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Show Partisans Like Drunks Bryan Says; Outlines Plans To Ratify Peace By WILdbLUf JKXNIXGS BRYAN. Written Exclusively for Universal Service. (Copyright, 1920, by AVm- J. Bryan.) SAN FRANCISCO, Juno 28. Tho division among the delegates on tho treaty plank Is not fundamental, It 13 merely a dlfforonce of opinion ns to the best means of Touching an end which all desire. No Democrat In tho convention would rise In his place and admit opposition to world peace, universal uni-versal and everlasting. But how can world peace bo secured? se-cured? Tho president brought back from Parla a loaguo of nations plan with a covenant that embodied the best that he could secure and whon wo consider the newness of tho plan, the number of nations agreeing to it and tho diversified Interests at the conferonce, the wondor Is that It was aa nearly perfect ao it was. Tho Republicans Immediately attacked at-tacked It and magnified yhat thoy regarded re-garded as Its dangers. If the matter could havo been considerod merely aa an international question without partisanship par-tisanship being injected into It, the president and the ccnato would have had little difficulty In reaching an agreement as to reservations. Partisanship Parti-sanship Is as paralyzing to calm thinking as alcohol and tho person affected la aa unconscious of boinjj affected. af-fected. Partisans Liiko Drunks. It is one of the curious characteristics characteris-tics of partial Intoxication that tho man under its Influence Is quite sure I that he Is at his pest. If he is shooting shoot-ing at a target ho congratulates himself him-self on his accuracy oven If his bullets bul-lets endanger bystandors. So with partisanship the more partisan a man 3 tho more sure ho feels that he Is actuated by a patriotic purpose, almost al-most holy in Its disinterestedness. Both Domocrats and Republicans were convinced that their opponents would agree with them but tor their partisanship and the president was most unconscious of any partisan Interest In-terest in tho result. ixow, we are entering upon a cam-I cam-I palgli and the leaders of each party feel sure that they can win a partisan ndvantage by dragging this issue down into a partisan struggle and they congratulate themselves that they aro doing It for a great, unselfish and patriotic purpose. Its a great national na-tional good that they are bont on achieving and it Is meroly a coincidence coinci-dence that In tho opinion of both sides this can only be secured through a party victory. Staging Sham Battle. I Thus deluded they are staging a sham battle over a anam issue, know-i lng while they do so that neither side! can positively secure two-'r.:rds of thoj senate, at the coming election and 1 knowing therefore that there must be. a compromise at tho end of tho cam- palgn If any agreement is to be. reached. Just as the exhllatered toper deceives nobody but himself so, these unconsciously partisan leaders are fooling themselves only. A large majority of the American peoplo arc more Interested In getting this treaty ratified and tho loaguo ofj nations establlshod and out of the way I than they are in the" phraseology or reservations, and It la to this mass that our party ought to appeal. The partisans In both parties will vote the ticket anyhow, no matter what tho party says or does not say, but wo never havo had as many voters vot-ers In tho doubtful column as we havo today. They do not care through what party relief comes If It only comes quickly. Just as the allies would rather havo us como Into thoj louguc with any reservations whatever than to stay out, so the average voter will regard tlino as the material factor fac-tor and support the party that gives promise of immediate relief. Appeal to Doubtful-It Doubtful-It is to this large element that our party ought to appeal and it is this element that I had In mind In urging a course different from any that has thus far been proposed. I venture to put on paper for the first tlmo an outline of a plan which, In my Judgment, Judg-ment, will make tho Democratic party' victorious In this campaign because, and only hecause. It puts tho country! above the party and includes the clvl-J llzed world in Its calculations, Tho plan: l"he Democratic party demands an. amendment to the federal constltu-' tlon providing for ratification of treaties by a mojority vote, so that It will be as easy to end a war as it is to declare war. Planting ourselves upon tho most fundamental principle of popular govornmont, namely, tho right of tho people to rule a doctrine In support of which wo have recently spent over $25,000,000,000 and for which we havo sacrificed 100,000 precious lives wo favor an immedlato reconvening of tho senate that