Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1920 — PEACE KEYNOTE OF COX SPEECH OF ACCEPTANCE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PEACE KEYNOTE OF COX SPEECH OF ACCEPTANCE

Democratic Candidate Would Enter League, Immediately Ratify Treaty and State Interpretation of Covenant. SAYS “BACK TO THE NORMAL” MEANS REACTION Failtire to Enforce Prohibition Is Worse Than Law's Violation—Declares Present Congress Has Not Passed a Single Constructive Law, but Has Spent Time and Millions In Seeking to Make America’s Military Triumph an Odious Chapter in History—Favors Repeal of War Taxes, Criminal Prosecution of Profiteers, More Adequate Supervision of Railroads, a National Budget System, and Woman Suffrage.

Here is a summary of the speech of Gov. James M. Cox, Democratic candidate for president, at the notification ceremonies at Dayton: League of Nations. —Would enter the league, immediately ratify the treaty and state our Interpretation of the covenant In reservations as a matter of good faith and as a matter of precaution against any misunderstanding in the future. The Interpretation to clearly show that the league Is not an alliance and that its basic purpose Is peace and not controversy. Domestic Problems. —Would repeal war taxes; reduce federal taxation; suggests, in place of excess profits tax, substitution of volume of business tax. Profiteering.—Promises penalization under the, criminal law. Labor. —Stimulate Americanization. Writ of injunction should not be abused. No necessity now for the drastic laws of war days; guarantee of free speech ; recognition of the rights of the principle of collective bargaining. Child life of the nation should be conserved. Agriculture.—Federal government should sponsor agriculture and food production. Farmer be amply compensated for his work, flavors municipal markets. Regulation of cold storage. Would increase area of tillable land. National Prosperity.—Objective should be decreased tenantry and stimulation of home ownership. Food Supply. —More adequate supervision of railroads; utilization of waterways. Financial and Commercial. — Extols federal reserve act and merchant marine. Would extend facilities for exchange and .credit and stimulate foreign trade. National Budget.—Favors a national budget system. Would reduce armament expenditures on entering League of Nations. Republican Ungenerosity. — Republicans failed to recognize that America had saved the world or to appreciate the struggles sacrifices of those who, In arms or industry, helped win the war. Present Congress has not passed a single constructive law, but spent time and millions in seeking to make military triumph an odious chapter in history. Mexican Situation.—We htrve neither lust for their domaPl nor disposition to disturb their nglir?; Disabled Soldiers. —Pledges Immediate efforts to provide vocational training and favors employment of disabled soldiers of World War by Federal board to supervise the rehabilitation’ of disabled soldiers. Prohibition. —“Any candidate for the presidency who sajs he does not intend lo enforce thfe law Is more unworthy than the law violator.” Woman Suffrage.—Strongly favored. Official Responsibility.—Opposed to “government by party;” pledges the people as a whole. —- Education. —Federal government should not encroach on local control, but rather should create an enlarged public interest. Campaign Contributions. —No narrow dividing line between the legitimate and the illegitimate, underlying purpose only determining. Industrial Peace.—We want a change from the world of yesterday, from the old industrial world. We are at the “forks of the road.” So-called “return to the normal" means “reactionism.”

Dayton, 0., August 7. —In his speech of acceptance today, Gov. James M. Cox, addressing A great crowd, said Mi part ; /

