New Britain herald., 1919-03-03
(Reprinted From The Springfield
 Republican.)

Repubhcan.)
 Senator Lodge. with his powerful influence among conservatives per sonaIlv helped to set going the move ment for d league of nations; but now that the lea que of nations has been born at the peace conference he virtually disownS it and shows every sign of hoping for it's speedy extinc- tion The criticism which the sena- tor offered in his senate speech was thoroughly hostile in spirit. even if it was not absolutely uncompromis- stitution of the league of nations could not be improved by revision, but the senator's insistent warning that it. violates the constitution of the Tinted States. abolishes the Monroe Doctrine, straps George Washington's foreign policy rf isolation and threatens to undermine American ma tionalisnl indicates that if ny were to amend the leagues constitution >., all he would amend t to death.
 The puzzle of Mir. Lodges present attitude could be explained away only by himself. but the time has come to call attention to his share of per Sonal responsibility for the very sit uat1on which seems now to disQuiet hlrn Twenty years ago no one in public life was more vigorous and persuasive than MT. Lodge in urging the country to break away from our traditional policies by acquiring the Philippine Islands and becoming an oriental power. His senior colleague in the senate of that day, Mr. Hoar of Massa chusettS, argued strongly but in vain that the extension of our sovereignty to the coast of Asia and the adoption of a colonial policy in violation, as he believed, of the fed eral constitution, was a grave depar- ture from the teachings of Washing ton, and placed the Monroe Doctrine in jeopardy. But Senator Lodge did not share the fears of Mir. Hoar He was stoutly, robustly for the United States in the role of a world pow CT" The constitution did not bother him in the least although the ''in- sular cases" growing out of the Phil ippines acquisition were decided by sharply divided supreme court.
 The general movement in the past 20 years toward making America play a world part, as entrusted with the traditional role of safeguarding mere ly the American continents, had MT. Lodge for a leader. In 1906, he would not consent to an unqualified reservation upon the Algeciras treaty, declaring that our government was without purpose to depart from the traditional American foreign policy which forbade participation by the United States in the settlem ent of po- 1itical questions which were essential ly European In their scope. The word Essentially had to be changed to "entirely" to meet his ideas of Amer ica's enlarged activity abroad. He also approved Secretary Hays diplo- matic intervention in behalf of the persecuted Jews of Rumania al- though the United States was not a signatory of the treaty of Berlin which had guaranteed protection to the Rumanian Jews. Down to the outbreak of the world war in 1914. Senator Lodge was always conspic- uous for the ease with which he threw off the constraints of our tra- ditional isolation in foreign affairs.
 When the world war came, the League of Nations found in Mir. Lodge an early advocate. Tn his Union col lege address, June 9, 1915, the sena- tor declared:
 The great nations must be so united as to be able to say to any single country, You must not go to war;, and they can only say that eff fectively when the country desiring war knows that the force which the united nations place behind peace is irresistible. It may seem utopian at this moment to suggest a union of civilized nations in order to put a con- trolling force behind the maintenance of peace and international order but it is along this path that we must travel if we are to attain in any measure to the end We all desire of peace upon earth.'
 MT. Roosevelt, in October, 1914. had already written that the great civilized na ations of the world which do possess force actual or imm edi- ately potential, should combine by solemn a5reeme ent in a great. world league for the peace of righteousn ess." Senator Lodge himself, in May, 1916. went so far as to endorse the pro- gram of the American league to en- force peace, with which Mr. Taft is
 identified Said the senator:
 q know how quickly we shall be met with the statement that this is a dangerous question which you are putting into your agreement; that no nation can submit to the judgment of other nations: and we must be care tul at the beginning not to attempt too much. I know the difficulties which arise when we speak of any thing which seems to involve an al- liance. But I do not believe that when Washington warned us against entangling alliances he meant for one moment that we should not join with