New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-06

yesterday:
Nothing that the United States Senate
may do, nothing that all the mass-meet-
ings and petitions from Bangor to San
Diego may do, will bring peace one hour
nearer Peace is in the hands Of a group
Of determined men in Europe who will
bring il about in their own time and their
own way, without being affected one title
By al the well-mesning sdjurations that
may be addressed TO them by private per
sons or Senators. But II that were all, II
the thing were only useless, 1t might be
passed by with indifference on the ground
that il is as harmless as useless II is not
harmless; II Is exceedingly dangerous, for,
while it can have no effect in advancing
peace, it is likely to destroy the influence
OF the United States both now and when
peace comes to be made
They Senators and other intermediary
must be made TO understand that they are
not merely doing something useless; that
they are doing something actively danger
Gus 20 the cause Of peace, almost certainly
fatal 70 the power OF the United States to
aid it
"The New York World" said yesterday
in the same vein:
The World has never been able TO IN
derstand the reason or the motive for the
resolution. Germsny's reply has already
been received, and it is studied evasion
Of the Presidents request for a statement
Of aims and objects and a definition of
terms. The reply Of the Allies is prac
tically prepared, and is likely to be on its
way 10 Washington before the Senate has
finished wrangling over the resolution In
no conceivable circumstances could the
Hitchcock resolution change the dotting Of
an 81" or the crossing of a "t" in the an
swers made by belligerents and neutrals to
the Presidents communication.
The net result of the whole proceeding
is to drag the foreign policy Of the gov
ernment into the mire of partissnship and
10 embarrass the Administration in what
ever action il may deem necessary to take
after the replies Of the belligerents have
been reesived. The World can only repeat
what il said yesterday, that the United
States Senate is never so impressive as
when it is engaged in minding its own
business.
If It is true that the consideration of the
Hitchcock resolution could have no other
effect than to embarrass the Admins
tration and destroy the influence of the
United States as a factor in any peace
settlement, why did the President and his
friends in the Senate permit the present
discussion to drag along? Why did they
ever allow it to get started?
There is no more earnest supporter of
the Administration than William J. Stone,
the chairman of the Senate Committee on
Foreign Relations. He has pigeon holed
and chloroformed dozens of resolutions
dealing with the Presidents conduct of
foreign affairs. He is Mr.. Wilson's conf
dant in matters Of foreign policy. He
has made no move in the last three years
as chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee which has not had the Presi-
dents sanction. Yet on the floor of the
Senate the other day he said that because
of the worldwide interest it had aroused
the Hitchcock resolution ought to be con-
sidered by the Senate and disposed Of by a
direct vote.
James Hamilton Lewis has long been
known as the Administrations favorite
spokesman in the Senate on questions in
volving American foreign policy. He has
been the State Departments leading brief
holder and jurisconsult. Yet far from
deprecating discussion OF the Hitchcock
resolution, he himself broke into it. lie
spoke at length on Thursday and again
yesterday, lust before the Hitchcock reso-
luton was discarded and the Jones sub
stitute was passed.
If the debate was not only useless but
harmful 1t was likely 70 make the
United States ineligible as an agent Of
mediation-why did Senators Lewis and
Stone contribute to keep il alive? A word
from the President or Mr. Lansing, a gest-
ure even from Colonel House, would have
set these erring Senators right. Why was
the signal not given which would have
aligned the Administration forces behind
a motion TO lay the Hitchcock resolution
on the table or TO bury it forever in the
Foreign Relations Committees mortuary
vault?
The more we read the protests of "The
Times" and "The World" Tin which we
heartily concur) against the futile discus
sion which has just been wound up in the
Senate the more the mystery Of the Ad-
minigtration's inaction deepens.
Can the President think that nothing
which the Senate does or omits to do mat
ters. so far as his ambition to force the
calling of a peace conference is concerned?
Does he believe that both "The Times
and "The World" are wrong in holding
that the indiscretions of Senate debate
can in any way embarrass him or dimin-
ish his acceptability as a mediator when
the time for restoring the worlds peace
raaTIv nrriyes2