Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-07-20

vote they adopted It, and submitted IL
ito the nations. II was submitted to
Iour country BY the great man who led
in framing II. he urged the senate
to accept 1t. not as perfect plan. but
as the best then ebtainable. The ma
ljority Of his party and great leaders
lof the opposing party approved IT. CIT
liens everywhere--DemocratI In over
Iwhelming numbers, called upon their
Representatives to ratify the treaty.
What was the record of James A.
Reed? Criticism. obstruction, opposi-
ition. He opposed II. He denounced
lit He attacked the good faith and pa
triotism of the President for advising
Its ratification. He not only fought
the treaty, but he fought Il unfairly.
He didn't state the facts. He DELHI
erarely misstated them. He didn't
fight 1t honestly. He deliberately mis-
construed the plain terms of the cove
nant. He resorted to base, .sophistry
and demagOguery to deceive the peo-
lple. He stopped to coarse appeals to
passion and prejudice to lnfiame the
people against the treaty and the
itreaty's supporters.
vliIifieation of Wilson.
"The cruel fact Is that this man,
who in 1910 boasted that he had never
stabbed his Darty's leaders In the back,
not only denounced the Presidents
proposal, but vlllified him personally.
Not only in the senate, but from one
lend Of the country to the other, he at
tackled him with the coarseness of the
gutter and the ferocity of the jungle.
The attacks began as the President
took his seat at the conference table,
h;continued as the President single
handed and alone, battled for justice
and democracy against old world dip
lomats, increased In ferocity as he re-
turned to his native shores with the
great document in his hand, ragged un-
abated as the President pleading for
the great cause, paled and trembled,
and fell; pursued him to the sick
chamber and there with eager, savage
eyes kept watch with Death itself.
SAT Salisbury, No., he referred to
the President as 'long-eared animal
that goes braying about the country.
When confronted by that statement in
this campaign, he at first denied it.
When men of unimpeachable veracity
swOre that he made it, he admitted it,
and then, he says (mark his words)
Immediately Withdrew 1t. In other
words, he stabbed the President In the
back and Immediately drew the dag
| tger out. Would God that the daggers
thrust in the back of Woodrow Wilson
could be Withdrawn! But they stabbed
him; they let his blood; they weak
ened him; they broke his nerve. They
broke his heart. They, for the time.
defeated his plan for his country and
humankind. And now called to an
swer for their crimes, they hold up
their bloody hands and whine-'For-
IlgiveI forgive; | pulled the dagger out
as soon as stuck it in.'
During Reeds bitter fight on the
peace treaty, Individual Democrats,
organizations of Democrats, the Dem
ocratic state committee, Democratic
members Of the Missouri General As
sembly appealed to him to support it.
To each and all his answer was that
the Democratic party had never made
platform declaration on the treaty
and that he was answerable only to q
regularly constituted Democratic con.
vention.
"In April, 1920, regularly consti
tuted convention met at Joplin. The
delegates were selected with an eye
single to the approval or disapprova
of the league covenant and of Reed.
attitude thereon. The convention by
an overwhelming vote declared in ia
vor of the treaty But the combined
wisdom of the Democracy of his state
as declared in platform regularly
adopted, did not move him then as II
moved him in 1910. In defiance of the
platform, he asked an election as a dis
trict delegate to the national conyen
tion that he might there belle the plat
form of his party. BY vote of 1,0T(
to 429, his impudent request was de
nied. TraiIed to San francisco.
! Did he bow to the will of his par
/ ty? No. He trailed out to San Fran
cisco. In defiance OF, the will Of his
| states convention. he asked the ere
dentials committee for a seat In the
national convention. They denied his
request. Still defiant, he caused hi.
fight to be carried to the floor of thu
convention. BY an overwhelming VOTE
he was rejected and repudiated. No
, only so. The convention by plat
form regularly and by overwhelming
! vote adopted, declared In favor of the
peace treaty, including the league GOV
, enant. What thea? Did Reed accep
! the combined wisdom of my partyT
"In 1910, he said: I stand on thu
i Democratic platform. never left i
! and never found 1t difficult to keep m!
/ equilibrium upon It. On his return
!. from San Francisco, did he stand OIL
/ his party's platform? Did he keep hi
equilibrium on 1t? No. He never go
, on 1t at ALL He says the state com
. mittee ruled him off. They couldn'
roll him on. He hired hall in Kan
sas City, stood on his own platform
! denounced his party's platform an,
nominees, then hurried away to Wis
: lconsin to speak for an independent Re
, publican candidate for United State
lsenator. He says he was trying t
help the Democratic nominee. ] won
der what he told the Republican can
! sdldate at the time.
} asle Betrayed the Party"
: "He betrayed the party. BE stabbe'
; ITS leaders In the back. Just a. he sal
70 David II. Francis in 1899, we sa