this principle may bo applied to tho treaty controversy and ratification cecured with such reservations as a majority of tho senators may agrco upon, reserving re-serving for the future the making of such changes as we may deem neccs-sary. neccs-sary. AVe favor appointment by the president, presi-dent, with the consent of the senate, of delegates to represent this nation in tho league until regularly choson delegates aro elected and qualified. I We favor the .election of the nation's na-tion's delegatca in tho league of nations na-tions by popular vote in districts in order that the peoplo may speak through representatives of their own choice in the auguat tribunal which will consider tho welfare of tho world. "These delegates should be Instructed Instruct-ed not to vote for war without spe- 1 clflc Instructions from congreaa or from tho people, given by reforendum vote Insist on DisarmamcnL "Our natlon'3 delcgatos should also be lnntructed to insist upon the disarmament dis-armament of the world In order that the burden of militarism may be lifted lift-ed from the shoulders of those who I toil and the foundation of an endur- lng peaco laid in friendship and cooperation." co-operation." Tho benefits of this plan may be briefly summarized as follows: Tho Democratic plants Itself upon an easily understood and easily defended de-fended principle of government. It has tho votes to compel ratification immediately upon ascertaining ihe wishes of the majority of the senate. It can by casting Votes or withholding withhold-ing votes convert a majority Into tho I two-thirds majority required by the constitution. It (-nnnnt nnli. sirwl v... .1 .j i 1 but it offers a plan that will make future treaty deadlocks Impossible and thus save the nation from the disgrace dis-grace that this two-thirds provision has brought upon It. AVe alone of all the great nations have found It Impossible Im-possible to got out of war a fact that Impairs tho value of our example In tho countries that aro striving to establish es-tablish republics. The plan, presents a method of electing elect-ing delegates that will Insure to tho people the right to choose their representatives rep-resentatives in this great tribunal which offers to the world Its only hope of peace. By compelling the delegates to await authority from congress, or from tho American people direct, before be-fore giving this nation sanction to war we answer practically all tho objections objec-tions that have boon made to tho covenant nnd yet do so In a manner entirely consistent with our nation's rights and the genius of our Institutions. Institu-tions. Turn from False. AVhon we instruct our delegates to demand universal disarmament we turn away from the false theories of the past from the precedent that havo written human history in char-actors char-actors of blood and hasten tho coming com-ing of tho day when the song of the angels On Earth Peace. Good AVill Toward Men, .shall become an International Inter-national anthem. The world Is weary of war; enough tears have been shed within tho last five years to wash away all the sins of the world; enough blood has been poured out upon the earth to fortlllzo In every land tho soil from which will spring the hopes of a new civilization. Our allies owe us nearly ten billions bil-lions of dollars which It will tako them Generations to pay and they cannot pay It without exacting from the vanquished a toll that will preclude pre-clude the re-establlshment of friendship. friend-ship. AA'e can afford to use any part of this Indebtedness that may be necessary to secure such a readju3t-ment readju3t-ment of the terms of the treaty as may be required to bring friends and foes into accord, so that the world may turn over a now leaf at once and the world'a commerce be revived. re-vived. Such a plan would compel the Republicans Re-publicans to accept or reject the proposition prop-osition offered. If they accepted It would remove the Issue from politics, permit the consideration of prosaiug domestlc problems. quicken the world's progress towards peace and Win tllO llnrlvlnr- n-i-n l....l r .1 ..... ........ ...j, c.uiiluuu kh. uiuae who cry out against tho cruel program pro-gram of tho militarists who would build a peaco on torrorism. If the Republicans rejected tho plan they would forfeit the support of a largo part of their party--tho part that follows conscience and Is not untruo to the vision of better things. I Such a plan cannot be considered a rejection of anything tho prosidt-nt stands for; on the contrary, It is a vindication of the greatest purpose he has proclaimed, namely. :o mako tho "world safo for democracy" and It opens a way by which he may during the remainder of his term becomo tho moral leader of tho world. |