straight thinking, straight talking and straight acting. This is no time for wobbling. Never in all our history has more been done for government. Never was sacrifice more sublime. The most precious things of heart and home were given up In a spirit which guarantees the perpetuity of our Institutions—if the faith is kept with those who served and suffered. League of Nations. “The country received with Interest to say the least, the announcement from Chicago, where the Republican National convention was assembled, that a platform plank, dealing with the subject of world peace, had been drawn, leaving out the Lodge reservations and yet remaining agreeable to all Interests, meaning, thereby, the Lodge reservationists, the mild reservationlsts and the group of Republican senators that openly opposed the League of Nations in any form. “As the platform made no definite committal of policy and was, in fact, so artfully phrased as to make almost any deduction possible, it passed through the convention with practical unanimity. Senator Johnson, however, whose position bus been consistent and whose opposition to the league in any shape Is well known, withheld his support of the convention’s choice until the candidate had stated the meaning of the platform, and announced definitely the policy that would be his. If elected. "Senator Harding makes this new pledge of policy in behalf of his party: “ 'I promise you formal and effective peace so quickly as a Republican congress can pass its declaration for a Republican executive to sign.’ “This means but one thing—a separate peace with Germany I “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 us.’ “And then after i>eace is made with Germany, Senator Harding would, he says, ‘hopefully approach the nations of Europe find of the earth, proposing that understanding which makes us a willing participant in the consecration of nations to a new relationship.’ “In short, America, refusing to enter the League of Nations (now already established by 29 nations) and bearing and deserving the contempt of tha world, would submit an entirely new project. This act would either be regarded as arrant madness or attempted international bossism. “These are fateful times. Organized government has a definite duty al) over the world. The house of civilization is to be put in order. The supreme issue of the century is before us and. the nation that halts and delays Is playing with fire. The finest impulses of humanity, rising above na.tional Unfit, iKerely’seek to make another horrible war impossible. Under the old order of international anarchy war came overnight, and the world was on fire before we knew It. It sickens our senses to think of an other. Ratification First Duty. “The first duty of the new administration clearly will be the ratification of the treaty. The matter should be approached without thought of the bitterness of the past. The public verdict will have been rendered, and I am confident that the friends of world peace as it will be promoted by the League will have in numbers the constitutional requisite to favorable senatorial action. The captious may say that our platform reference to reservations is vague and indefinite. Its meaning, in brief, is that we shall state our interpretation of the covenant as a matter of good faith to our associates and as a precaution against any misunderstanding in the future. The point is, that after the people shall have spoken, the League will be in the hands of its friends in the senate, and a safe index as to what they will do is supplied by what reservations they have proposed in the past. Some months ago, in a contributed article to the New York Times, I expressed my own opinion of the situation as it then was. I reproduce it here: “ ‘There can be no doubt but that some senators have been conscientious in their desire to clarify the provisions of the treaty. Two things apparently have disturbed them: First, they wanted to make sure that the league was not to be an alliance, and that Its WLC pwposa PPM and not OMia

troversy. Second, they wanted the other powers signing the instrument to understand our constitutional llmP tations beyond which the treaty-makt Ing power cannot go. Dealing with these two questions in order, it has always seemed'to me that the interpretation of the function of the League might have been stated in these words: “ ‘ln giving its assent to this treaty, the senate has in mind the fact that the League of Nations which it embodies was devised for the sole purpose of maintaining peace and comity among the nations of the earth and preventing the recurrence of such destructive conflicts as that through which the world has just passed. The co-operation of the United States with the League and its continuance as a member thereof, will naturally depend upon the adherence of the League to that fundamental purpose.’ “Such a declaration would at least express the view of the United States and justify the course which our nation would unquestionably follow If the basic purposes of the League at any time distorted. It would also appear to be a simpler matter to provide against any misunderstanding In the future anti at the same time to meet the objections of those who believe that we might be inviting a controversy over our Constitution rights, by making a senatorial addition in words something like these: “ ‘lt will of course be understood that in carrying out the purpose of the League, the government of the United States must at all times act in strict harmony with the terms and intent of the United States Constitution which cannot in any way be altered by the treaty-making power.’ Helpful Additions Not Barred. “Unquestioned friends of the League have made other proposals. Our platform clearly lays no bar against any additions that will be helpful, but It speaks In a firm resolution to stand against anything that disturbs the vital principle. We hear It said that interpretations are unnecessary. That may be true, but they will at least be reassuring to many of our citizens, who feel that in signing the treaty, there should be no mental reservations that are not expressed in plain words, as a matter of good faith to our associates. Such Interpretations possess the further virtue of supplying a base upon which agreement can be reached, and agreement, without injury to the covenant, Is now of pressing importance. It was the desire to get things started, that prompted some members of the senate to vote for the Lodge reservations. Those who conscientiously voted for them in the final roll calls realized, however, that they acted under duress, In that a politically bigoted minority was exercising the arbitrary power of its position to enforce drastic conditions. Happily the voters of the republic, under our system of government, can remedy that situation, and I have the faith that they will, at the election this fall. Then organized government will be enabled to combine impulse and facility in the making of better world conagencies of exchange will automatically adjust themselves to the opportunities of commercial freedom. New life and renewed hope will take hold of every nation. Mankind will press a resolute shoulder to the task of readjustment, and a new era will have dawned upon the earth.

