AIGN CHARGES

R. COX has been repeating his charges that the Republicans. have undertaken to buy the lency. He insists that he will conto repeat these charges until elecime. He has, however, submitted oof. He has apparently not even inted his party associates with any ace that they regard as proof. anwhile, the Senatorial committee has been investigating the use of for campaign purposes has been ing to witnesses in Chicago. We the following excerpts from the t of these hearings as published in lew York "World," which is an inly partisan supporter of Mr. Cox. White, Chairman of the National peratic Committee, was testifying. Senator Spencer then put this ques1 to Mr. White: "Mr. White, do you ow of any sinister financial or indusl influences which are trying to make Continuance of profiteering possible their contributions to the Republican tional Committee or the Republican rty ?"

I have, of course, read the Goverr's speech at Pittsburgh," replied Mr. hite," and through long personal and litical relations with the Governor I. ways found him to be able to prove hat he charged, and that is the only urce of information I have in regard it."

"That is, so far as you know, you uld not give us any evidence of any nister financial and industrial influaces which are trying to make a connuance of profiteering possible by their ontributions or assistance to the Reublican National Committee or to the Republican party?"

"The only evidence that I have would not assist your Committee. I have no evidence."

"Can

you give us any indication as to where such evidence might be obtained?" asked Senator Spencer. "Yes, from the Governor of Ohio," replied Mr. White.

"Do you know of anything that he has in mind or any evidence that he has that we have not got? Could you give us the names of any man or men that

can ?"

"The Governor collected the evidence himself and I believe has it in his possession."

"Do you know, Mr. White, of any evidence whatever or any place where we could secure any evidence that millions have been contributed to the campaign fund of the Republican party with sinister intent? I am quoting from Governor Cox's speech."

"Not so far as I know." Again: "Have you one particle of evidence

SEPTEMBER 15, 1920

to present to this Committee to sustain the charges that Governor Cox has made in his speeches?" asked Mr. Kenyon.

"None whatever," replied Mr. White.

The belief on the part of certain men in politics that great wealth should have special power in public life, and should have privileges which it can honestly buy and pay for, has long been a menace to liberty in self-government and continues to be. That belief, however, is not confined to the politicians of any one party. It has been practiced by the Republican ring in Philadelphia. It has been

International

FREDERICK W. UPHAM, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL TREASURER, IN CHARGE OF THE PARTY'S NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FUND

practiced and professed by the Democratic ring in New York. Citizens with even a rudimentary sense of honesty ought to combat this belief as well as the practice of it wherever they find it. And honest citizens who want to reduce the wealth

innueret, of mere went in polititiated

charges such as those that have been made again and again in this campaign by Mr. Cox. Even some of his own supporters are beginning to recognize this fact. The New York " Times," one of the most respectable and influential of them, has in an editorial deplored this aspect of the campaign, although it has not recognized Mr. Cox's responsibility for it. When a candidate makes such charges as these and cannot support them, he does irreparable harm. The only reparation he can make is to withdraw them and frankly to acknowledge the wrong he has done.

SUFFRAGE STILL SEEMS
TO BE OVER THE TOP

FTER the suffrage forces had apparently carried the Tennessee trenches, the anti-suffrage forces attempted to wrest from them their hard-won victory. As The Outlook has already reported, the vote for ratification in the lower house of Tennessee was put through despite the absence of numerous legislators who had fled to Alabama in an attempt to break the quorum. This effort failed to prevent the House from voting for ratification or the Governor of Tennessee from certifying that the ratification had been completed.

When the wandering legislators returned, the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to expunge from its journal all record of ratification of the Federal Suffrage Amendment and to refuse concurrence in the action of the Senate in ratifying that Amendment. The Attorney-General of Tennessee has expressed the opinion that reconsideration of the resolution of ratification was legally impossible. A legal fight between Constitutional lawyers seems imminent, but there is no indication that Secretary Colby will regard the action of the returned legislators as having any bearing upon the validity of the Amendment. It may take a decision of the Supreme Court to unravel the last of the suffrage tangle, but there seems little likelihood that women will be deprived of the Federal suffrage at the coming Presidential election. What would happen if the women voted and then the Supreme Court declared that the Amendment was invalid?

