Republican farmer., 1918-01-25
GERMAN DELECATE bARES KAISER'S
 DESIGNS ON EASTERN TERRITORIES:
 WILL INVADE NORTH IF PLOT FAILS
WILSON'S FOES
 IN SENATE ARE ALREADY BEATEN
War Cabinet Bill Fails and
 Not Even a Test Vote Is Likely

washington, Jan. M.-The fight against the administration is over before it is begun. The question of confidence in his conduct of the war that the President was willing to place before the Senate, and which was to have been forced to a deci- sion today, will not be put to the test unless the unexpected occurs MT. Wilson's position has been supported to such an extent that a vote is no longer regarded as necessary to prove | it.
 The last chance that the opposi- tion to the executive had to place on record what would have amounted to a censure of the manner in which America has managed her end of the war was dissipated yesterday when it became known that Senators Lodge kof Massachusetts and Warren of Wy oming, two of the most powerful of ] the Republican group, stood with the President and would throw their in f1uence and votes against the War Cabinet measure.
 | When the Chamberlain bill is reached it will be referred to the Military Af- | fairs Committee, of which the Oregon senator is chairman. Should he at- tempt to make an immediate report ing out of the bill it will be opposed by Warren, who will ask an oppor- tunity to formulate minority re- port. In this he will be joined by certain of the Democratic committee men who oppose the measure. It is possible that vote may be taken on this point, but the Senate leaders re- gard it as improbable. Later, should the proposed law be reported out, Swanson of Virginia, acting chairman of the Naval Committee, will ask that it be referred to his body, since it concerns the workings of the Navy Department as much as it does the army. In this position he will be joined by Lodge, ranking minority member of the Naval Committee.
 Should it reach that committee, the bill will die there, but it is very doubtful whether it will be reported out of the Military Committee, once lit is sent back there, for it is realized that the administration is in control, and the committeeman, including some of those who favor the bill, be- Heve that the part of wisdom lies in avoiding an open break with the eX- ecutive.
 When the meascure has been dis Iposed of the administration will offer such a program as has been found necessary through the experiences of the various departments, but 1t can be said authoritatively that nothing lof a radical nature will be asked for at this time. No War Cabinet is need ed. in the opinion of the President, land the pending bill to create a Di- lrector of Munitions will likewise be Iscrapped.
 It cannot be denied that Col. Roose-
 welt played a part in the situation
 which developed yesterday afternoon,
 although it is a question whether he
 was not an involuntary performer.
 His presence in Washington had the Ieffect of immediately solidifying the Democrats and it was not without. ef-
 feet among certain of the RepubE- leans whp do not hold the Colonel in
 high esteem.
 Perhaps news of the inner nature
 of things reached the Colonel yester-
 day, for he secluded himself and de-
 clined to see newspaper men, saying that he might have statement to
 make today.
 Senator Chamberlain is showing
 quiescence with the new turn matters
 have taken. He is not trying to swim
 against the tide. He said yesterday that he would not make a fight against the procedure, but instead would rise
 to a question of personal privilege and on the floor of the Senate make , public reply to the Presidents char
 acterization of the speech he made in New York last Saturday.
 Chamberlain has announced that his defense will be found in the record of the War Department which the
 military affairs committee investiga-
 ton brought out. Democratic Sena-
 tors will make reply, with possibly a . voice or two from the Republican side also.
 It is more than likely that the de-
 bate will close the whole issue and
 that the war cabinet measure will
 never reach a vote. After three days
 of consideration the belief is general
 even among certain of the group most
 partisan1y inclined, that the Presi-
 dent must be supported in the posi- ' ton he has assumed unless the un-
 dermining of all public confidence is
 to be risked And but few of the ad- ministration's critics are willing to go so far as to say that this hazard
 should be made.
 Friends of Wilson regard the vic tory as highly significant. They spurn the thought that the retire : ment of the opposition has been due to consideration for the administra-
 ton; they insist that it means noth-
 ing more nor less than a complete backdown on the part of the critics who it is charged, lack the material t to make good their. frequently re- I peated attacks.
 The administration caused it to be