Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1921-06-22
LEAGUE OF NATIONS OR BOLSHE-
yISM-WHICH!

that is occasioning much thoughtful
comment.
Mr.. Holt contends that the League
of Nations and Bolsheyism are the
only two great ideas that have come
out of the war as world panacea. and
he urges the President not to longer
delay a definite statement in refer
ence to his foreign policy, not TO
place party harmony above world
welfare.
The formal part of his letter fol-
lows:
at is now six year that the league
of nations issue has been before the
country. It is now two years that
you as senator. presidential candl-
date, president and president
have had the league of nations issue
officially before you.
"As senator, you voted to have the
United States enter the existing
league provided the Lodge amend
ments were made part OF the act rat-
ification.
'As president-elect you did not see
fit to disclose your attitude on the.
league beyond what you had said dur
ing the campaign. Both the thirty
one and the 'irreconcilables' claimed
you for their own.
Gas presidential candidate you left
the country and even your own fol-
lowers in doubt as to your attitude.
Thirty-one pre-eminent republicans
a nv
state, Mr.. Hughes, and your secre-
tary of Commerce, Mr.. Hoover--as-
sured their fellow countrynlen that
you would go into the existing league.
Senators Borah and Johnson and the
other 'irreconcilables' assured them
you would not.
"As president, however, you have
unequiyocally repudiated the existing
league of nations whose area COM
prised considerably more than half
the earth and whose population num-
bers three-quarters of the human
race You even permitted without re-
Duke your ambassador at the Court of
st. James to say that you will have
nothing to do with any commission
or committee appointed by he'league
or responsible to it directly or indi
rectly, openly or furtively.
You have, nevertheless, as presi-
Dental candidate, repeatedly prom
ised during the campaign, and as
president you have reiterated that
promise, that you will seek to estab-
lish AN association of nations based
upon the application of Justice and
right, binding us in conference and
n - .>f
war and pointing the way to higher
civilization and international frater-
nifty in which all the world might
share
"You have not yet given the Amer
lean people the slightest inkling of
the terms of this Harding association
that you propose shall supplant the
wilson league. Has not the time
come, | respectfully ask, for you to
do this? Surely you cannot expect
the forty-eight members of the pres
ent league to scrap it and come into
your association unless two things
are perfectly clear:
First That the new association
is substantially as good or better than
the existing league, and
"SecOnd-That this time propos-
al of president of the United States
will have the permanent and over
whelning support of the American
people.
'"You are statesman of sufficient
experience to know that our people
will not support your association
no matter how excellent without the !.
fullest preliminary discussion Events
OF the last two years have demon
strated this.
you cannot, therefore, hope to get
public opinion behind your associa-
ton without taking your countrymen
into your confidence
Even II your own party were COM
pletely united on the issue, you would
still have to get some democratic
support to assure the ratification of
your association by two-thirds Of the
senate. AS your party was the, one
that first made the league party is
sue, the democratic senators would
be only human now if they turned
the tables and also made your asso-
citation party issue. They control
more than third of the votes in the
senate and they can block you as you
and your colleagues blocked Mr.. Will
son.
If you expect to gain democratic
support it is incumbent upon you to
purpose an association so concrete
and effective as to commend itself to
the enlightened sense of both parties.
Therefore, the quicker you take the
American people into your confidence
the better.
There is another and even more
important reason why you should dis
close the details of your plan at once.
The world is on the brink of revolu-
ton, famine and pestilence. The only
two great ideas that have come out
of this war as world panaceas are
the league Of nations and bolshe-
yism. II you repudiate the existing
league and delay too long suggesting
anything in its place you run the very
real risk of making the world be-
lieve you have no plan at all, and il
that comes to be generally believed,
can you guarantee that the world
would not turn to bolshevism?
Mr.. President, the time has come
The country and the world have wait
ed long enough to know just what
kind OF an association of nations you
have in mind. If you delay much
further, people everywhere will inev-
itably conclude that either you have
no concrete plan at all, else that you
propose to put party harmony above
world welfare. In that event there
will be nothing left for those who
want America to play her rightful
part in stabilizing, the world but to
organize the. country so as to cap
ture congress for the league in 1922
and the presidency in 1924. This can