The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-21
NIGH CAUSE
DISSENSION
Five of Pres. Wilson Ia Prin-
ciples of Peace, Says
Senator Lodge
RESENTS EXCLUSION
OF THE SENATE
Recalls That No Treaty Can
Become Binding Without
the Senate's Consent

Washington, ID. G., Dec 2l.-Five of
President Wilson's IA principles Of peace
were held up in the Senate to-day by
Senator Lodge, the Republican 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 confer
enoe. They are the first four and the
last of the points enunciated by the
president in his speech of Jan. s, 1915
and relate to secret diplomacy, freedom
of the seas, economic barriers, reduction
of ornaments and the league of nations
The senator delivered a prepared adj
dress on the problems of the peace CON
ference 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 it.
self frankly in advance.
'While ] think it grave mistake" he
said, ION the part of the president to ig.
more the Senate, because our ultimate
responsibility in making the peace is
quite equal to his own, have no fault to
find with his not appointing senators as
delegates to the peace conference. There
is no obligation whatever upon him to
make such appointments.
I'm the present situation, which is
grave beyond comparison, think it is of
last Importance that those concerned in
the actual negotiation 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, viii permit the opin-
ion 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 very clear
and even acute sdea Of the power of the
Senate in regard to treaties"
To bring forward propositions not in
separately connected with the immediate
and difficult task of making a binding
peace with Germany, Senator Lodge said
may ruin all by trying to do too much
at once" Such propositions, he said, were
the five points enumerated.
In his discussion of the freedom of the
seas the senator called attention to the
strange development in connection with
the pending naval appropriation bill, the
advocacy by Rear Admiral Badger of
program calling for navy as large as
that of England by 1925. He said he
thought he had favored building more
ships than anybody else, but that he had
never contemplated such a program and
did not think it necessary
The only naval danger that we were
obliged to consider in the past on the At
lantic coast has ceased to be- We need
powerful feet in the Pacific, and | feel
sure we will have navy sufficient to
furnish that fleet to the western coast
And yet at this moment we are suddenly
called upon to build feet 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 senator said he
would mot stop to ask who is to order
that navy about the world"
Mr. Lodge said he would be glad if the
Senate debates on peace were supple,
mented by some definite resolutions ex-
pressing views on important points. He
continued:
Whether the Senate will take such ac-
tion-although ! know that we have very
definite opinions cannot tell, because
there seems to be a feeling among some
senators that it is an act of intolerable
audacity for the Senate to even suggest
to the executive that it has opinions
which ought to be considered. Personal
ly | do not share that view. ="
peace being our object, the first step
toward peace is to make peace with
Germany, If the peace with Germany is
to be durable terms must be exacted
which will make it, so far as human fore
sight goes, impossible for Germany to
break out again upon the world with a
war of conquest. This cannot be done by
treaty engagements and signatures to
documents. At this juncture of affairs
Germany would sign anything, and her
pledge would be as worthless as the guar
antics she gave to Belgium. II 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 principles
carefully instilled for half a century, the
barbarous methods and doctrines all re-
main unaltered. | do not need to re-
hearse what those physical guarantees
should be, for | have stated my views
upon them more than once to the Senate
and | think there is general agreement
upon them not only in the Senate but
among the American people. These ply
steal guarantees all have one object, and
that is so to hem Germany in that she
cannot attempt conquest in Russia or in
the East, and that the Slavic populations.
which she has merciessly used in her
wars, can never be used by her again.
"In addition there must be heavy in
IDENTITIES paid by Germany In those in
IDENTITIES, the United States must have
its proportionate share, not only direct
indemnity for its ships destroyed by
submarines and its peoples murdered on
the Lusitania and other vessels but a
suitable restitution, in part at least, of
the vast expenses forced upon us by Ger
many.
at will be for the peace conference to
determine what disposition should be
made of the German colonies, but one
thing is essential, and that is that they
should not be returned to the tyrannical
misgovernment of Germany and that she
should be deprived of those means for ex.
tending her commerce and building UP
military outposts in all parts of the
world.
at is the duty of the allies and the
United States to meet and determine
what terms they will impose upon Ger
many and then, and not until then, call
in the representatives of Germany and
imnnsp thp terms IlDon thprn -