Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-26
SENATOR LODGE ON PEACE

motives. He is now the dominating repre-
sentative of Republican party opinion In
the Senate He has national audience
on the occasions when he takes the floor.
His formal definition of acceptable peace
conditions, therefore, is of extraordinary
interest. And every one will at once ap-
plaud the similarity of his view to that
of the President and the unity that is
apparent in the purposes Of the Repub-
lican leaders and those of the Admins
tration.
For Mr. Lodges program is in all essen
tias Mr.. Wilson's program. a shade more
explicitly stated. somewhat more harshly
phrased and having as its leading char
acteristic the commanding note and chal-
lenge of the victor. 1t is not as set Of
peace conditions that Mr.. Lodges pro-
nouncement can claim novelty or perma-
nent attention. What may be termed the
Republican peace program represents
actually the beginning of a new epoch In
our relation to the war-the period when
we assume all the rights and privileges Of
the offensive and the attitude of the con-
queror for the first time. Formerly Amer
lea had sense of struggle in which
many is winded and tottering. A change
in the psychology of this country is in.
evitable and Mr.. Lodge has been the first
to sense that change and to meet it. A
pronouncement such as he has made will
provide, in fact a definite test of the tenn
per of the American people under the
growing stimulus of success and victory.
A principle not clearly visible in the
text of Senator Lodges address is in
volved in this instance. and 1t may yet
develop as a ground for argument between
the two political parties. Always in the
back of President Wilson's mind there
seems to have been an insistent hope for
salvation of some sort for the German
nation and an untrammeled future for the
German people after they have been re.
lieved Of the burden of their military
CLIQUE. The Presidents sense of charity
for the individual German is not always
reflected in popular opinion. The passion
ate hatred of the world at large for the
Germans of Belgium. the Germans who
murdered and plundered, the Germans of
poison gas and fiame-throwers and sub
marines, has left in many minds a wish
to see fire and the sword dominant upon
German soil. 1t has often seemed even
to charitable minds that a policy of an
eye for an eye, of fire for fire, could offer
the only decent and just finish to a war
such as the present one has been. 1t may
be assumed that such a view would sat
isfy general opinion now. But what
whether it would satisfy the world opinion
of the future as well.
7 Senator Lodge in urging the necessity
for victory dictated on German soil does
not go too far He might justly have
urged a victory dictated in Berlin. 1t is
safe to say that large part of American
opinion will not be satisfied with less. It
is even questionable whether victory
otherwise arrived at would be altogether
convincing to Germany or convincing to
the gun-mad leaders of the Hun. Sooner
or later we shall have to decide questions
such as this. But what If the Germans
should surrender after some great disaster
in France and sue for peace upon Allied
terms? What If, after d complete down.
fall in the German army we might be
lay Germany waste in the advance to
a peace that might be fair and lasting?
The victor in arms is not likely to waste
time on such subtleties President Wilson
differs with Senator Lodge in that he
seems able to imagine a whipped and re-
formed Germany that yet shall prove
amenable to justice and reason and escape
the horrors Of forced invasion. There is a
school Of opinion that supports this view.
There are observers who insist that a
devitalized and broken Germany would be
a burden and a menace to civilization
They hold that a peace founded upon a
humane consideration for all the people
will bring Germany back again as
friendly element in the family of western
civilization and recover to the world some
Of the good which German character con-
tributed in the years of it's sanity
1t remains to be seen how America at
large will feel in relation to this theory.
1t must be remembered that Senator
Lodge and the leaders with whom he con-
suited before making his address have
none of the responsibilities of the Presi-
dent. They can become more conciliatory
or more harsh without any violation of
political ethics. They are freer to talk
than Mr.. Wilson. They easily can be
more explicit And yet It must be said
that Senator Lodge has again acted with
signal patriotism in departing from rou.
tine to strengthen the hands of the Ad-
| ministration, to ask more of the country
even than the President has asked, to sup
| port ever a sterner policy than Mr.. Will
sons. And finally in the name of his
| party he has withdrawn all hope from the
conciliators and the Lansdownes in Amer.
| ica-from the faint-hearted and the cow
ardly. OF America at this moment 1t may
be said that she is more completely united
| in sentiment and in purpose than any
other nation in the world.
i Not Rad The chan 1uh