The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-08-24
OpENARMSPARLEY
DEMAND DROPPED
Public Sessions !mDraCtCab|e,
lOdga ce&:5s IS
SECRECY cfTu INEVITABLE
Protests Against laciViiity 10 Other
Nations and Democratic Senator
Withdraws ereg >S7

Washington. AnE. 2 SENATOR Lodge
the Republican leader. in opposing Sen
ator IIarriS"n'S amendment, which
virtually woutd have required open
session of the disarmament conference
declared il was ''wholly out of place
and fmHe and bad manners.
He wouih not be guilty of this in
civility toward the great nations in
vited here to participate i'll the confer
rnce, he added.
His remarks had particular weight
because he had been designated by
President Harding as one of the
American delegation, and Senator Har
rison, Democrat, Mississippi, withdrew
his amendment because of them.
Announcement of the withdrawal
was made unexpectedly by Senator
Harrison at the moment the senate
was about ready to vote on his prOpo
sal, included as Il part of a bill ap-
propriating 100000 for expenses of
the conferences.
Senator Harrison added he would
bring up the question again in a sep
arate resolution and hoped Senator
Lodge would see fit to support it.
I'm opposing my amendment" said
Senator Harrison, Il suppose Senator
Lodge is merely expressing the views
of President Harding, and l do not de
sire to embarrass him at this time
There was no objection later when
the amendment to the shipping board
deficiency bill, carrying 100000 for
conference expenses was presented, the
senate approving it as drawn.
Senator Lodge told the senate he
objected to the proposal that five ma
tons sending representatives to Wash
ingtOn lin the utmost good faith to
discuss two of the most important
questions before the world should be
met on arrival with senate resolu-
ton anticipating any action they
might take regarding conference pro
cedure.
The trainers of the constitution had
made secret treaties impossible, Sen
at"r Lodge said, by requiring senate
acton. EGt when it came to procedure
by which treaties are negotiated, Sen
ator Lodge added, I'VE enter a more
tluCull lpt.Ilt. ne CUIlluuSu.
"PresidCnr Wilson, who had great
capacity for making new phrases, used
the expression open covenants openly
arrived at. and gave the impression
everything in Paris would be done on
the sidewalks. When he reached Paris
he found, of course, he had to deal
with thirty powers, which referred Ger
Il to, inn1 Ind
ing' the Big Four. which got down, ]
think, to the Big Three.
Whether President Wilson was
justly criticised, the fact is that the
press was censored and American news
was not allowed i'll Paris, nor was
Paris news admitted to come freely
here"
Senator Lodge asserted ii had been
invariable practice of legislative bod
les to frame appropriation and other
important measures behind closed
doors.
Il do not think that any one will
go to the disarmament conference rep
resenting the president who would not
favor the largest publicity compatible
with public interest" he added, but
to say that we shall never meet be-
hind closed doors, or that one delegate
shall not talk privately to another is,
of course, proposing a system we all
know to be impossible and imprac-
ticable. We have got to draw the line
somewhere and the procedure of the
conference cannot be determined by
resolution of this character, tackled on
as an amendment to an appropriation
bill"