New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-02
Calls Wilson's Proposal
Visionary and Danger
Gus to Nation
CANNOT EXPAND
MONROE DOCTRINE
Urges Rehabilitation OF
International Law and
Better DefenceS
From The Tribune Bureau

Washington, Feb. Henry CABOT
Lodge, United States Senator from
Massachusetts,. concluded this after
noon one of the most notable speecheS
the Senate has listened to for o long
time. He said, in part:
az now see in this tortured and DIS
,r.cted world nothing but peril IN
abandoning our long and well estao.
lished policies, which have oehino
them not only the authority OF WASH
inrton and jefferson and Adams anu
Monroe. but a long acceptance by the
American people.
"Let it not be forgotten that II we
pass that resolution Senator borah ?
resffirming the Monroe Doctrine ana
Washington's policy Of isolation) we
close the door for the time Deing' So
far as the Senate is concerned, upon
proposition that we should JOIN
league for peace, backed by the major
force of mankind. This resolution COM
NIT, us without reserve to the policy
in regard to foreign nations, OF "asn'
inpton. Monroe and jefferson, whose
statements are as clear as the I'M
c,ouded sun at MONDAY, and arc not
collections Of double meaning words
under which men can hide and say
they mean anything or nothing.
United States Must Stand Aloof
"This war will end; the passions Of
mankind will die down; individual
ambitions will vanish with the evan
escent beings who cherish them, but
the Republic and the American people
will remain.
"Let us beware how We take any
steps which may precipitate this coun'
try and the people who are to come
after US, and whose inheritance it is,
into dangers which no man can fore
see"
Mr.. Lodge freely admitted that his
first conviction was that the league
to enforce peace should be supported.
He frankly confessed that he had
changed his mind. He condemned the
league scheme as visionary. Important
abstracts from the speech are present.
ed as follows:
"As | understand it, the President
is aiming at two objects-both in the
highest degree admirable-to bring to
an end the war now raging in Europe,
and to make provision for the future
and permanent peace of the world.
1.-THE President lays down the gen.
eral principles upon which the terms
Of the peace, In which we are to have
no voice, shall be based if the peace
thus obtained is to be peace worth
having. r..
"In the first place, it must be peace
without victory. 1t is not quite clear
Just what this means, unless it is in
tended to be q declaration in the inter-
est Of one group of belligerents, who.
having abandoned the original hope of
complete victory, wish to make peace
in the most advantageous way now
open to them.
at seems to me incredible that peo-
pie who have made such awful sac
rifces as have been made by the bel
ligerents should be content to forego
the prospect of victory in the hope of
bringing the war to an end. with every
thing left Just as it was.
No World Monroeism
The President says that he pro-
poses, as il were, that the nations, with
one accord, should adopt the doctrine
of President Monroe as the doctrine of
the world. do not find il easy to de-
termine precisely what is meant
"How are we to reframe the first
portion Of the Monroe Doctrine so as
TO give it a worldwide application
II asserts that the American continents
arc not to be considered as subjects
for future colonization by any Eu-
ropean power. How is this PROPOSE
ton to be turned into a world doc
trine?
slow are we to turn into . world
doctrine President Mouroe's second
statement that he should regard It as
an unfriendly act If any European
mower interfered with the indepen-
dence of any American government
IL the transformation 70 be Effected d
having Europe and Asia and Africa
adopt q doctrine that there SHALL 5e nc
colonies established ~ my power en
any Of those great continents. and that
II, for example. any European power
should establish a new colony some
where In Africa we should regard It as
an unfriendly act:
at is no new thing to create tnterna
tional tribunals or 20 make agreement!
as to methods 70 he employed N war
The rights 81 neutrals and he many
oth.r subjects now covered BY the vol
Intsry Hague conventions.
Army Of 100000
The hrst question that would Occur
20 any one Of Us is what the number!