THE PATIENT PUBLIC
AND THE STRIKERS
N one sense the

with industrial public is not patient contests are going on as those now raging in connection with the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and the anthracite industry, the public is highly irritated, is loud in its denunciation, and is more indignant at the fact that such strikes should be possible than discriminating in studying the causes of the strikes. But once peace is established again, whether justly or not, the public falls back into its mood of patient indifference. The moral is obvious. The old order under which business suffers, consumers harassed, convenience and comfort are destroyed, and often violence and killing

are

A TROLLEY STRIKE-MOTOR TRUCKS TAKE THE PLACE OF CARS IN BROOKLYN

are accompaniments-this state of things, we say, will continue until such time as an adequate plan for dealing with such 'disputes is adopted. Such a plan, in our judgment, must include the incorporation of unions in order that their strikes may be enforced as the contracts of other corporations can be, the right of collective bargaining, restriction of the right to strike by labor engaged in industries of the public utility character, and with that the just and necessary corollary of the establishment of a body to arbitrate by and with authority.

The accounts of the strike in Brooklyn read like those of many previous strikes of this kind in American cities; the men claim that they have not received a reasonable increase in wages as compared with present conditions; the company disputes this; the company offers terms which include the right of collective bargaining, but declines to allow the men to be heard through the association which called the strike; the calling in of strike-breakers results in rioting, violence, and a list of dead and wounded.

Every good citizen agrees that the very first thing to be done is the restoration of order and the protection of property. But when that is done, there should be such a fair method of conciliation and arbitration as will satisfy the public. What is even more important than that is that such a disgraceful state of things should lead to public action and public sentiment that would make its repetition impossible.

If organized labor means to secure approval, it is time that it gave stringent utterance to disapproval of the irresponsible breaking of contracts. That is a thing the dishonesty of which every citizen can understand, however little he

may know of the merits of individual disputes.

66

The refusal of the miners in the anthracite field to accept the report of an arbitration board upon which they were represented and whose decision they had pledged themselves to accept is, on the face of it, such a violation of contract. Yet at least one hundred thousand coal miners threw down their picks and went on vacation." This subterfuge, by which the union officers hope to avoid responsibility, shows that the new strike is rightly the work of " outlaws and is of the same character as other" vacation strikes under ultra-radical ultra-radical influence within the last two years. That these breakers of contract should declare that they will go back if President Wilson will reopen the arbitration which has already been decided would seem to be a piece of sheer industrial impertinence.

As we write there are evidences that not all the anthracite workers take this stand, and it is to be hoped that peace and active work will be resumed. If not, the immense number of people who depend upon anthracite for domestic comfort may look forward to a distressingly hard winter.

THE RUSSIAN REDS AND POLISH PATRIOTS

THE

HE most notable military event in the fighting which has continued between the Red armies and the forces of Poland during the futile efforts to establish an armistice has been the total defeat and rout of General Dubenny's Bolshevist cavalry. This army-for it is a considerable force, and rather remarkable in view of the general disuse of cavalry in the recent Great War-has been described by one writer as by one writer as "a motley aggregation

of scoundrels capable of any act cruelty." When General Haller, a traine and skilled officer, fairly had a chance t meet this semi-disciplined force, he mad short work of them. Despatches stat that the Poles captured thousands of prisoners, sixteen guns, and large quan tities of material. Incidentally, the vio tory throws light on the exaggerated ideas which have obtained in some quarters asre gards the military efficiency of the Bolsh evist army. Since the patriotic ardor of the Poles has been aided by the wise counsels of such French strategists as General Weygand and Marshal Foch, and since the counsel has been backed by the aid of hundreds of French officers and considerable amounts of war material the Reds have made a very poor showing in the field.

The attempts to come to an armistice agreement at Minsk failed utterly. Polish delegates were treated with insult and subjected to restrictions suitable for pris oners of war rather than for dele peace gates. They returned to Poland disgusted and hopeless as to the possibility of com ing to terms with the ruthless and semibarbarian Bolshevist tyrants. That Russia will some time shake itself loose from the control of the comparatively small but concentrated body of dictators, upheld by the arms of bandits and ex-soldiers who receive special privileges, would seem to be a matter of time only.

THE HUNGER STRIKE AS A WEAPON

THE

HE struggle between the British Government and the promoters of violence and murder in Ireland still centers, as we write, about the singular case of Mr. MacSwiney, who, while he was Mayor of the great city of Cork, aided and abetted plans of violence which were simply murderous in their nature. His defiance of the Government, as we have already stated, took the form of what amounts to attempted suicide by starva tion. It is well known that the human body can sustain life without food (though not without water) for days extending into weeks. On September 7 Mr. MacSwiney was still living, but it was reported that his condition was extremely feeble.

