Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-28
HARDING PROPOSES
TRIBUNAL TO TAKE
PLACE OF LEAGUE
Pronounces Existing Plan
"Definite and Irredeem-
able Failure"
PRACTICAL ATTRIBUTES
OF COVENANT FAVORED
Nominee Promises to Seek Advice
of Parties to Put Teeth in
Hague Court.
By the Associated Press.

~ = ~A e"SS w = Nv ASSsA ~
Hague Court.
By the Associated Press.
MARION, Ohio, August 2S.-Pro-
nouncing the existing league of ma
tions a definite and irredeemable
failure, Senator Harding today pro-
posed a new effort to construct a
world association on the framework
of The Hague tribunal clothed with
such attributes of the league cove
nant as may be found safe and prac-
ticable.
He pledged himself if elected Presi-
dent to make an immediate effort,
with the advice Of the ablest men
of both political parties, to form such
into The Hague court or by revising
the covenant to protect national as
pirations.
The declaration was made in a
front-porch speech to a delegation of
| Indiana republicans, covering in de-
tail the republican nominees posi-
ton on the nations foreign relations
The senator replied directly to the ar
guments of his democratic opponent,
Gov. Cox, AMI declared the league is
sue had been squarely Joined.
1.-The democratic nominee" he said.
has fatty said he lis in favor of go-
| ing in on the basis announced by the
President. I am not. That is the
a most vital one because it involves
1.-The disparity between world court
Il justice supplemented by world as
,ciation for conference on the one
| i and and the council of the league
a the other
| Says League Failed in Poland.
| The league, the candidate asserted,
had broken down at it's first test in
Poland. and now had passed beyond
the possibility Of restoration" He
quoted from British statesmen to sup.
port his statement that a revision of
the covenant would be welcomed
abroad, and answered suggestions that
| he be more specific by asserting that
detailed specifications were impossible
in view of changing world opinion.
! Passage of a peace resolution, ne
continued, would make an actual and
effective peace without negotiation OF
a separate treaty with Germany.
Touching on Mexico. the 1sRgolifan 1Isn no
tice to every government on the face
of the earth" that the United states
would submit to no wrong to its citi-
zens in person or property
He also replied to charges OF nm
due Senate influence by asserting that
as President he would be quite as
vigilant as he had been as asa senator
| to prevent trespass on that brancn
of the government in which he
served.
| The text Of the speech 1ollo"s IN
part:
flied the peace treaty containing the
league covenant as submitted TO II
by the President in July Of last year
Before this day we would have been
called upon to fulfill the obligations
which we had assumed under article
| x of the league covenant to pre-
serve the territorial integrity OF Po.
I aYfarn91 QRRrpSSiOn.'
Risk of American Honor.
"The council of the league of ma
tions would have reasoned, and rea-
soned correctly. that the United States
could furnish the munitions and. II
necessary, the men to Withstand the
hordes advancing from Russia tas
nations of Europe. What would OF
necessity have to result? Nothing
necessarily. we are glihly informed.
war, and the Congress might reject
the appeal of the executive But
would the Congress do that? Could
the Congress do that without staining
| indeIibly the honor of the nation?
| "The American people would never
permit a reputation of debt of hon
| or No Congress would ever dare
make this nation appear as a we,cner. ,r,
| such an event before the eyes OF the
world.
''For myself yield to no man in
willingness. aye in eagerness to rem
der the greatest conceivable assist
ance to the stricken peoples or Eu.
rope. I include all of them and
| speak with genuinely sYmpatheIIc
| heart whether it is to mention dew
| astated France, or Sorniy tried italy.
| or nobly struggling Poland. or dis
| tracted and misguided Russia. or gaf-
ceived Austria. or the ruthless in
yader Germany, which came to the
supreme tragedy through a leader
ship which brought disaster to her
misguided people.
'It was with that feeling of sym
pathy and desire to serve, that most
| reluctantly and with grave misGiv-
| ings, as l announced at the time, l
voted to accept the league covenant
with reservations designed to preserve
our essential liberty of action. The
record is made and under the same
conditions. confronted by the same
alternative, 1 should vote now as
voted then.
ImpOtent ms Preventative.
But the conditions have changed.
Experience has brought enlighten-
ment. We know now that the
league constituted at Versailles is
utterly impotent as a preventive OF
wars. 1t is obviously impotent
that it has not even been tried. 1t
| could not survive a single test, The
original league, mistakenly conceived
and unreasonably insisted upon. has
undoubtedly passed beyond the pos
sibility of restoration.
Now, it may appear to you that
have been speaking chiefly in the
negative. make the admission.
What is more. I might continue to do
so almost indefinitely without disad-
vantage to our cause. So many
things have been done by the present
expiring administration that no
power on earth could induce me to
do, that I cannot even attempt TO
recount them. 1 may remark casual
ly. however. that IL I should be. as
l fully expect to be. elected President
of this Just and honorable republic. I
will not empower an assistant secre-
tary of the navy to draft constitu-
| ton for helpless neighbors in the
West Indies. and jam it down their
throats at the point OF bayonets
borne by United States Marines. Nor
will l misuse the power of the execu-
tive to cover with veil of secrecy
repeated acts of unwarranted inter-
ference in domestic affairs of the
little republics of the western hemi-
| sphere.
ION the other hand, / will not or
shall not. as you prefer. submit to
any wrong against any American citi-
zen, with respect to either his life
or his property. by any government.
This statement is made in all solem-
nfty with enmity for none and friend