The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 1920. THE AFTER-WAR WORLD

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10616, 15 June 1920, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 1920. THE AFTER-WAR WORLD

Above the question of the United States Presidency hangs the fato • of the world. One thinks instinctively of Carlyle's famous thesis of "Shooting Niagara." He thought the poor littlo Reform Bill of ISG7 disastrous enough to send society over the constitutional precipice in a roaring cataract of anarchy. But there was not enough water to float anarchy, and society escaped from the disaster of too much reform. In 1914, however, a very real Niagara drowned by its roaring all other sounde, constitutional and otherwise. As a recent writer puts it, tho Great War was the Niagara. Ho points out, in addition, that this- War Niagara has, after the fashion of tho great cataract of Nature, been followed by a prodigious whirlpool. In tho latter case, flotsam and jetsam of trees and various ruins are whirled round and round to their destruction in a boiling cauldron in which human life is' impossible. In the former tho flotsam and jetsam are the nations of tho world, precipitated into the great pool of disorder, whero thoy revolvo in mutual crushing, with apparently no hope of life. Conferences speak, notes are written, rumours go everywhere; -but the great holl-broth of tho j whirlpool, agitated to frantic gyration by forces of passion, self-interest, pride, and unreason, gives little evidence of subsidence. None of these wero ever contemplated jn the Treaty, which hoped to calm, by solemn words fairly printed, the whirling furies set in motion, by the war. Somo of the most ■solemn of these words wero made in tho United States. What is their value to-day? Are they powerful enough to still the tumult of nations driven by winds of passion and covered with the foam of indecision?

The Republican Convention has by its decision supplied something towards an answer. We are informed that the Republican split has been averted by a compromise proposed- by Elihu Root, the veteran Senator, who visited the whirling nations of tho pool from Siberian Russia to Berlin, and came away duly impressed by the gravity of the situation. This compromise is embodied in a resolution approving tho Senate's rejection of the Versailles Treaty, and "somo general; action"—we presume on the part of the United States in conjunction with the other nations—"for tho future peace of tho world.'' On this compromise Senator Harding, who stood for somo legitimate co-operation among tbe nations of the world to lessen tho danger of war, and opposed tho iLeaguo of Nations without "effective reservations," has received, by an overwhelming majority, tho Republican nomination of candidate for tho Presidency. The Republican policy, then, does not stand for isolation from the comity of nations, and is not opposed to the League of Natioim altogether, but to the League without effective reservations'.

What the Democratic party stands for has not yet been formulated: Tho President the other day spoke as if ho had made up his mind to stand for the Treaty and the League. For a clear statement we "must go back to tho speech he made in Congress on tho declaration of war. "Tho right," he said then, "is more precious than peace, and wo shall fight for the things which wo have always carried nearest our hearts." These he stated to bo Democracy, self-deter-mination of nations, tho righte and liberties of small nations, '"a universal dominion of right by such a concert of freo peopleK as shall bring peace and safety to all nations, and make the world itself at last free." He concluded with tho declaration that the American people "dedicated their lives and fortunes, and everything they had, -with- the pride of those who know that tho day has come when America in privileged to sj)cnd her blood and her might for the principles that gavo her birth and happiness and tho peace slio has treasured. God helping her, she can do no other.'' Since that day America has fought, land thousands of American soldiera have died in battlo for this great ideal. The President can now malco tho same appeal 'to tho people as Lincoln did ivhen he spoke over tho graves of Gettysburg; the appeal, "That wo hero highly resolvo that those dead shall not havo died in" vain." He will speak with tho brightness of noblo life and tho .depth of death. His opponent cannot rise above technicalities. Tho advantage is always with the man who gets to the heart of tho people, and Presijdent Wilson 'is aiming straight at that heart.

Tho Labour party does not choose to go alone, wisely obeying tho voico of its leader. But tho men are not fighting for ideals. Fighting for their own hand, they have somewhat falsified the view of Mr Secretary Colby that tho Republican nomination of Mr •Harding will- "clarify and emphasiso every issue between tho Democrats

and the Republicans." The most important of their terms is tho avoidance of compulsory arbitration. The Republican platform contains the plank of compulsory arbitration, and there i« hostility in the Labour ranks. But the party is going, after formulating its - platform, to submit the samo to both sides. They will fight, not for the ideal, but for material advantage. If correctly reported, they arc ready to be the mercenaries either of tho high ideal as propounded by the President, or of the technical bickerings which have produced the Root compromise. As it is too late to alter the Republican platform, the probability ii; that Labour will go solid for the President, in which case the President's side will probably win with the aid of Labour., We should have preferred to see Labour take the High Road. But if by taking the Low Road it secures the high victory ' for the peace of the world, there will be nothing to regret.'