The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-08-15
SENATOR FROM BAY STATE
DISCUSSES ARTICLES
'ADDRESSIN UpPERHOUSE
He Comments On the Monroe
Doctrine; Should Not PaIter
independence
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch

Washington, August 12.-Describing
the League of Nations as "deformed
experiment upon noble purpose"
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts, chair
man of the foreign relations commit
tee and republican leader of the SEN
ate, declared in senate speech to-
day that there were features Of the
league covenant which "as an Ameri-
can" he never could accept.
Creating, not league of peace but
an alliance embracing many "provi-
sions for war;" the covenant in its
present form, he asserted, would kill
the Monroe Doctrine, nullify any pos
sibility of withdrawal from member
ship, impair the sovereign power OF
deciding domestic questions, and
plunge the United States into every
controversy and conflict on the face
Let us beware" he said, 'how we
palter with our independence. We
have not reached the great position,
from which we were able to come down
into the field of battle and help to
save the world from tyranny, by being
guided by others. Our vast power has
been built up and gathered together
by ourselves alone.
Forced Our Way Up.
1--WE forced our way upward from
| the days of revolution, through d
world often hostile and always indif-
| ferent. We owe no debt to anyone
except to France in our revolution
and those policies and those
rights on which our power has
been founded should never be
lessened or weakened. 1t will be no
service to the world to do so and it
will be of intolerable injury to the
| United States. We will do our share.
| We are ready and anxious to help in
all ways to preserve the worlds
peace. But we can do 1t best by not
Gripping ourselves.
II am anxious as any human being
can be to have the United States rem
der every possible service to the civil
| ization and the peace of mankind, but
/ am certain we can do it best by
not putting ourselves in leading
strings or subjecting our policies and
our sovereignty to other nations.
will go as far as anyone in world
service, but the first step to world
service is the maintenance OF the
United States. You may call me sell
| fish, if you WI. conservative ca re-
dictionary, but an American was
born, an American ! have remained
all my life
Can Be Nothing But American.
81 can never be anything else but
an American, and l must think of the
United States first and when l think
of the United States first in an ar
rangement like this am thinking of
what is best for the world, for If the
United States fails the best hopes of
mankind fail with it. ] have never
had but one allegiance can not di-
vide dt now.
"The United States is the worlds
best hope, but if you fetter her in the
interests and quarrels Of other ma
tons, if you tangle her in the intries
ues of Europe, you will destroy her
power for good and endanger her very
existence.
1--WE are told that we shall break
the heart of the world if we do not
take this league just as it stands.
fear that the hearts of the vast ma
jority of mankind would beat on
strongly and steadily and without any
quickening if the league were to
perish together. If it should be eff
fectively and benefciently changed
the people who would lie awake in
sorrow for a single night could be
easily gathered in one not very large
room but those who would draw a
long breath of relief would reach to
millions.
Thrusting Of Ideals.
ideals haven't been thrust upon us
as an argument for the league until
the healthy mind which rejects can't
revolt from them. Are ideals con-
fined to this deformed experiments
upon a noble purpose tainted as it is
with bargains and tied to a peace
of the world if it had not been COM
PEELED to carry this rider on its back?
mo doubt many excellent and pa
triotic people see coming fulfillment
of noble ideals in the words League
for Peace. We all respect and share
these aspirations and desires, but
some of us see no hope, but rather
defeat, for them in this murky coven-
ant. For we. too, have our ideals,
even if we differ from those who have
tried to establish a monopoly Of ideal
ism. Our first ideal is our country.
We would have our country strong to
resist a peril from the West, as she
has flung back the German menace
| from the east. We would not have our
politics distracted and embittered by
the discussions of other lands.
$50 far as the question Of isolation
goes, it is impossible to isolate the
United States. We may set aside all
this empty talk about isolation. No.
body expects to isolate the United
States or to make it a hermit Nation,
which is sheer absurdity. But>thero
is wide difference between taking a
suitable part and bearing due re-
sponsibility in world affairs and
plunging the United States into every
controversy and conflict on the face
of the globe"
lIi-Famed Holy Alliance.
Likening the league to the ILL.,
famed Holy Alliance, Mr.. Lodge quot
ed the covenant provision giving the
assembly authority to IDEAL at its
meetings with any matter af,
fecting the peace of the world" and
continued:
'eThere Dis no such sweeping or far
reaching provision as that in the trea-
ty of Paris, and yet able men devel-
oped from that treaty the Holy Alli-