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and, tho nation that halts and dohtys' Is playing
with fire, Tho finest impulsosof humanity, ris
ing abovo national Hneo, merely seek to malco
another horrible war impossible. Under tho old
ordor of international anarchy war camo over
night, and tho world wan on Are before wo knew
it. Tt sickens our senses to think o, another,
wo saw one conflict Into which modern wclonce
brought now, forms of destruction In groat guns,
submarines, nfrships, and poison gases, It is" no
SGOrot that our chemists had perfected, when tho
contest came to a precipitate clgsb, gases so
deadly that whole cities could- bo wiped ou$,
armlos destroyed, and tho crews of battleships
smothered. Tho public prints are filled with the
opinions of military men that In future wars the
method, moro effective than gases or bombs, will
bo tho omploymfcnt of tho germs of diseases,
carrying pestilence and destruction. Any nation
prepared Under theso conditions, as Germany
was equipped in 1014, could conquer "the world
In a year. '
It is planned now to make this impossible. A
def inlto plan h&seen agreed upon. The League
of Natione is in operation. A very important
work, is under its control, just completed, was
participated in by the Hon, Elihu Root, Secre
tary of State under the Roosevelt administra
tion, At a meeting of tho Council of the League
of Nations, February 11, an organizing commit
tee of twelve of tho most eminent jurists in the
world was selected. The duty of this group was
to devise a plan for the establishment of a Per
manent Couvt of International Justice, as a
branch of tho League. This assignment has
been concluded by Unanimous action. This
augurs well for world progress, The question
is whether wo shall or shall not join in thuT
practical and humane movement. President
Wilson, as our representative at the peace table
entered the Loaguo In our name, in so' far as
the exocutivo authority permitted, Senator
HarcMng, as the Republican candidate for the
presidency, proposes in plain words that we re
main out oi it, As the Democratic candidate, I
favor going in. Let uri analyzo Senator Hard
ing's plan of making a German-American peace,
and then calling for a "new relatldhshlp among
nations;" assuming for'ttio purposed argument
only that the perfidious hand that dealt with -Germany
Would possess tho power or influence
to draw twonty-nino nations away from a plan
already at work, and induce them to retrace
every step and make a new beginning. This
would entail our appointing another commission
to- assemble with thoso- selected by the other
powers. With tho Versailles Instrument dis
carded the whole subject of partitions and di
visions of territory on hew lines would be re
opened. Tho difllcuUiea in this regard, as arfy
fair mind appreciates, would be greater than
they were at tho peace session, and we must not
attempt to convince ourselves that, thoy did not
try the genius,, patience,, and diaplomaey of
statesmen at that time. ' History will say that
groat aawas the Alliance triumph jn war. no
less a victory was achieved at, the peace table.
The Republican proposal means dishonor, world
confusion and delay. Jt would keep us in
permanent company with Germany, .Russia, Tur
key and Mexico, It would ontail, in the ultimate,
more rqal injury than the war. itsolf. The
Democratic position on the question, as ex
pressed in the platform, is:
"We advocate immediate ratification of the
Treaty without reservations which would impair
Its essential integrity, but do hot oppose tho ac
ceptance of any reservation making clearer or
moro specific the obligations, of the United States
to the League associates."
The first duty ot the new administration
clearly will be the ratification of tho Treaty. The
matter should be approached without thought
of the bitterness of the past. The public verdict
will have been rendered, 4ind I am confident
that the friends fit world peace as it will be
promoted by the League,wiU have in numbers?
the Constitutional requisite to favorable sena
torial action. The captious may say that our
platform reference to reseinratlons is vague and
indefinite. Its moaning, 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 pojnt is, that, after tho people
shall have spoken, the League will bo 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 tho
.past. Some .months ago, in;a- contributed article
-V
to the Now York Times, I expressed my own,
.opinion- of vthe situation as it then was I re
produce it here: '
"There can bo no doubt but that some sena
tors have boon conscientious in their desire to
clarify the provisions of the Treaty. Two things
apparently have disturbed them: First, thoy
wanted to make sure that tho League was not
to bo an alliance, and that' "its basic purpose was
peaoejand not controversy. Second, they wanted
the Other powers signing the instrument to un
derstand our constitutional limitations beyond
Which tho ti'eaty-making power cannot go.
- Dealing with these two questions in order it
has jilWays seemed to me that .the interpreta
tion of tio function of the League might have
been stated in these Words:
" 'In giving its assont to tltfs treaty, the
Senate has in mind tho facUthat the League
of Nations which it embodies was devised for
the sole purpose of maintaining peace and com
ity among the nations of tho oarth and pro
venting the recurrence of such destructive con
flicts as that through which the vorld has just
passed, Tho co-operation of the United States
with the League and. its continuance as a mem
ber thereof, will naturally depend Upon the
.adherence of the League to that fundamental
purpose. ,
"Such a declaration would- at least express the
view the United States and justify tho course
which our nation would-unquestionably follow
if the basic purpose of the League wore at any
time distorted. It would also appear to be a
simpler matter to provide against any misun
derstanding in tho future and at tho same time
to meet the-objections of those wfio believe that"
we might bo inviting a controversy -over our pon- '"
stltutional rights,, by. making a senatorial ad
dition in words something like these: .' ,
."'It will of course be understood -that fn
carrying out the purpose of the League, the
government of the United. States must, at all
times act in strict harmony with the terms anil
and intent, of the United . States Constitution
which cannot Jnauy way h altered- by the":
treatymaking power,' :" ' "! '.''" :"W V-
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 prin
ciple. We hear it said that interpretations are
unnecessary. That may be true, but they will
at least be reassuring to mapy of our citizens,
who feel that in signing the. treaty, there should
be no mental reservations that are not ex
pressed in plain Words, aa 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 agree- -ment,
without Injury to the covenant, is now
of pressing Importance.. It was the desire to
get thing startod, that prompted some members
of the senate to vote for the Lodge reservations
Those who conscientiously vottfd, 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 Hap
pily tho voters of the republic, under our sys
tem 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 impuYse md facility
in tlje making of better world conditions The
agencies 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 jl
resolute shoulder to the task of readjustment
and a new era will have dawned upon the. earth
Wo have domestic problems to? be settled
They are most pressing, Many .conditions growl
in out of tho war will not and should not
continue. The work of readjustment win call
for our best energy,-ingenuity, unselfishness
and devotion to the idea that it is the general
w.qlfare we must promote. One of the fTrst
things to bo done is tho repeal of war taxes i?
