Evening star., 1924-11-10
CLASH OF PROUD MEN
RECALLED BY PASSING OF LODGE
AntdgOnisn, Bet,Ueen Senator and WOOdrOlU Wilson
Ended Only With Deaths of Both
With York Unfinished.

Mass, Senator Lodge declared with
out qualification that President Will
son had added postscript" to the
second Lusitania note to Germany,
assuring the imperial government
that some Of the previous vigorous
American pronouncements on the
subject were mot to be taken
seriously" The charge was denied
by some of Mr. Wilson's friends. but
it was repeated by Senator Lodge at
Somerville, Mass. on October 2s.
sued formal statement saying the
"e""rtion of Senator Lodge was ."un-
true"
Reply By Lodge.
Beneath the terse phrases of the
Presidents denial there was appar-
ent to those who knew him a por-
tentious depth of feeling. Senator
Lodge replied in terms quite as di-
rect, saying he would not question
the word of the President of the
United States and must accept the
denial. but he recalled that the au-
thority on which he made his orig
inal statement had appeared to him
unimpeachable. To his dying day
the Senator believed he had been
foiled by a clever use of language
and that some sort of supplement to
the Lusitania note, if not precisely
postscript" had existed.
This incident left no pretense of
personal cordialty between them.
During the following month Mr.. Will
son was invited to attend an ami
versary ceremony at the historic
Church of the Presidents" and White
House officials announced that he had
accepted. Later it became known
that Senator Lodge also had been in
vited. Wilson did not go and after
he had refused the invitation Lodge
accepted.
Hostility During War.
The trying months of the war saw
no change in their personal relations
although on many occasions they
submerged personal considerations to
support measures and policies that
both believed for the good of their
country. 1t is a part of history how
later on. each set his face resolutely
along a different pathway in the
League of Nations fight and how all
the efforts of their best friends failed
to discover any common ground on
which both were willing to stand.
They exchanged words for the last
time on March 4, 1921, when Wilson
went to the Capitol for the Harding e
inauguration ceremonies. Lodge. in
his role as leader Of the majority
entered the Presidents room to &c
unsmilingly through the formality OF
announcing that the old Congress
was ready to adjourn unless the Chief
Executive had some further communi-
cation to make to it. At first ap-
parently oblivious to the presence
of the Senate leader, Mr.. Wilson
turned to him after a tense pause
and said in a tone whose sharpness
will never be forgotten by those who
heard:
II have no further communication
to make. 1 appreciate your courtesy
Good morning"
Two years later, when death laio
it's hand on Wilson, Lodge rose in his
place in the Senate, according to the
custom that goes with leadership
there, and pronounced brief eulogy
on the intellectual attainments of the
departed war President. Unknown
to him or to members of the Wilson
family. he was named on a committee
to represent the Senate at the fu.
neral, but a formal statement from
his office announced that a slight
illness would prevent his attendance
And thus was written the final chap.
ter of the earthly relationship be
tween two proud and militant Amer.
leans.