The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-01-18
PEACE NOTE ATTACKED
BY BORAH ANDLODCE
PRESIDENT CHAGRlNED BY RE-
FUSAL OF SENATE's
SUPPORT.

President Wilson is understood ia
be deeply chagrined over the half
hearted, conditional Endorsement that
the senate has given to his move for
peace. Careful scrutiny of the Ian
guage of the senate shows that the
authority which the president partic-
ularly desired in support of his Lea
que to Enforce Peace idea is lacking,
says the Washington correspondent of
the New York Sun.
AS the matter now stands the pres
ident has pledged this government to
cooperate with European nations in
the maintenance of future peace and
realizes that he has no authority for
his pledge. Before the country could
be committed to such policy the
president must have the support of
the senate, which would need to rat
lty the necessary treaties. And the
senate now in advance states it's I'M
Willingness to recommend any such
course. Therefore the president is
placed in an extremely embarrassing
position with foreign capitals, it is ex-
planned.
Officials and diplomats here now
say it would have been much better
had no action whatever been taken by
the senate on the presidents note. The
long wrangle over it, together with
the sharp attacks on the presidents
policy which emanated from Senators
Lodge and Borah, has all been cabled
abroad
Hitchcock Is Blamed.
To foreign chancelleries President
Wilson is placed in the position of
having endeavored to force an in
dorsement of his own personal ideas
and having failed. Administration
senators are plainly chagrined at the
situation caused by the Hitchcock
resolution. They are blaming its in
PRODUCER for having brought the SEN
ate into the peace matter at all.
Administration officials are now be-
ginning to realize that the long debate
in the senate over the note has ad-
versely affected the presidents orig
inal position in the eyes of all Europe.
The presidents enote, it is explained,
placed him in the position of seeking
to ascertain the aims of the belliger-
ents in order that he might know the
prospects for peace.
President Wilson declared specifical-
ly that it was not a move for peace or
an offer of mediation, but the efforts
of certain supporters of the president
in the senate to have the note indors-
ed as peace note has caused diplo-
mats to distrust the explanation of
the text In that sense it has more
than ever offended the entente.
The fact that Senator Lewis empha-
sized the need of senatorial indorse-
ment of the note on the ground that
the country was on the verge of war
has naturally offended the central
powers The senatorial quarrel has
therefore given offense to both fac
lions and has in no sense added to the
prestige of the presidents step.
Effect of Wilson's Course.
Administration leaders hoped that
after the Hitchcock resolution had
been introduced the Endorsement from
the senate would come spontaneously,
at least appear to come without press
ure from the White House, but the
fact that the president was quietly
urging it, as appeared after his visit
to Senator Stone, spoiled this effect
Just as the Spanish reply spoiled the
administrations hopes for impressing
the entente that neutral nations were
backing up the United States with
out any intimation that their support
was desired"
In German circles the unhappy ef'
feet which senatorial discussion of the
note has caused, is cited as demon
strating how impossible it is for thu
warning nations to discuss peace terms
publicly. Germany as well as the en-
tente will necessarily regard tn
whole procedure in the senate as un
dignifed and tending to deprive tn
American note of being in any sens
an expression of real opinion in tn
United States.
If the American public can no
agree on such a minor matter as tn
wording Of resolution, it is said l.
Teuton circles, how can it be expect
ed that the peoples of all the nation
at war can agree in public, to tn
same terms of peace?