Federal Taxation. “Federal taxation, must be heavily reduced, and It will be done at once. If a Democratic administration is chosen in November. Without hampering essential national administrative departments, by the elimination of all others and strict economy everywhere, national taxes can be reduced In excess of $2,000,000,000 yearly. Annoying consumption taxes, once willingly borne, now unjustified, should be repealed. The Incomes from warmade fortunes, those of non-producers and those derived from industries that exist by unfair privilege may be able to carry their present load, but taxes on the earnings of the wage-earner, of the salaried and professional man, of the agricultural producer and of the smajl tradesman should be sharply rhddiflen. Tneneve that q bettey form of taxation than the so-called 1 profits tax may be found and I suggest a small tax, probably 1 to 1% per cent on the total business of every going concern. It is to be understood that the term ‘business’ as used does not Include Income received by wageearners, salaried men, agriculturists and the small business man who should be exempt from this The profiteer and some of the highly capitalized units have used the excess profits tax as a favorite excuse for loading on the consumer by means of

highly inflated selling prices many times the amount actually paid the government. A necessary condition to the national contentment and sound business Is a just proportion between fair profits to business and fair prices to the consumer. Would Hatt Profiteering. "The tribe of profiteers has simply multiplied under the favoring circumstances of war. For years, large contributions have been made to the Republican campaign fund for no purpose except to buy a governmental underhold, and to make Illegal profits as the result of preference. Such largesses are today a greater menace to our contentment and our institutions than the countless temporary profiteer* who are making a mockery of honest business, but who can live and fatten only in time of disturbed prices. If I am called to service as president means will be found, if they do not already exist, for compelling these exceptions to the great mass of squaredealing American business men, to use the sama yardstick 1 honesty that.

govern* most of us in our dealings with our fellow men, or In language that they may understand, to suffer the penalty of criminal law. “It has been my observation that the man who learns our language, yields to a controlling public opinion and respects our laws; besides, In proportion as his devotion to American life develops his Interest in the Impulsive processes of revolution diminishes. We must be phtient In the work of assimilation and studiously avoid oppressive measures in the face of mere evidence of misunderstanding. The necessity for the drastic laws of war days is not present now, and we should return at the earliest opportunity to the statutory provisions passed In time of peace for the general welfare. There is no condition now that warrants any infringement on the right of free speech and assembly nor on the liberty of the press. The greatest measure of Individual freedom consistent with the safety of our institutions should be given. Excessive regulation causes manifestations that compel restraint. Law Enforcement “The legislative branch of government is subjected to the rule of the majority. The public official who fails to enforce the law is an enemy both to the Constitution and to the American principle of majority rule. It would seem quite unnecessary for any candidate for the Presidency to say that he does not intend to violate his oath of office. Anyone who Is false to that oath is more unworthy than the law violator himself. “Morals cannot easily be produced by statute. The,writ of injunction should not be abused. Intended as a safeguard to person and property, it could easily by abuse cease to be the protective device it was Intended to be. “We should not, by law, abridge a man’s right either to labor or to quit his employment. However, neither labor nor capital should at any time or in any circumstances, take action that would put in jeopardy the public welfare. a “We need a definite and precise statement of policy as to what business men and workingmen may do and may not do by way of combination and collective action. The law is now so nebulous that It almost turns upon the economic predilections of the judge or jury. This does not make for confidence in the courts nor respect for the laws, nor for a healthy activity in production and distribution. There surely will be found ways by which co-operation may be encouraged without the destruction of enterprise. The rules of business should be made more certain so that on a stable basis men may move with confidence. “Government, however, should provide the means in the treatment of its employees, to keep In touch with conditions and to rectify wrong. It is needless to say that in order to be consistent, facts should at all times justify the pre-supposition that the government employees are properly compensated.

“The child life of the nation should he conserved; if labor in immature years is permitted by one generation, it is practicing unfairness to the next. Adequate Farm Profits. « “Farming will not inspire individual effort unless profits, all things} considered, are equal to those in other activities. An additional check to depleted ranks in the fields would be the establishment of modern state rural school' codes. The federal government should maintain active sponsorship of this. Rural parents wotild be lacking in the element which makes civilization enduring if they did not desire for their children educational opportunities comparable to those In the cities. The price the consumer pays for foodstuffs is po indication of what the producer receives. There pre too many turnovers between the two. The farmer raises his crop and the price which he reeeives is determined by supply and demand. His products in beef and pork and produce pass into cold storage and ordinarily when they reach the consumer the law of supply and demand does not obtain. The preservation of foodstuffs by cold storage is a boon to humanity, and it should be encouraged. Howler, the time has come for Its vigilant regulation and Inasmuch as it becomes a part of interstate commerce, the responsibility is with the federal government. Supplies are gathered in from the farm in times of plenty. They can easily be fed out to the consumer in such manner as to keep the demand in excess of that part of the supply which is released from storage. This is an unfair practice and should be stopped. Besides, there should be a time limit beyond which perishable foodstuffs should not be stored.

