Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-27
Lodge and n World Peace

THE latest criticism OF the Presidents
peace program put forth by Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge shows the Massachusetts
Scion to be not only at distinct variance with
what the President has interpreted to be the
will of the American people. but likewise at
odds with most of our allies.
Senator Lodge insists that five OF the four
teen peace terms forming the framework of
the Presidents program should not be con-
sdercd at all at the peace conference. He
opposes recognition by the conference Of the
principle that the compacts to be drawn up
between all countries represented shall be
open covenants, openly arrived at" He
would eliminate consideration OF the quest ion
OF freedom Of the seas he opposes any stip-
Ilation against discriminatory trade tariffs in
the interest OF certain nations and against
others; insists that the peace conferees
should not give any attention to the problem
of reducing or limiting national ornaments,
and most distinctly opposes all thought of
creating at the Versailles meeting the basis
OF league of nations to enforce peace.
1t apparently matters little 10 Senator
Lodge that, with the exception OF the free
dom-of-thc-seas declaration Of the President
every one OF these five points, together with
the remaining in the list of fourteen
were not only formally accepted by our allies
but made the basis of the peace conference
itself. Germany proposed an armistice for
OF the fourteen terms laid down by President
Wilson. The allies accepted the offer with
the exception noted concerning the freedom
OF the seas. Even with this exception Eng
land did not say that it would not discuss
this subject at the peace conference. On the
contrary it induced its allies, the United
States included, to reserve this question for
discussion at the peace conference. That is
to say, Great Britain's position, which was
accepted as the attitude of France as we'll,
was that. owing to the various interpretations
wh'ch nave been given TO this principle of
freedom Of the seas, it reserved the right to
lay its own Interpretation OF it before the
peace conference. This arrangement entered
into, is it TO be inferred that Senator Lodge
would have the United States and the allies
adopt a leaf out Of the German code and
proceed to make of this agreement "scrap
OF paper!
The remarks OF Senator Lodge in criticism
of the first of the fourteen terms namely
that there shall be open covenants openly
arrived at, bctokens what seems to be a
supersens.tive regard for the feelings OF the
other powers concerned, for certainly the
other powers themselves have not opposed
this suggestion. Statesmen and others on
the otl.2r side Of the water have, on the con-
trarE. rather readily adopted ii as a sort Of
slogan in their public utterances, and it is a
curious coincidence that on the very day that
senator Lodge, the man chosen by his col
leagues as chairman OF the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee in the next Congress.
was dcploring the idea that the President
! should insist on open covenants openly ar
rived at, Lord Northcliffe, than whom no one
IS more capable of speaking for British public
opinion. was out with statement insisting
that the peace conference should live IN TO
the letter of this principle
Correspondents writing from France saw
that the nearer one gets TO the scenes Of
irlghtiul desolation scared into the soil and
soul OF Europe by this war the more ear.
nest one finds the wish implanted in the
hearts OF men that the Versailles conferees
snail leave no stone unturned TO insure the
! world against another such war. There
more than here, the correspondents say, are
the Presidents fourteen terms looked upon
as pointing the way. Senator Lodge is surely
out OF touch with the soul of Europe 1t
Is quite certain lie does not represent the soul
Of America