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Show UOO AND BLAME 'IE PRESIDENT Peace Negotiations and Wilson's Statement Sub- jects of Senate Debate. Criticism by Republicans and Vigorous Defense by I . tl! Ve j- Democratic Side. .'"st . ,; i WASHINGTON, Oct. 2S. Peace tiego- ijations and President Wilson's state-'t state-'t htont. asking his fellow countrymen to IV. '." feturn a Democratic congress in the No--'QLenlt,er elections, were the vehicles of a 0 J; partisan debate in the senate today which '(continued throughout tho session and Mocked plans for adjournment of con-, con-, jgressttmorrow over the elections, l'...: T discussion, which was opened by l1f'la,or Knox ' Pennsylvania. Repub- lUcan, and former secretary of state, with an attack on the president's appeal to tlia electorate, became general among the dozen senators present. Republicans 1 . sharply criticised tho president for carry-. carry-. Ing on peace discussions with the cen- ml powers and for enunciating terms and principles of peace. Policy of Country. " fci Senator Knox said that the president's appeal raised the question whether the will of the president or the will of the American people is to determine the policv of this country in ending the war, - while Senator Poindexter of Washington, Bepublican, said the president assumed more authority than is given under the A constitution in fixing peaoe terms. t ' The Washington senator said no great- II er service could be done Germany than V, ' to bring about an armistice, j Democratic senators vigorously' defend-: defend-: ed the president, with Senator Hitchcock I of Nebraska, chairman of the foreign re-1 re-1 lations committee, the chief spokesman. I Answering the Republican contentions that in his third principle against economic eco-nomic barriers the president was attempting at-tempting to inject free trade into the I peace treaty,- Senator Hitchcock read a . J letter from the president saying that his !E words left every nation free to decide its own internal economic policy, but that Mi! tariffs adopted should apply to all na-q; na-q; A tions alike. J (For Partisan Ends. Before the senate met, a similar irtj letter addressed to Senator Simmons of North Carolina had been made public. I Both Senators Knox and Poindexter said the letters clearly demonstrated that the 61 J president favors admitting Germany to m -1 . the proposed league of nations as an 6C 1 "equal partner." and with assurances J against discriminatory treatment. Mi Senator Hitchcock said the Republican I leaders, for partisan political ends, are making a deliberate effort to "distort and misrepresent" the third peace principle. 1 He emphasized that .the Republican "free J.J trade" attack had been withheld until (t.l theuresent political campaign. c Jiff drew from Senator Lodge of rmJpSssachusetts, the Republican leader, the rul7Ueclaration that he had not indorsed all nl of the president's fourteen principles and ill had especially opposed the term which, , P he said, proposes to guarantee Turkish M.'iksovercignty. Senator Penrose of Penh-u Penh-u "iVyania. Republican, said he believed the prudent proposed free trade, but had 'Q5 with.rilil criticism until a more opportune oppor-tune time. Attack on Leaders. j Senator Pittman of Nevada, Democrat, J I made a vigorous attack on the Repub-Ul Repub-Ul t Mean leaders, especially on former PresI- dent Roosevelt and Chairman Hays of I the Republican national committee, for ! their statements criticising the presi- dent's moves in the peace negotiations. H The "ungoJlv purposes" of re-election )w are ' the motive, Senator Pittman declared, de-clared, charging Republican leaders with II exhibiting lack of confidence in or re-I re-I spect for the president, and with doing ' everything to discredit him. Senator Ashurst of Arizona, Democrat, referred to the attacks on President Wll- son by Theodore Rooseyelt, .declaring that the former president also had criticised criti-cised Senators Lodge, Smoot and Pen-rose Pen-rose at the time the Progressive party 1( was formed. I Both Houses Adjourn. "The things Colonel Roosevelt said about Senators Lodge, Smoot and Pen-I Pen-I rose were just as untrue as the things J he has said about President Wilson,' said ;,; Senator Ashurst. Vi Because of Republican opposition, plans M to adiourn congress from tomorrow until November 12 failed, and both houses ad-JM ad-JM Journed until Thursday, when Republican x J senators plan to continue the peace and j Political discussion." The house had I adopted the resolution for adjournment, but after the senate failed to act it annulled an-nulled its action. 1)1 Republican senators were said to de-J de-J sire to hold the senate technically In ses-C- slon to await developments in the peace r;r negotiations, as well as to continue the M discussion on the flqor. Democratic lead-ij; lead-ij; era said tonight that, if necessary, they w would prevent any further peace and po-.