“Our objective should be a decreased tenantry. With the period of occupancy uncertain, the renter strips land of Its fertile elements, and each year diminishes our national assets. Under the operation of the federal reserve and the farm loan acts, encouragement has come to thousands who find that industry, character and intelligence are a golden security to the people’s banker, the government of the United States. Multiply our home owners, and you will make the way of the seditious agitator more difficult. Railroads and Waterways. “Any discussion of the question of food supply leads vtery quickly to the closely related matter of transportation. There Is no one thing which brings us so intermittently to critical conditions than the insufficiency of our transportation facilities. Both the railroads and the public are to blame. There has been no material addition to the total mileage in the last ten years, and the Increase in terminals has been much less than required. At the beginning of the war

the rowing stock was sadly reduced and inadequate. The public had not given in pay for service sufficient revenues on which credit could be allowed by the banks. Moral assistance was withheld because of railroad policies that did not bring approval. Many of these corporations had made themselves a part of political activities, local, state and national. Then there were more or less sporadic Instances of stock-watering ojierations, and the exploitation of utility properties for personal gain. “Abuses were not general, but they were sufficient to bring the entfre railroad system of the country in disrepute. The good suffered with the evil. When the' transportation lines were taken over by the government they were barely able to limp through the task of the day. Unity in operation, the elimination of the long haul and the merging of every mile of track and terminal and every car and engine into a co-ordinat-ed plan of operation, enabled the government to transport troops and supplies, at the same time affording, under great stress, a satisfactory outlet for our industries. It should be remembered in this connection that except for the motor truck which supplemented transportation by rail, and except for the great pipe lines which conveyed oil for commercial purposes, we should not, in all probability, have been able to throw our deciding strength into the balance and win the war. Any attempt to discredit the federal operation of railroads during the years of grave emergency is unfair. In rhe pase of those who know the facts it is Insincere. Too much cannot be .said in praise of those who directed this work, nor of the men who physically operated the lines under the discouraging conditions of poor equipment But all of this is water over the wheel. The problem of the railroads is still with us. The government and the public should render every co-operation In the utmost good faith, to give thorough test to private ownership. The railroads have had their lesson. Government regulation is accepted now as not only a safeguard to the public, but ns a conserving process to the utility. Financial credit Is necessary to physical rehabilitation and it should be sufficient for the periods of maximum demand. We should not lose sight, however, of the vast possibilities of supplementary service by water. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence navigation project, particularly, should claim the interest of the government. Federal Reserve System. “It is almost unnecessary to speak of the Federal Reserve system in connection with the winning of the war, as, next to the consecration of our ’ manhood and womanhood itself, the greatest factor was the marshalling into one unit through the Federal Reserve banks of the stupendous wealth of America. To those of vision who look out beyond our shores into that commercial domain where we are so justly entitled to enter in a time of peace, latent power of the Federal Reserve system can be seen promoting in every quarter of the globe an everwidening flow of American commerce. We will soon have a merchant marine fleet of 11,000,000 tons aggregate, every flying the American flag and carrying in American bottoms the products of mill and mine and factory and farm. This would seem to be a guarantee of continued prosperity. Our facilities for exchange and credit, however, in foreign parts, should be enlarged and, under the Federal Reserve system, banks should be established in important trading centers.

Reduction of Armament. “I am convinced after considerable study of the subject that the expense of the government can, without loss of efficiency, be reduced to a maximum of $4,000,000,000, Including sinking fund and interest on the national debt. When we enter the League of Nations we should at the same time diminish our cost for armament. To continue expenditures in either the war or the navy departments on a vast scale, once our membership in the League is assured, would seem to be a very definite refutation of the advantages of the world plan which w.e believe it possesses. An appealing fundajneqtal in the Loagfid iffetn6d ft the of armaments. We cannot* afford to do it, until other nations do likewise. If we do not enter the League hundreds of millions of dollars must be spent for armaments. If we go in, and I believe the people will insist on it, then we can count on economies. “The Republican leaders who have taken charge of their party and nominated its candidate are no more possessed of the spirit of the hour than they were in 1912 when they precipitated a revolution within the rank and file of a great organization. If further proof were needed, the action of the present Congress supplies It. Not a constructive law can be cited. Money and time were wasted in seeking to make a military triumph an odious chapter in history—and yet is it not significant that after two years of sleuthful Inquiry there was nothing revealed in that vast enterprise, carrying billions of dollars in expense, upon which they could base even a whisper of dishonesty? “The Mexican situation, trying to our patience for years, begins to show signs of improvement. Not the least of the things that have contributed to it is a realization by the people of that country that we have neither the lust for their dbmain, nor disposition to disturb their sovereign rights. Peace smiles upon the border and Incentive to Individual effort seems to be making a national aspiration. Disabled* Soldiers. “I feel deeply that the rehabilitation of the disabled soldiers of the recent war is one of the most vital issues be*. *

