The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-08-07

world was on fire before we knew 1t. It sickens our senses to think or an- other. We saw one conflict into which modern science brought new forms of destruction in great guns, submarines, airships, and poison gases It is no secret that our chem ists had perfected, when the contest came to a precipitate close, gases so deadly that whole cities could be wiped out, armies destroyed, and the crews of battleShips smotheEed. The public prints are filled with the opin- ions of military men that in future wars the method, more effective than gases or< bombs, will be the employ ment of the germs of diseases, carry ing pestilence and destruction. Any nation prepared under these condi-
 tions, as Germany was equipped in 1914, could conquer the world in a year.
 It is planned now to make this inn possible. A definite plan has been agreed upon. The League of Nations is in operation. A very important work, under its control, just com pleted, was participated in by the Hon. Elihu Root, Secretary of State under the Roosevelt administration. At a meeting of the Council of the League of Nations, February II, an organizing committee of twelve of the most eminent jurists in the world was selected. The duty of this group was
 to devise a plan for the establishment of Permanent Court of Interna- tional Justice, a branch of the League. This assignment has been concluded by unanimous action This augurs well for world progress. The question is whether we shall or shall not join in this practical and humane movement President Wilson, as our representative at. the peace table, en- tered the League in our name, in so far as the executive authority permit ted. Senatod Harding, as the Re
 publican candidate for the presidency, proposes in plain words that we re- main out of it. As the Democratic l candidate, I favor going in. Let us | Snalyze Senator Harding's plan of making 8 German-American peace and then calling for a thew relation ship among nations" assuming for the purpose of argument only that the perfidious hand that dealt With Ger 1 many would possess the power or in /, fluence to draw twenty-nine nations
 away from a plan already at work | and induce them to retrace every l step and make new beginning. This i would entail our appointing another l commission to assemble with those
 selected by the other powers. With | the Versailles instrument discarded, l the whole subject of partitions and 1 divisions of territory on new lines
 would be reopened. The difficulties | in this regard, any fair mind ap- l preciates, would be greater than they l were at the peace session, and we | must not attempt to convince our
 selves that they did not try the gen. | jus, patience, and diplomacy of states | men at that time. History will say 1 that great was the Ai-:ed triumph | in war, no less a victory was achieved | at the peace table. The Republican proposal means dishonor world con l fusion and delay. It would keep us 1 in permanent company with Ger
 many. Russia, Turkey and Mexico. It
 would entail. in the ultimate, more real injury than the war. itself. The | Democratic position on the question
 as expressed in the platform, is:
 we advocate immediate ratifica
 ton of the Treaty without reserva- | tions which would impair its essential | integrity, but do not oppose the ac-
 ceptance of any reservation making 1 clearer or more specific the obliga-
 tions of the United States to the
 League associates
 l The first duty of the new admin.
 istration clearly will be the ratifica.
 tion of the Treaty. The matter should
 be approached without thought of the
 bitterness of the past. The public
 verdict will have been rendered, ane
 I am confident that the friends ot
 world peace as it will be promoted
 by the League, will have in number.
 the constitutional requisite to favor
 able senatorial action. The caption. 1 that rlo to reservations is vague and indefinite It's meaning in brief, is that we shal
 state our interpretation of the GOV
 enant as a matter of good faith tt our associates and as a precautior against any misunderstanding in tn,
 future. The point is, that after tn, people shall have spoken, the Leagu, will be in the hands of it's friends il the Senate, and a safe index as t, what they will do is supplied by wha
 reservations they have proposed il the past. Some months ago, in i contributed article to the New Yor] Times, expressed my own opinion O
 the situation as it then was. I repro
 duce it here:
 There can be no doubt but tha , some senators have been conscienti ous in their desire to clarify the pro
 visions of the Treaty. Two thing | :, First, they wanted to make sure tha . the League was not to be an allianc
 and that it's basic purpose was peac , and not controversy Second, the wanted the other powers signing tn Y instrument to understand our consti S tuuonal limitations beyond which tn S treaty-making power cannot go. Deal ing with these two questions in orde, 1 it has always seemed to meSthat tn - interpretation of the function of tn ,. League might have been stated i n these words:
 = ' Tn giving it's assent to this treat, = the senate has in mind the fact tha n the League of Nations which it er =. bodies was devised for the sole pu, O pose of maintaining peace and cornit = among the nations of the earth an r preventing the recurrence of such de n structive conflicts as that throus - which the world has just passed. Tn i~v, @f+