There is a logical argument that may be urged against the common statement that there should be no interference with a man who chooses to take the course adopted by Mr. MacSwiney, but there is no just argument to be adduced in favor of the release of the prisoner. It may be said that it is the duty of government to prevent suicide; that the authorities would not sit quietly by and allow a pris oner to cut his throat or hang himself to the bars of his cell. That is true, and it

66

"It is obvious that if the Government yields in one such case it will be obliged o yield in many others. The release of such a public enemy should not be conidered as a question of individual mercy, but as a large public question. The Chief Secretary of Ireland has justifica tion in his bitter remark that none of de the mercy which some seek to invoke for the Lord Mayor was shown to the eighty policemen who have lost their lives in Ireland." The condition of civic strife, riots, cowardly shooting of policemen and soldiers from ambush, which has come about in Ireland cannot be ignored, nor can it be remedied by weak concessions. Sir Hamar Greenwood, the Chief Secretary, declares that the present lawlessness "is the work of a small body of men who are striving by carefully planned anarchy to impose secession from the British Empire on eighty per cent of the people of Ireland who do not want to secede."

latest reports from Mexico City to reach us (dated September 6) state that the returns were then scattering and unofficial. Indeed, his election has been regarded as a foregone conclusion since the downfall and tragic death of Carranza.

Obregon stood for election as the candidate of the Liberal Constitutional party, and was opposed by only one rival, Alfredo Dominguez, who represented the National Republican party.

Despite the shadow over Obregon's name because of the treacherous killing of Carranza, or, more strictly, because of the lack of adequate punishment for those concerned in the deed, he is generally regarded as a man of ability and of moderate political views, with ambition to advance the material interests of his country and to maintain friendly relations with the United States. As a soldier he has had no superior in Mexico during the recent troublous years, and his military skill was undoubtedly far superior to that of Carranza. His crushing defeat of Villa in 1914 was preceded by the quelling of the Orosco revolution in Chihuahua in 1911, and when he lent his aid to the movement against Carranza, whose Minister of War he had been, the fate of the Presidential election and the fall of Carranza became all but certain.

One of the most encouraging indications that Obregon may prove something more than a soldier and revolutionist is found in an expression recently attributed to him.

"I would rather teach the Mexican people," he said, "the use of the toothbrush than to handle a rifle. I would rather see them in schools than upon battlefields. I prefer any day a good electrician, machinist, carpenter, or farmer to a soldier."

AMENDING THE LEAGUE

wo international meetings bearing on

abroad this fall.

Mayor MacSwiney and the other hunger strikers will be released from prison.

But from whom could such guarantees be obtained except from those who have been privy to murder, and how far could such men be trusted, even if it should seem to be within the dignity of the Government to make such a bargain?

A meeting of the League Assembly is to be held November 15. Certain amendments to the Constitution of the Leaguei. e., the Covenant to which the nations constituting the League have subscribed -will be submitted by the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Governments.

THE NEW PRESIDENT
OF MEXICO

HERE is little, if any, doubt that Gen

FINANCIAL CONFERENCE

HE other international meeting is to be held at Brussels, September 24, under the auspices of the League of Nations.

This is to be an International Financial Conference. To this Conference states not members of the League, including the United States, will be inIvited on equal terms with the states in the League. The members of each national delegation will vote, not. as a national group, but as individuals. The decisions of the Conference will be advisory; there will be no legislative enactments, but recommendations to be submitted to the various states, whether in the League or not, for their action. This Conference will thus be in spirit akin to the Hague Conferences and the Postal Union.

Both these meetings seem to us helpful indications. They both look in the direction of a voluntry association of the nations in lieu of a quasi-military alli

ance, and of an association the first object of which will be the definition and interpretation of international law, and its second object a democratically organized Assembly in which national opinion

never consent that other nations shall determine for her what that share is.

IN THE WORLD OF SPORT
T Hills, Long Island, on Sep-

exchanged and an individual public opinion can be gradually developed.

