involved in this business
at is but just to say that the United
States has had no official contact with
any foreign country, except through
the President himself. If the honor of
the country has become in any way in
volved, it is because of what the Presi-
dent has done or said"
After quoting President Wilson at
the Paris Conference, Mr.. Hill asked:
"Whoever authorized promise that
the United States would guarantee the
European settlements on condition
that there should be formed "a union
Of will that no nation will run the
risk of attempting to resist? Such a
mandate and such instructions had
States. Nothing like them ever had
been asked for by the President,
either of Congress or of the people.
They had given no mandate and issued
no instructions. What the President
had asked for, and what was unmis-
takably denied him, was the privilege
of making such engagements as he
pleased.
"In his famous appeal to the cleo
torate, of October 25, 1918, he had said
to the people: If you approve of my
leadership and wish me to be your un-
embarrassed spokesman in affairs al
home and abroad, / earnestly beg you
will express yourselves unmistakably
to that effect by returning a Democratic
ajority to both the Senate and the
House of REPRESENTATIVES.
an November the country had ex
pressed itself Enthusiastically; but il
offered no mandate to an unembar
raised spokesman in affairs at homo
and abroad A Republican Congress
he had said, would divide the leader
ship. 1t was thus made perfectly cvi
dent to the President that, if the
wishes of the people were to be re
spected, the choice of policy as he
had said, would not rest with hin
alone.
Minds of Country Disturbed
"There was in the, country, and tn,
President we'll Understood it, wide
spread conviction that he had neve,
at any time rightly comprehended tn,
international situation. His theorie
were closet theories. Either he hat
not known, or had not cared, whe,
laws against the violation of neutra
territory were disregarded, that they
were part of solemn compact will