fore the people and I, as a pledge myself and my party bjfhbse voung Americans to do all In my power to secure for them, without unnecessary delay, the immediate training which Is so necessary to fit them to , compete in their struggle to overcome that physical handicap incurred while In the service of their government. I believe also that the Federal Board of Vocational Rehabilitation, as *far as possible, should employ disabled soldiers themselves to , supervise the habllitatlon of disabled soldiers, because of tliolr knpwn sympathy hnd understanding. The board itself and all agencies under it should be burdened with the care of securing for the disabled soldier who Ims finished his training, adequate employment. “The women of America, in emotion and constructive service, measured up during the war tp every requirement, and emergency exacted much of them. They demonstrated not only willingness but capacity. They helped win the war, anti they are entitled to the privilege of voting as a matter of right and because they will be helpful in maintaining wholesome and patriotic policy. It requires but one more state to ratify the national amendment and thus bring a long-delayed justice. I have the same earnest hope as our platform expresses that some one of the remaining states will promptly take favorable action.

Education. “There must be an awakened interest in education. The assumption that things are all right is an error. The plain fact reveals two startling tilings, one, a growing decimation In the ranks yf teachers and the other, the existence of five and one-half million illiterates. The army of instructors has been more or less demoralized through financial temptation from other activities which pay much better. We owe too much to the next generation to be remiss in this matter. “There will be no attempt in this campaign to compete by dollars with our opposition. So many people have been in the money-gathering business for the reactionary cauSe that the millions already in hand are more or less a matter of general information. All that we ask is' that both parties deal in the utmost good faith with the electorate and tell the plain truth as to the amounts received, the contributors and the items of disbursements.

“The sort of readjustment which will appeal to our self-respect and ultimately to our general prosperity, is the honest readjustment. Any unfairaA justment simply delays the process and we should remember tn’S lesson of history that one extreme-usu-ally leads to another. We desire industrial peace. We want our people to have an abiding confidence in government, but no readjustment made under reactionary auspices will carry with it the confidence of the country. “The inconveniences incident to the war have been disquieting; the failure of the Republican Congress to repeal annoying taxes has added to our troubles. The natural Impulse Is to forget the past, to develop new interests, to create a refreshened and refreshing atmosphere in life. We want to forget war and be free from the troubling thought of its possibility in the future. We want a change from the old world of yesterday, where international intrigue made the people mere pawns on the chessboard of war. We want a change from the old industrial world where the man who toiled was assured ‘a full dinner pall’ as his only lot and portion. But how are we to make the change? Which way shall we go? We stand at the forks of the road and must choose which to follow. rOne leads to a higher citizenship, a freer expression of the individual and a fuller life for aIL The other leads to reaction, the rule of the few over the many and the restriction of the average man’s chances to grow upward. Cunning devices backed by unlimited prodigal expenditures will be used to confuse and to lure. But I have an abiding faith that the pitfalls will be avoided and the right road chosen. G. O. P. Vision Reactionary.

“The leaders opposed to Democracy promise to put the country ‘back to normal.’ This can only mean the socqllqd porpit|l pf former reactionary; Administrations, me outstanding tore of which was a pittance for farm produce and a small wage for a long day of labor. My vision does not turn backward to the ‘normal’ desired by the senatorial oligarchy, but to a fm ture in which all shall have a normal opportunity to cultivate a higher stature amidst better environment than that of the past. Our view is toward the sunrise of tomorrow with its progress and Its eternal promise of better things. The opposition stands in the skyline of the setting sun, looking backward, to the old days of reaction. ' ' ' “I accept the nominatldn of our party, obedient to the Divine Sovereign of all peoples, and hopeful that by trust in Him the way will Jbe shown for helpful service.”

JAMES M. COX.