A NOTABLE ADDRESS

S1

IR AUCKLAND GEDDES, British Ambassador to the United States, recently made a notable address before the American Bar Association at St. Louis, tracing the development of free government, accepting Abraham Lincoln's definition of it as government "of the people, by the people, and for the people," stating his belief that this is the best form of government that the human race has been able to devise, but expressing a doubt whether even now in Europe there is a majority which supports it, and his conviction that there is not a majority which understands it. He points out two great world forces which are bitterly opposed to it-the reactionaries who have great possessions and great interests and no faith in the intelligence and virtue of the plain people, and the Bolsheviki and their supporters, whose avowed object it is to establish a privileged class and force the control of that class upon all the rest of the community. To meet this danger he says:

Whatever difficulties might arise between our nations, I believe that nothing is more important than this, that you and we stand together to defend the hard-won hope of mankind that, through law made by the people for their own disciplining, man will at last escape from the toils that have snared the feet of his ancestors and will have taken a great stride toward the solution of the problem of how he shall live in communities in peace and ordered freedom one with another.

We believe that the great body of the American people, if this issue is put clearly and forcibly before them, will desire to unite in defending the liberty of the world against its assailants. National interest and National honor forbid America to be neutral in such a world conflict. But it is also clear that the American people will not consent to allow an international body, however constituted, to decide for them when and how they will take part in the defense of the world's liberty. The spirit if not the letter of our Constitution requires that each generation should be left free to determine as circumstances arise whether this Nation will take part in any war.

As we have heretofore said, and as we reiterate in an editorial elsewhere in this issue, America wishes to bear her share of civilization's burden, but she will

won the British championship earlier in the summer) defeated his ancient rival, William M. Johnston, the former National title-holder, for the crown of American tennis. Tilden defeated his rival only after five terrific sets, scored at 6-1, 1-6, 7-5, 5–7, 6–3. The match was considered by all those who witnessed it as one of the most dramatic and impressive examples

It takes a newspaper man to understand a newspaper man. Richard Barry is a newspaper man. His estimates of Harding and of Cox, which will appear in the next issue of The Outlook, tell what kind of newspaper men they are and what kind of papers they have been publishing. One of these middle-aged Ohio newspaper men will be the next President of the United States. When he gets his hand on the White House shears, paste-pot, blue pencil, and galley proofs, how is he going to edit the United States of America?

As we go to press there is another amateur American championship hanging in the balance at Roslyn, Long Island, on the golf course of the Engineers' Club of New York City. The qualifying round of this tournament saw several notable players eliminated, among them the British champion Cyril Tolley, who defeated Robert Gardner in the finals of the British tournament this year. Mr. Tolley was looked upon as one of the leading candidates for the American title. It is a disappointment to both American and British golfers to find the British champion eliminated so early in the contest.

Over in Belgium, Americans achieved another notable victory after the conclusion of the field and track events of the Olympic Games. This was the victory of the crew of the United States Naval Academy in the international eight-oared

race.

A TRAGEDY AND THE LAW OF THE AIR

TH

HE Tennis Tournament at Fores Hills, described above, was marre by a tragedy that might have resulted in the death of many innocent spectators.

Two aviators, hovering over the courts lost control of their machine and crashed to earth a short distance away. That they killed only themselves is a matter of fortune rather than foresight. The pilot of the machine was a naval aviator who violated regulations by flying so close to a massed crowd of men, women, and children. Both the military and naval authorities have prohibited just such dangerous attempts as resulted in the death of this officer and his companion

This tragedy has given added impetus to the discussion of the legal status of the aviator and the new method of transpor tation of which he is the pioneer. It is indeed true that a clearer definition of the duties and responsibilities of airmen and the rights of the general public to protection from the misuse of airplanes should be drawn.

In an article to be published in next week's issue of The Outlook Mr. Wayne C. Williams discusses the new code that must be created to meet the demands of the present situation. It is none too soon for us to develop, as Mr. Williams says, a new branch of the law-the law of the air."

66

OLD PLYMOUTH CELEBRATES
THE PILGRIM TERCENTENARY

HE sailing of the Mayflower on September 6, 1620, from Plymouth, England, for the New World, was cele brated in that town by commemorative exercises which began on September 4 and lasted a week. They began with a historical and literary conference participated in by British, Dutch, and American scholars. In the opinion of some of these specialists, much still remains to be dis covered as the result of research into the history of the personalities who composed the Mayflower expedition. It will be re membered that it is not many years since the discovery of the missing manuscript of the "History of the Plimouth Plantation," by Governor William Bradford, cast new light on the Colony's history, which up to that time had been somewhat, traditionalized in the minds of most Americans by their reading of Longfel low's poem "The Courtship of Miles Standish." Dr. Rendel Harris, Chairman of the English-Speaking Union, Dr. Paloojion, of Leyden, and others pre sented at the conference some newly dis covered material bearing on the activities of the Pilgrims.

The people of Plymouth, it is reported, endeavored to make their celebration