Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-05-08
The Variable Lodge

1T is not to he wondered at that the Repub-
iican majority in the United States Senate
has gone to pieces upon every peace issue
raised in that body. 1t is not to be won
dered at that antagonistic groups have been
created, and that the divisions on the part
OF that majority arc threatening to divide
the party itself. These things arc the In
evitablc result OF the almost mendacious
foppery of Henry Cabot Lodge who. as
chairman OF the Foreign Relations Com
mittee, has been nomnally in charge OF the
Republican fight in tho Senate.
This narrow minded New Highlander has
proven himself the most consummate fail
ure as leader the Senate has witnessed
in generations. Either he is incapable of
liking the policies Of his party, or else he
is so bereft of actual conviction that neither
he nor his followers know where he stands
nor how long he may he expected to stand
In any given position.
When the peace treaty with Spain was
being negotiated this same Lodge stood
upon the floor of the Senate and declared
with great vehemence that tho Senate had
no right under the Constitution to inter-
fcre directly or indirectly in the proceed
ing. All prerogative the Senate enjoyed
In that connection, he declared. was to ap-
prove or disapprove the treaty. once It
should be submitted for ratification And
yet. when Woodrow Wilson undertook TO
negotiate a treaty Of peace with Germany
Lodge declared that the Senate had to he
consulted while the negotiations were in
progress. He refused to grant for a minute
that the executive has any exclusive treaty
making power
AZ this moment Henry Cabot Lodge is
engaged in defending the Knox resolution
providing Tor peace by act OF Congress He
is asserting that this country should make
separate peace with Germany, not join
with Americas war associates in that enter
prise And yet. less than two years ago while
the war was still raging. and while victory
stu seemed both doubtful and remote this
Massachusetts Senator in an article which
lie contributed to u magazine laid down
this proposition:
The President who delivered the war
message and Congress who voted for war
would be guilty OF the blacklist crime if
they were willing to make peace on the
status quo aptebellnm, and re-creatc the
situation which existed before the war. If
we send our armies and our young men
abroad to he killed and wounded in North
crn France and Flanders with no result but
this, our entrance into war with such an
intention was a crime which nothing can
Justify"
After making this Nat declaration against
restoration OF the old order and an in
direct bid for the formation OF league
WI VI aOHe CONCERT OF nations Sllnl-
lar TO league, Senator Lodge added:
The intent OF Congress and the intent
or the President was that there could be
no peace until we could create situation
where no such war that could recur
we cannot make peace except in company
with our allies. Ii would brand us with
everlasting dishonor and bring ruin to us
also If We undertook to make separate
peace.
II seems uncomfortable that the Senator
VINO signed his name to these words could
now be urging the Senate TO make a sepa-
rate peace with the enemy. And yet that
is exactly what Senator Lodge is doing.