New-York tribune., 1918-12-23
Hapgood Assails
Knox-Reed-Lodge ge
Fight on League
Declares Entire American
Policy Will BE Defeated
Unless a Society Of Ma
lions Is Agreed Upon

Motives of Senators Knox, Reed anC
Lodge, who have urged delay and ad
vanccd objections to world league ot
nations, were attacked in statement
issued yesterday by Norman Hapgood
president Of the League of Free Ma
tons Assoc ciation.
Mr.. Hapgood says that the whole
American policy from the beginning
of the war will be defeated unless such
plan of future government is adopted.
lie advanced numerous reasons why
immediate action was necessary II.
order to carry out the terms OF thc
peace about to be reached and even to
insure Just peace.
In fighting against the league Of
nations what are Senators Reed, Lodge
and Knox trying to do?" asks Mr.. Hap
good. "What are their motives as dis
tingushed from their arguments =?
These underlying motives ought to be
compared with the ultimate and con
tinuing motives of the Administration.
Pcstponement Best Weapon
"Mr. Reed is not so adroit in MS
methods as Mr.. Knox and Mr.. Lodge.
He attacks the idea in the centre. The
other two highly trained politicians
argue for postponement-a much bet
ter a1gument-for postponement and
ridiculc are the best weapons against a
proposition that Is entirely sound.
"The Administration mas mad solid
reason for urging that the formation
of league of nations be the first Or
der of business at the peace table. 1t
did not begin to urge that procedure
when the President went abroad. 1t
began at least a year and half ago
to be nsistcnt, though tactful, and it
has steadily insisted ever since.
"The reason for this insistence is in
the whole American policy from the
beginning President Wilson has varied
his course in detail, as a pilot tacks
with winl and tide, but his objcctives
have not changed. He las never be
licved the war would result in good if
having the victors act as attorney,
judge and jury.
Must Pool Intelligence
"He always has believed that the
only chance of making a settlement
that would pay in the long run for the
frightful sacrifice in life, health and
property would lie in pooling. the intel
ligence Of all the nations interested,
which can only be done through self
control and good will.
"It IS NOT human To eSnacf the Italian
government to take the same view Of
the still valid secret treaty that an I'M
partial body Of consulting statesmen
might take. England must have d very
strong voice N any agreements made
about access to raw materials in the
undeveloped regions Of the earth, but
hers should not be the only voice about
how to dispose of her new conquests
"The French government alone would
not be the best judge of France S
appropriate role in Asia Minor, and SC
Who is to decide whether Poland
should reach the sea by cutting
off 100000 Prussiars in East Prussia
or by making Danzig a free port? Who
is to approach the unspeakably complex
questions centring on the Balkans?
Would Carve Europe First
w lUJ lIOISc anu NllON mean 10 Clld I
four victorious governments, each rep
resented by a few men, should carve
up Europe, Asia and Africa to suit them
selves and then decide at their leisure
whether they want anything mas
querading as q league of nations after
all the questions Of Importance have
been already decided. This is the
method followed by the notorious Holy
Alliance, and it is the method natural
to the stand-pat politically minded m
telloct.
at is we'll, however, for the Ameri-
can public to wake up and apply its
intelligence to exactly what is at stake
No question Of detail is of any impor-
tancc compared to this question of
method Lodge, Reed and Knox are
saying, 'We and our principal associ-
ates, represented by a score of indi-
vduals in Versailles. ought TO grab
whatever we can comfortably get away
with and fix up rules afterward. Pres
ident Wilson is saying, The United
States and her associates have re-
sponsibility before God and man that
is too great for selfishness and too
great for hate or pride That respon-
sibiity can only be met by the same
method with which we have learned to
settle conflicts between man and man.
1t can only be met by the formation. at
the beginning, of tribunal as near to
competence and to fairness as it lies
%o