- Htlcal debate by parliamentary resorts. Unique Document. ,., In his criticism of the president, Sen- I; ator Knox said: "A few days ago the country was astounded and shocked to find the chief J executive calling for the election of Democratic Dem-ocratic senators and representatives pre- S'lsely in order that his individual authority author-ity should be untramelled by counsel. I Ipass by the unjust, not to say outrageous, Tjropilcations of that unique document of i-TWipan politics. &Jhen there is talk of abdication of the Kaiser? it is a peculiar moment to propose that the American people should abdicate abdi-cate their right to have opinions or that the senate and the house should abdicate their sworn and independent duties. "I ask senators whether it is the will of the American people or the will of W oodrow Wilson that Is to determine the policy of the United States in the matter of ending this war and of founding a future fu-ture peace? I ask them whether thev propose to be the mere registers of the will of one man? This is the issue before be-fore us." During the war. Senator Knox said, the president has spoken with the "greatest "great-est possible variety of ideas and atti7 tudes" on various questions. He referred to the president's "peace without victory" address and what he termed "readiness after the Lusitania to compromise the U-boat barbarity in return for a halfhearted half-hearted promise to try to spare our ships." The Logical Course. Senator .Hitchcock said the president had pursued the logical course, citing how he had called congress Into joint session to tell in fourteen principles the terms which he believed were essential upon which the United States should insist as a basis of peace. These principles, he said, were accepted then by all parties as being in keeping with American ideals. Senator Poindexter of Washington, Republican, Re-publican, declared President Wilson assumed as-sumed more authority than is given under un-der the constitution in fixing peace terms. "There is a widespread feeling," he said, "that if the president had devoted himself to executive duties and to the duties of commander in chief of the army and navy, rather than to have immersed himself to such an extent in matters that devolve upon congress under the constitution, consti-tution, we would have gotten inta the actual fighting somewhat earlier, and would have avoided the shipping, 'ordnance 'ord-nance and airplane fiascos of last year. To Discuss Peace. "Shortly after we entered the war the president began to talk peace, and to declare de-clare what the terms of peace should be. He has continued the discussion from that time to this in a series of speeches, notes and inquiries, during that period, declaring some thirty-five or forty peace terms or points. Although congress can alone make war and peace, the conclusions conclu-sions reached by the president were stated as though conclusive." Although the presiderrt's peace address was made to congress. Senator Poindexter Poindex-ter said, its apparent purpose was "that the occasion should serve as a medium for advising the world what the president had decided." "Another peculiarity about the peace discussion which has been keeping company com-pany with the war and sometimes getting ahead of it," the senator continued, "has been that there is but little suggestion that our allies would have terms to propose. pro-pose. The president has covered the whole field. "He has laid down terms for Bulgaria and Turkey, although we never have declared de-clared war on them. In fact, the president presi-dent began laying down terms of peace before we were at war. Many of these terms conflict, and Austria has found it difficult to accept them fast enough, as she was informed the other day that number ten was no longer in effect." Congress as Spokesman. The president, Senator Poindexter asserted, as-serted, misconceived his functions in the government by assuming that he is chosen as a spokesman for the people "In affairs at home and abroad." Congress Con-gress alone is the spokesman In such affairs, he said, and the president Is an executive only. Peace talk has strengthened Germany and alarmed the allies, Senator Poindexter Poindex-ter said, and has retarded the efforts of the people to "think war, talk war and make war." "I doubt if there will be an armistice," the senator declared, "because Great Britain and France will not permit it until Germany has been conquered, but I believe that the administration is endeavoring en-deavoring to bring about an armistice. No greater serve would be rendered to Germany now than to bring about an armistice." Interested in Contest. Senator Penrose read Into the record a telegram from the Nevada state Republican Re-publican committee quoting a letter said to have been sent to every postmaster in that state, signed by Ruskln Mc-Ardlc, Mc-Ardlc, chief clerk of the postofflce department. de-partment. . The letter said Postmastei General Burleson was deeply interested in the senatorial contest and asked that th postmaster "drop a line" to Mc-Ardle, Mc-Ardle, telling of the outlook and what chances Senator Henderson, Democrat, had for re-election. ' ' ' Senator Pittman of Nevada charged Colonel Roosevelt and Will Hays, chairman chair-man of the Republican national committee, commit-tee, with attempting to "make a political issue when there is no issue" over the president's atlltude. . A recent statement by Colonel Roosevelt Roose-velt Senator Pittman said, In effect., charged that the president is Incom-pentent Incom-pentent in dealing with the peace principles prin-ciples and about to do something amounting amount-ing to surrender. "And leaders of the Republican party, he added, "haven't the nerve or the manhood or patriotism to throw these words back in the teeth of their perpetual per-petual candidate." |