New-York tribune., 1920-08-08

party is committed both by platform
in the abstract and by it's candidate in
specification, The threatened revolt
among leaders of the party is avertcd
but the minority position as expressed
in the Senate prevails as that Of the
party. In short, principle, as avowed
in support of the Lodge reservations.
or of the so-callcd mild reservations,
has been surrendered to expedienoy.
Hardlng's New Pledge
Senator Harding makes this new
pledge of policy in behalf of his party:
Il promise you formal and effective
peace as quickly as a Republican Con-
gress can pass its declaration for a
Republican Executive to sign"
This means but one thing-a sep
arate peace with Germany!
This would be the most dishearten
ing event in civilization since the Rus
SLAMS made their separate peace with
Germany, and infinitely more unworthy
on our part than it was on that of the
Russians. They were threatened with
starvation and revolution had swept
their country. Our soldiers fought
side by side with the Allies.
So complete was the coalition OF
strength and purpose that General
Foch was given supreme command, and
every soldier in the Allied cause, no
matter what flag he followed, recog-
nized him as his chief. We fought
The war together, and now before the
thing is through it is proposed to en-
ter into separate peace with Ger
many! In good faith We pledged our
strength with our associates for the
enforcement of terms upon offending
powers, and now it is suggested that
this be withdrawn. Suppose Germany,
recognizing the first break in the AL
hes, proposes something we cannot ac-
cept, does Senator Harding intend to
SEND an army to Germany to press her
to our terms? Certainly the Allied
army could not be expected to render
ala. If, on the other hand, Germany
should accept the chance we offered
OF breaking the bond it would be for
the express purpose of nsurng a
German-American alliance, recognizing
that the Alliesin fact, no nation in
good standing-would not have any
thing to do with either of US
Ihls plan would not only be piece
of bungling diplomacy, but plain, un-
adulterated dishonesty as we'll
No less an authority than Senator
Lodge said, before the heat of recent
controversy, that to make peace ex-
cept IN company with the Allies would
brand us everlastingly with dishonor
and bring ruin to u.s."
And then after peace is made with
Germany Senator Harding would he
says, hopefully approach the nations
OF Europe and of the earth, proposing
that understanding which makes us q
willing participant in the conservation
of nations to new relationship"
In short, America, refusing to enter
the League of Nations (now already
established by twenty-nine nationsj, =,
and bearing and deserving the con-
: entirely new project. This act would
either be regarded as arrant madness
or attempted international bossism.
The plain truth is that the Repub-
llcan leaders, obsessed with deter
mination to win the Presidential cleo
ton, have attempted to satisfy too
many divergent views. Inconsistencies,
inevitable under the circumstances, rise
to haunt them on every hand, and they
find themselves arrayed in public
thought, at least, against great prin-
/ opposed to the idealism upon which
their party prospered in other days.
illustrating these observations by
; concrete facts, let it be remembered
that those now inveighing against ar
interest in affairs outside of America
> criticized President Wilson in unmeas-
. ured terms for not resenting the nva
! sion of Belgium in 1914. They tern
!, the League of Nations military alli
: ance, which, except for their opposi
ton, would envelop our country, when
as matter of truth, the subject of s
a League of Nations has claimed The
: best thought of America for years, ane
! the League to Enforce Peace was pre-
f sided over by so distinguished a Re
publican as exPrcsident Taft, who, be
fore audiences in every section, advo
Gated the principle and the plan of tn,
present league.
Essence of Article X
= They charge experimentation, whe1
we have as historical precedent thu
Monroe Doctrine which is the yer!
essence of Article x of the Versailles
covenant. Skeptics viewed Monroe
mandate with alarm, predicting recur
rent wars in defense of Central ane
dians they alleged we need not be. Ant
" yet not shot has been fired in almos
q hundred years in preserving sover
:. eign rights on this hemisphere.
They hypocritically claim that tn
League of Nations will result in ou
boys being drawn into military service
but they fail to realize that every higl
! school youngster in the land knows
that no treaty can override our Consti
tuition, which reserves to Congress, ant
to Congress alone, the power to declar'
war. They preach Americanism will
q meaning of their own invention, ant
artfully appeal to selfish, and provin
cial spirit, forgetting that Lincoll
fought war over the purely mora
question of slavery, and that McKinle.
broke the fettcrs of our boundary lines
spoke the freedom Of Cuba and carried
the torch of American idealism t.
the benighted Filipinos. They los,
memory of Garfeld's prophecy tina
America under the blessings of God
given opportunity, would by her mora
leadership and cooperation become
! Messiah among the nations of thu
= earth.
These are fateful times. Organized
government has a definite duty al
j. over the world. The house Of civiliza
ton is to be put in order. The su
1 preme issue of the century is before
us, and the nation that halts and delay
is playing with fire. The finest i'm
pulses of humanity, rising above ma
tional lines, merely seek to make an
other horrible war impossible. Under
2 the old order Of international anarchy
:, war came overnight, and the worlt
t was on fire before we knew it, i
sickens our senses to think Of another
! We saw one conflict into which mod
:, ern science brought new forms of de-