entry ot America into th . i.i r xes Tho
our neon e into an unparalleled financial emef
-gency, which was faced with a determinaUon
to make every, sacrifice necessary to victory '
Bill ons in liberty loans subscribed by SJIf;
regardless of their financial condition w $
.stly placec? aitf disposal of ftlSoVJSSflit
and other bllllori wore gladly paid into th
treasury through manv -fmm r." t"'
have paid by du.rronVtaxes more than onothirrtl
of the expense of the rrojtf ,,."
tory of mankind, is a fnfWHA t. ,. .1
sense of national dutv with -whtriu ., ,. eu;
ica view tho obligations of tii? o0w.t .
mediately following the attniafi ,..!. r3
,ifV iow, ,i i .ill :r ! "r"BU" la
,.., j vw0 , tvuuuiug- taxation should i
have boon taken and tho Rnnhn :
in which all tax laws must originate, and which!
aui ftimuou twu jruHrs nas exclusively hold tho:
ijvvry i.w uuHuiftUD tuio eouuition, nas noti
jimuoH single. pixori or passed a single law to
lift from the Amerjdan peoplo aToad of war
taxatiph that cannot be tolerated" in a time of i
peace. Federal taxation must bo heavily re-H
uuutju, ana n win oe uone at once if a Domo-
cratlc adminlstratiori .la chosen. In Wrtvnritn ;
Without hampering essential natlonni imi
trativ departments, by the elimination of all J
ouiors ana strict economy, iwerywhoro, national
taxes can be reduced 4k excess ti twn hmn
dollars yearly. Annoying consumption taxes,
unco wnungiy oorne, now unjustified, should
berepeal.ed. The incomes from war-made for-)
tunes, inose oe non-proaucer?r and those derived
from industries that exist by unfair privilege
may be able to carry their present load, but
taxes on th.d earnings Of the -wage-earner, of the
salaried and professional ihan, of the agricult
ural producer o.nd ot tho "Smajl tradesman should
b,e sharply modified. . I believe that a better
form of taxation than the so-called excess prof
its' tax may be found and I suggest a small tax,
probably one tp one and one-half per cent on
the total business ot every goifig, concern. It
is to" be -understood that the term "business"
as used does not- include income received by
wage-earners, .salaried men, agriculturists and
the small business man who should be exempt
from thig tax The profiteer and some if' the
highly capitalized units havjB "used the excess
profits tax as a favorite excuse for loading on
the -consumer by means of highly inflated sell
ing priees, iminy timet the amount actually paid
tl. government. A necessary, condition to the
national contentment, and, SounciL business is a
-juit pj.oprtio,n hetwen. fair, profits tobusiness
anjcL fair, pi;Ices, to 'the. cdnsuitfeirv it is unques
tioned that iOhi;mous emails ion Vf public
and private credit ipgde necessary as .a part of
war financing, the diversion .of tho products of
'many industries from their usual channels, as
well . as the disturbance to general business
caused by the withdrawal of millions of men
from producing fields, all contributed to tho
rise Jn prices. Reversion of theae various
agencios to a more stable condition will tend
toward a recession iit- the enormously inflated
present prices of many commodities and prop
erty values and there are now evidences that a
sane- adjustment, is not far distant JDcep pa
triotic sentiment enthralled our people during
the war and slight attention was given to the
enormous economic changes that were then in
progress and when observed' these changes were
generally accepted as one pf t&e trials necessary
tobe endured and they were submerged In the
thought and purpose .for victory, While mil
lions of free men, regardl.es ; of Wealth or con
dition, were giving of their .blood and substance,
many corporations and meri seized the very hour
that civilization lay prostrate to secure for
themselves fortunes wrung from the public and
from the government, py the levying of prices
that In many cases; were a crime.. Under pres
ent taxation laws much capital. Is drawing out
of industry and finding investment, in non-taxable
securities. This will cease if the changes
suggested are made,
In the analysis of Government, as the events
of today enable us to penetrate the . subject, we
see the difference between the old and the pro
gressive kinds of thinking. The belief of the
reactionaries is the government should, not func
tion more widely th,an it did in the past, but they
seem to forgot that the fundamental of our plan
is equal rights fpr all mi special privileges for
none, Modern life has developed new problems.
Civilization continues to build along the same
basic lines and altruistic as we-may all be dis
posed to ; be,, the fact remains that except for tho
exchange o products jietwjen individuals, com
mercial units and nations, our development
would be slow. All of this grawth goes on
under the protection of and with the encour
agement, of governments The least 'therefore,
that might bo rendered uhtp goydrnutent for this
f , Cpntiouedlpnage 4'2t ',.
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