Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-05-19
New York's View of
Indiana Republicans

LIE 1Huldud TcpuDlICduS HueSeTNe CIeuIl
for their straight-out declaration against
the league of nations. They are willing
to make it a clear-cut issue, and any
symptoms of ordinary intellectual hon
be welcomed.
Gen. Leonard Wood may have won the
four delegates-at-large from Indiana, but
Senator Hiram Johnson won the plat
state declare our absolute opposition to
the covenant Of the league of nations as
submitted by the president" and fully
approve the action of the republicans of
the senate in resisting its adoption"
Indiana is the state of VIII H. Hays,
chairman of the republican national
committee. For weeks Mr.. Hays has been
at work with the elder statesmen of the
republican party In framing a league of
nations plank on which the republican
national convention would be willing 70
stand. The Indiana platform may be
accepted In the main as the Chicago
platform. The irreconcilables who com
plain that it does not go far enough to
satisfy them are plainly masking their
exultation for strategic reasons. The
platform is a complete exposition Of Mr..
Hays's 100 per cent American hog doc
trine that Eve are more interested in
the stomachs of our people than in the
hearts of the world"
At the outset the Indiana republicans
pay perhaps the finest tribute to Presi-
dent Wilson that the members of an
opposition party ever paid to president
In power. They accuse him of having
insisted on making and forced the rep
resentatives of the associated powers to
adopt the covenant of the league of ma
lions as an integral part of the peace
treaty" This is not quite correct; the
associated powers finally adopted the
covenant Of the league of nations be-
cause they discovered that the president
was right when he told them that other
wise their treaty could not be executed,
but this is a mere detail.
In the main their indictment Is a true
bill President Wilson forced the cove
nant into the treaty. The league of ma
lions is his work, and is represents the
longest step forward that has ever been
taken in international relations. II the
Indiana republicans are determined that
he shall have the sole credit for the most
enlightened piece of craftsmanship since
the abolition OF human slavery, well and
good.
accusations along with their blanket In
dorsement of all the republican senator's
who have been engaged in wrecking the
treaty, reseryauonists and bitter-enders
alike. 1t is well that the Indiana re-
publicans should have Jumped them to-
gethsr. They belong together. They
may have had their differences as to
method, but they have pursued the Same
object which was the mutiIation of the
NNuer Il . hnn
moral and legal obligations OF the United
States as to make the league uhworkable.
No political convention can ever be
quite sincere. and so the Indiana re
publicans, after declaring against the
league OF nations. adopted a resolution
favoring "the judicial settlement of in
ternational disputes" and the ''estab-
lishment- Of a world court to administer
international Justice" The only world
court that 1t is possible to achieve Is that
established by the covenant Of the league
Of nations, and in their absolute oppo-
sition" to the covenant OF the league, the
Indiana republicans have set themselves
against the world court that they pre-
tend to favor; but be that as IL may
they have helped clarity the issue. and
make &c the easier 10 sub nit the treaty
OF peace to that great and solemn ref
erendum" which all republicans derided
when It was first suggested by the
president.
Whatever the rank and Ale Of the re
publican voters may think, the Tepub-
lican politicians are becoming more and
more open in their antsgonism TO the
league Of nations. This is not to be re-
GREETED II they win put the party squarely
on record as the Indiana convention has
done. There is no other way in which
any issue can be decided at the polls. and
decided inteiligently. II Hiram John
sons fight against the league is forcing
the republicans to stop trimming and
take a definiate stand. to that extent
Hiram johnson has performed an emf
nent public service and deserves well OF
the country New York World.