Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-21
MR.. LODGE URGES
POSTPONEMENT Of
F|VE0F 14PO|NTS
Tells Senate Settlement With
Germany Is First Duty of
Conference.
FEARS OTHER QUESTIONS
MIGHT DIVIDE NATIONS
League of Nations and Freedom of
Seas Among Issues That Can
Wait, Senator Believes.

Wait, Senator Believes.
Five of President Wilson's fourteen
principles of peace were held up in the
Senate today by Senator Lodge, repub-
lican leader, as questions which might
lead to division among the nations
which have conquered Germany, and
which certainly should be postponed
until after the peace conference. They
are the first four and the last of the
points enunciated by the President in
his speech of January s, 1918, and re-
late to secret diplomacy, freedom OF
the seas, economic barriers, reduction
| of ornaments and the league of ma
tions.
No Need for Navy Big as English.
In his discussion of the freedom OF
the seas the senator called attention
to the strange development" in con-
nection with the pending naval ap-
preparation BILL the advocacy pS
| Rear Admiral Badger of program
calling for i Navy as large as that or
England by 1925 He said he thought
he had favored building more ships
| than anybody else. but that he never
had contemplated such program ana
did not think it necessary
The only naval danger that we
were obliged to consider in the past
on the Atlantic coast has ceased 10
| be. We need powerful Meet IN the
Pacific, and I feel sure we VIII nave
f,tr g
| to the western coast. And yet at TINS
! moment we are suddenly called upon
! to build a fleet which shall be the
equal of that of England.
| OF suggestions that a great navy is
needed for police duty in connection
with the league of nations, the sena-
| tor said he would mot stop to ASK
who is to order that Navy about the
world"
Mr.. Lodge said he would be glad il
the Senate debates on peace were sup
plemented by some definite resolutions
expressing views on important points.
He continued: -,
action-although T know that we nave
very definite opinions cannot zen
| because there seems to be a feeling
among some senators that IL is an act
of intolerable audacity for the Senate
if has opinions which ought TO be
considered. Personally 1 do not share
that view. a
address on the problems of the peace
conference, in which he spoke of the
heavy responsibility of the Senate IN
the work of making peace, recalled
that no treaty can become binding
upon the United States without the
Senate's consent, and declared that
untoward results could be avoided
only if the Senate expressed itself
frankly in advance.
Mistake to Ignore Senate.
"while I think it a grave mistake:
he said, ION the part of the Presi-
dent to ignore the Senate, because our
ultimate responsibility in making the
peace is quite equal to his own. 1 have
no fault to find with his not APP
pointing senators as delegates to the
peace conference. There is no obli-
cation whatever upon him to make
such amendments.
"In the present situation. which is
grave beyond comparison" he said. Il
think it is of last Importance that
those concerned in the actual negotia-
ton of the treaty should at least
know the views of the Senate, so far
as the Postmaster General. in control
of the cables, and Mr.. Creel, in control
of the news, will permit the opinion
of the Senate to be transmitted to
Paris. We cannot compel information.
but we are abundantly able to make
our opinions known not only to the
President but to the allies. who have
a very clear and even acute idea OF
the power of the Senate in regard to
treaties.
To bring forward propositions not
| inseparably connected with the i'm
mediate and difficulo task Of making a
binding peace with Germany, Sena-
tor Lodge said, may ruin all by try
ing to do too much at once" Such
propositions, he said. were the hve
points enumerated.
Settle With Germany First.
Peace being the object. the first
step toward peace is to make peace
with the country with which we have
been and are at war-that is, with
Germany. If the peace with Germany
| is to be durable. terms must be exact
ed which will make it. so far as hu-
| man foresight goes, impossible for
Germany to break out again upon the
| world with war of conquest. This
| cannot be done by treaty engagements
and signatures of documents At this
i juncture of affairs Germany would
| sign anything, and her pledge would
| be as worthless as the guarantees she
/ gave to Belgium. 1t is well also to
| remember that Germany did not
change its nature overnight when the
| kaiser ran away to Holland. The
deep-rooted ambitions. the evil prin-
ciples carefully instilled for half
century, the barbarous methods and
| doctrines. all remain unaltered.
| 81 do not need to rehearse what
those physical guarantees should be.
for have stated my views upon then
more than once to the Senate, and
! think there is general agreement upon
| them. not only in the Senate, but
! among the American people. They in
! clude the restoration Of Belgium, the
| return of Alsace-Lorraine to France.
| of the Italia Irridenta to Italy. the
esta ablishment of JuGo-Slav state
and of an independent state formed
nv the Czecho-Slovaks. They include
| also the security of Greece. the set
| Element of Albania and Montenegro.
| the restoration of Rumania. the con-
solidation of all the Rumanian people
under one government, as wen as tne
naturalization of the straits; the put
ting of Constantinopie under inter
n.tional projection with Greece. per-
hans, as the mandatory Of the powers
| to administer the affairs of the city;
i the independence of Armenia. the re-
turn of those portions of Asia Minor
where Greeks are predominant TO
! Greece: the protection OF Syria and
| Palestine from the Turks; a large.
powerful and independent Polish state:
the independence of Russia's Baltic
provinces; the return of Danish
| CONTINUED on Tenth Page)