The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-11-10

DlmOn.. Len. II. 4ItcndFttSOH
moustache ran perpendicular and
gave him most distinguished iio
pearance. His gray eyes We're kind
ly, his brow contemplative in his
serious moments and his face a sea
of smiles when he was gay.
He dressed Immediately and rad.
ated good humor and distinguished
fellowship in any company he eli
tered. His coterie of friends were
the makers of contemporary history
and the equal Of the great names
which graced the academies Of
Athens and Of Rome.
In the political arena he barely
reached the shoulders of his col
leagues, but in brains and quiet
power he ranked with the cleveresi
among them.
The Congressional elections of 1915
gave the Republicans control of the
Senate, which had been in the pos
session of the Democrats since the
beginning of Woodrow Wilson's first
term, March, 1918.
This enabled Lodge to attain the
position he long had coveted
which represented to him the su.
preme ambition Of his career
namely, the office OF leader of the
Republican fold.
Ruled Three Congresses.
Lodge assumed the scepter when
the newly elected Sixty-sixth Con.
gress was convened in extra ses.
sion by President Wilson, May 49,
1919. He held that office continu.
ously through the three sessions OF
the sixty-sixth, the fourth session
of the sixty-seventh and the first
session of the sixty-eignth, which
recently adjourned.
In this position of vantage it
fell to Senator Lodge to direct the
course OF the Republican members
in the historic battle over the VIII.
son League of Nations. Wilson
and his supporters directly charged
him with responsibility for wreck
ing the Versailles treaty"
He, more than any other mem
Der Of the Senate, guided the pol.
icy Of the Republicans, who were
pledged to kill the League "by in.
direction"
Lodge played shrewd and
skillful game in bringing the adop'
ton of reservations which were at.
tached to the resolution of ratifica.
ton and were solely responsible for
rejection of the treaty.
The intricate maze of interna.
tional politics was complicated by
the presence Of three factions with.
in the membership of his own party
in the Senate. These incompatible
elements were: first, the middle.
of-the-road" Republicans, who feared
that rejection of the treaty outright
would be bad politics." second,
the mild reservationists, who
were willing to go part of the way
with Lodge, but were opposed to
stiff reservations which might be
unacceptable to the other powers
signing the covenant, and there.
fore, likely to lead to the defeat
of the treaty, and third, the lire.
.concilables, or ''bitter enders, y
who were opposed to any sort of
alliance between the United States
and the bankrupt governments Of
Europe.
League Supreme Test.
Lodge faced the supreme test of
his. political career In his effort to
reconcile these diverse views and
hold his men on the treaty firing
line.
At heart he was opposed to the
league almost to the same degree
as were Hiram Johnson, Brandegee,
Reed, of Missouri and their slender,
but determined column of bitter
enders."
AS the Republican leader. how.
ever, he could not direct an open
attack upon the treaty, because such
would have drawn down upon his
head the fire Of pro-league Republi.
can group, composed of such men
as Charles Evans Hughes, George
w. Wickersham, William III. Taft
and others. Hence he adopted the
policy of covertly comprising the
defeat Of the instrument by lacking
on such reservations so, obnoxious
that Wilson himself would oppose
ratification and the foreign powers
forsake the league as something
they could not stomach.
The master logician succeeded to
the last degree with his plan and
policy.
Aided by the irreconciiAbles." he
DTOuBnJ ABOUT the duOpLlOn py
majority vote of the Lodge reserva.
TONS" upon some OF the roll calls
he lost the votes of the mild.
reservationists." who voted with
the Wilson Democrats; but he al.
ways had enough marWin to put his
reservations through.
When the reservations had been
adopted and a majority of two.
thirds was necessary to assure
ratification, Lodge won the high
stakes he had been playing for,
being a denunciation Of the resolu.
ton of ratification by Wilson, ac.
companied by a call to the Demo.
Gratis In the Senate to reject this
''nondescript creature"
Tactics Bring Victory.
Thus the votes Of the "irrecon.
ciliable Republicans. taken with
the votes Of their strange bed-fal.
lows the Wilson Democrats. made
more than the one-third needed to
defeat ratification, and Lodges
Campaign of emasculation by In.
direction" ended in sweeping vic.
tory,