Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1920 — THE GREAT ISSUE OF THE CAMPAIGN [ARTICLE]

THE GREAT ISSUE OF THE CAMPAIGN

The league of nations is the great issue of this campaign. It should have an honest representation and discussion before the public. No should be afraid of the facts. The league of nations is a definite document which can be read by anyone if he wants to read badly enough. If it is a bad and dangerous document, the people should have it in their possession to peruse, especially every speaker. The most dangerous parts, at least, should be read, not quoted or misquoted. Misrepresentation of a document so simple and easily accessible as this document must reflect upon the honesty ot the one who does it. The league of nations is a declaration which no\y binds together 43 nations in the greatest peace movement since time began. The voters, and especially the new voters, may be confused. To clarify the situation it would be ■well to note that those on one side, without reading a word from the document, tell them what it means, and those on the other side are placing it in the hands of as many as possible and read the exact ■words of the document before explaining. Ex-governor Brumbaugh’s address last Monday night is a good Ulus-

tration. He said the league of nations destroys the Monroe doctrine. “Nothing in this covenant shall be deemed to effect the validity of International engagements such as treaties of arbitration or regional understandings, like the Monroe doctrine, for securing the maintenance of peace.” (Art. 21.) He said if an European country decided to take Brazil we woul£ have but. one vote to interfere: It must be remembered that Brazil and 15 other nations besides the United States would have a vote. In order to catch some laboring man, the speaker said, not giving the article, that it provided for determining the wage of labor without regard to the living conditions of labor in other lands. This is what the league says, in article 23;. “(a) will endeavor to secure and maintain fair and humane conditions of labor for men, women and children, etc.” It does exactly the opposite of what the professor said. The method used by the speaker in Rensselaer is being used in a good many places and by the Republican press. It leaves the voter In the position that whatever he hears from a Republican speaker he must question until he has proven it true or false ‘himself. Every voter should seek to sec.’iix

a copy of the league of nations. He should not be confused by the Lodge reservations printed alongside the league document by the Republican press, and which is no part of the league as accepted by 16 American nations and 27 European and Asiatic nations, 43 'nations in all. A full, true and complete text of the league covenant will appear in the next issue of The and we want every reader to goover it carefully and see for themselves that it is not what the Republican politicians and press now say it is, although until the senatorial oligarchy at Chicago put over its candidate for the presidency, most of the big men and the newspapers of the country were for it. "The Republican convention passed a platform. Its provision with reference to the league of nations is meaningless. Nobody knows what It means. Now, the candidate has interpreted the platform. He says, if elected, the first thing he Is going to do is to make a separate peace with Germany. He is going t,o desert the allies. Would your soldier boys have deserted the allies during the war? I ask you whether it would be an honorable thing for us to desert the allies and sign a separate peace? My contention Is that it would not be; that it would be a dishonorable thing. Then the can- - didate says that having done that I he is going to turn to the nations .of the earth and establish an en- , tirely new relationship. —What na: tions of the earth will have anything I to do with America if she performs a perfectly dishonorable act? Well, I will call the roll. Russia will sign with us and enter into this new relationship; Russia, Turkey, Mexico and the United States. I do not believe that the people of America want to keep that kind of company 'internationally. That is my deliberate judgment.”—Governor Cox.