The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-02
MORE OF POLITICS
Senator Lewis Flags Repub-
Iicans for Attacks ON Wilson.
Charges Conspiracy for Politf.
cal Purposes in a Speech.

Washington, Jan. 2.-Senator Lewis.
Democrat, of Illinois, speaking today
in the senate, charged Republican
leaders with conspiring for political
purposes to discredit President Wilson
abroad, to thwart his purposes by Civ
ing European negotiators the impress
sion that the senate opposed his plans
and by deceiving the American public.
Their object, he declared, is Ito pre-
vent. the president from accomplish
ing anything q
The speech was in reply to recent
utterances of Senators Lodge, of
Massachusetts, and Knox, of Pennsyl-
vania, both Republicans, criticising
certain of the presidents fourteen
principles of peace and urging that
consideration Of league OF nations.
freedom of the seas and other ques-
tons be deferred until after the peace
conference. -
show a Conspiracy.
1.-THE concurring assaults by certain
leaders of the Republican side upon
everything that President Wilson has
attempted in Europe" said Senator
Lewis, ''discloses, as I charge, a con-
spiracy to discredit him and to defeat
any design he enters upon by giving
the European negotiators to under
stand that the senate is opposed to the
president; that it objects to his meas
ures and that 1t is speaking with the
power to revise, reverse and repudiatc
him. @7'-- 2
Senator Lewis declared the senate
had nothing whatever to do with what
the president is now doing lin present.
ing the protocol for peace and the adj
justment Of the disposition of the
armies =;
/ - Not Tell the Senate. 5
s'I inform the European negotiators
and the world" he said, that there Is
no law of America, by constitution.
statue or custom. by which the presi-
dent is under any obligation to sub
init what he is now doing to the sem
ate or to any other branch of the
legislative or executive body % 2
81 inform the negotiators as Z do
all those interested, that present I'M
| dertakings of the president of the
United States are as COMMUNICATIVE
chief of the armies. That he remains
such with full powers as commander
! in-chief until the full treaty or COM
I pact of peace has been finally aoe
cepted and peace declared and the
armies withdrawn as result of that
acceptance"
Drawing a distinction between
| treaties made by the president as
head of the civil government and after
the war has ended and the making
! of peace by protocol or agreements
| the senator said, under the latter con-
! dition, the president serves as COM
mander-in chief. agreeing upon terms
of peace for the purpose of withdraw
ing the armies, and in doing SO 'exe-
! cutes the authority of the law and OF
| the people vested in him as executive
and wholly apart from the interior
| ence. the opposition, the. approval OF
! reputation of the senate"
l They Are Inconsistent.
Senators Lodge and Knox were
! charged with being inconsistent in
| their views. The Illinois senator said
| postponement of the proposals for q
| league of nations and freedom of the
seas would mean that the war had
been fought in vain and would bring
about repetition Of the struggle.
| Each nation with. cleans and prin-
! ciples at stake, as it believes them" he
continued, seeing no method of exist
| ing thru which it can secure peace and
| obtain its rights will turn to the only
method left and which has just beer
| adopted--war."