Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1920 — SENATOR HARDING ACCEPTS [ARTICLE]

SENATOR HARDING ACCEPTS

Running all through Senator Harding’s speech of acceptance, delivered Thursday, is that soothingness that always characterizes the obvious. To nine-tenths of what he says Democrats could yield hearty assent without ceasing to be Democlats. Indeed there is little difference between the platforms of the two parties on the general run of subjects, such as capital and labor, strikes, agriculture, production, prices, the cost of living, the soldiers, woman suffrage, etc. On all these Senator Harding takes the safe and conventional view. What he says about “autocracy” is a mere echo of the 1 Chicago platform, and with such a man as. Cox on the Democratic ticket it loses whatever force it had—which was not much. Except for a declaration of his belief in a protective tariff, and a declaration that “there is an easy and open path to righteous relationship with Mexico” —what it is he does not say—all

that is left is the league of nations issue. As to protection, we are not informed how it could be applied nt a time * when the great needconsidering the exchange situation and the necessity for lower home 1 prices if we are tc* continue to sell abroad—is for larger imports. i A few days ago it was said in' these columns that the senator j would have a big job of interpreting to do. Whether he has succeeded or not is for the people, and especially the Republicans, to say. He opposes strongly the league of na-| tions, as does the platform, and characterizes it as a vast “super-gov-ernment,” which decidedly it is not. The Chicago convention declared that it could not be made right even by reservations/ Senator Harding said Thursday: In the call of the conscience or America is peace, peace that closes the gaping wound of world war, and silences the impassioned voices of

international envy and distrust, j Heeding this call and knowing as I do the disposition of the congress, I I promise you formal and effective' peace so quickly as a Republican congress can pass its declaration for a Republican executive to sign. That is, the senator favors a separate peace -with Germany, a peace made apart from our allies and associates, the sort of peace that Senator Lodge has denounced as one that would bring on us “everlasting shame and dishonor.” The words of Senator Harding are capable of no other construction. He is opposed to the j league of nations, as much so'as are Senator Johnson and Senator Knox, the latter of whom at the last session introduced a separate peace resolution. Yet the candidate declares that he does not favor na- | tional isolation nor would he shun international responsibility. After this proposed peace, Senator Hard- । ing would have “an association of l nations, co-operating in sublime accord, to attain and preserve peace through justice rather than force, determined to add to security through international law, so clarified that no misconstruction can be possible without affronting world honor.” In the present condition of Europe the strong arm would seem to be the only solution of the peace question and this the members of the peace league are jointly exerting as far as their resources permit. When once the work settles down it may be possible to use persuasion and other powerful arts to insure permanent peaceful relations among naj tions, Meanwhile our allies are carj rying the burden of the aftermath lof the war without the co-operation : of the United States, so there is not much likelihood that they would welcome suggestions or advice from Mr. Harding’s government after the worst of the trouble was over. It is quite clear -that the campaign is to center about the league of na-> tions. Here is one issue at least that Mr. Harding has made with as much sharpness as could be expected of him. —Indianapolis News (Rep.) i REED BREAKS OUT AGAIN i Senator Reed has broken loose again with another of his pusillanimous wails about the perils of international complications. He wants , our soldiers in Europe brought home at’ once for fear they may get into । trouble. Discussing the Polish sit- । nation he is quoted as saying, “I I especially challenge attention to the । terrible danger ’ in which we now stand. We have 18,000 of our sol- । diers now in Europe: They at any moment may be attacked. If they are the United States is at war without any action whatsoever on the part of congress, for when our armies are attacked a state of war exists.”

We do have 18,000 soldiers in Europe. We had 2,000,000 over there a year and a half ago, of whom tens of thousands will never come back. Our soldiers were there to crush the Prussian military machine. They did their part. The 18,000 who are now on the Rhine are standing guard to insure that the deaths of their comrades shall not have been in vain. They are waiting until we can get

peace, which has been blocked by such as Reed. The craven appeal to abandon the cause for which they fought and to hurry home will fall on deaf ears in this country. Nobody is likely to attack our soldiers except from the direction of Germany. We are still at war with that nation, thanks to patriots of the Reed caliber, and are not likely to run from an enemy. Our troops in Europe are not looking for trouble, but if Russian Bolshevists or ariy other elements are seeking a quarrel with us withdrawing our troops will not stop them, nor would we have our men slink home to avoid a contingency.—lndianapolis Star (Rep. state organ). I The Farmer-Labor party has nominated a state ticket in Indiana, as follows: J. M. Zion of Clark’s Hill, Tippecanoe county, for governor; Carl Mullen of’ Lake county for lieu-tenant-igovernor; Francis J. Dillon of Indianapolis for United States senator; Mrs. Margaret Doebber of Indianapolis for superintendent of public instructions; Percy R. Bell of Allen county for secretary of state; John Fogg of Vigo county for state treasurer; Charles R. Rodgers of Indianapolis for attorney-general; Ray Vern Maple of Marion county for state auditor; Thomas L. Kenney of Bicknell for judge of the supreme ' court, and Leßoy Swartz of Allen ' county for clerk of the supreme court. The platform adopted endorses in its entirety the platform of the “committee of 48” et al, recently adopted in Chicago. It is not probable that the ticket will cut much congealed aqua in Indiana this fall.

" W. J. Bryan declining to be “it” for the Prohibition party, the drys named Aaron S. Watkins of Germantown, 0., to head their ticket, and will officially inform him of the fact on Aug. 11. The name of the town from which Mr. Watkins hails might indicate that he hasn’t very much of a home following.