The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1921-03-11
Sen.JnO. K. Shields
THE DEMAG0GUE.
memphis Commercial Appeal.)

kMempnlS commercial Appeal
On the eve Of the retirement of the
Democratic party from the national
authority, United States Senator John
X. Shields, who has been honored on
many occasions by this same grand
organization that will honor him no
more, emits what, in all fairness, can
only be construed as shout of exul-
tation at the partys' defeat and dis
comfiture. The T-told -you-so" argu-
ment is nothing more or less than the
expression Of satisfaction, and even
delight, at the assumed vendication
Of the one making it. Senator
Shields speech was just such an ar
gument, and it was no more than was
to be expected from the man who
broke the pledge upon which he was
elected and by SO doing helped by
that much to bring about the defeat
Of the political organization that has
given him place and power.
The senator evidently feels that his
actions need some explanation, or else
he would not choose to give any. He
therefore, proceeds to explain through
self justification based on the result
Of the November election and in these
his own words:
II exercise the power and prerog-
atives vested in me by the constitu-
tion as a member of the United
States Senate in considering for the
advice and consent by the chief exec
utive."
He did not mention, however, that
he also exercised the power and pre-
negatives" to break his own pledge
that 81 will stand by Woodrow Will
sons military policies as long as
am in the Senate" made at a time
when the presidents IA points," the
chief one of which was league of ma
lions, constituted the whole military
policy of the nation. But this fact is
so well-known that it hardly needs
repeating, and it is mentioned here
merely that the people might justly
apprize the value of the senator's
selfglorification.
The whole labored effort of Sena-
tor Shields is but an attempt to prove
he was right in his treachery to the
Democratic party and to the whole
civilized world simply because the ma
tional Democratic candidates were de-
feated last November. In doing so he
assumes very dogmatically that the
Democratic defeat was caused solely
because of its advocacy of the league
of nations He, either deliberately or
unconsciously, WIDELY disregards the
many, many things that initiated
against Democratic success, some of
which were the pro-German resent
ment against the war upon Germany,
the foolish resentment of the Irish
against Wilson because he did not
make Ireland free, and the usual and
general after-war grievances. In his
own conceit, at least, Senator Shields
by his categorical diagnosis of just
what the election means has done
what few if any of the real political
leaders have even attempted to do.
To show how ridiculous people can
sometimes make themselves we quote
these words from the senator's
speech:
"The American people have, as
shown by the results of the election,
confirmed and approved all | have
said and done upon the subject. They
have shown that they oppose league
of nations, and their voice is not
against simply the covenant as con-
tanned by the German treaty. They
have shown that they are opposed to
any entangling alliances of this coun-
try with the European nations. II
makes no difference whether or not
it is called league Of nations or
society of nations, what the Ameri-
can people condemned and repudiated
was the tearty, any arrangement
with a foreign nation or nations
which entangled or complicated US
with foreign politics, foreign policies
and the strifes and wars of Europe"
Senator Shields seems much pleased
over the fact that President Harding
had the creates. popular majority in
history, Just as pleased as he was for
getful of the fact that the new pres
ident is pledged both by platform and
by word of mouth to establish an as
sociation Of the nations of the world,
with the Unied States member, to
preserve the peace of the world. II
the senator does not know or has for
cotton this fact he is too ignorant of
the most vital issue of the day to wear
the toga Of senator, and if he does
know it he has made deliberate mis-
statement. In either event he de-
serves the reprobation of the people |
whose intelligence he has insulted by |
his attempt to deceive. How Mr..
Harding win proceed to construct an
association of nations we do not know |
but there is much talk that the Re-