President Schurman's Speech

For an ex-president of a great college and a man with world-renown as an educator, Mr. Schurman showed a surprising amount of ignorance in his speech at the Union last night. In the first place, he stated that President Wilson had no right to go to France since the people had repudiated his leadership by electing a Republican majority to the Senate. Since that time, however, it has been proved by the conviction of Senator New-berry that that majority was entirely illegal, and, in reality, it should have been Democratic, thus giving the President all the right in the world to negotiate the peace treaty.

Later on in his speech he asserted that ignorant people were ready to accept the treaty while the Senate, well aware of the facts, prevented the acceptance. He then went on to say that the League provided for unequal voting powers since United States had only one vote and the other powers a total of eight. It must be ignorance and not a lack of intelligence, for Dr. Schurman is surely an intelligent man, that gave birth to such a statement, for the covenant definitely states that no act of the council shall be binding without an unanimous vote, that is to say, one vote is equal to eight, and the vote of United States or any other vote is equal to all the rest put together.

The fallacies in his other two objections, namely: that the league provides for no court of compulsory arbitration, and that it does not recognize the validity of the Monroe doctrine to a great enough extent, are easily discernible to any clear-minded person who is not befogged with partizanship as Dr. Schurman seems to be.

His main objection that Article X would force us to go to war against our will is also the evident product of ignorance as was his first objection. With our one all-powerful vote in the supreme council, it would be impossible for any measures to be passed against our desires. Furthermore it is the right of Congress alone to declare war, and there is nothing in the covenant that tends to usurp that right.

Surely if the November election is decided by reason and intelligence, Cox must win; if it is decided by blind partizanship, jealousy, or any other base motive, Harding must win. KENNETH DOLE '24. October 15, 1920