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Show TOO MUCH MYSTERY OVER FOREIGN AFFAIRS There Is a demand for more light on the canal tolls question, and neither nei-ther Bryan nor any member of President Pres-ident Wilson's official family is responding re-sponding to that demand, although the secretary of state yesterday attempted at-tempted an explanation. Even Senator Sena-tor Lodge left us in the dark. The Omaha Bee points out how the people have been left in the dark, saying: I "In the preliminary' discussion of the canal tolls question, which is now going on in the senate, Senator Lodge, ranking Republican member of the committee on foreign relations, and who has been intimately familiar with those relations for almost a generation, declared that he had no doubt whatever of our right under the treaty to exempt not only our coastwise ships, but all kour ships from tolls, but that, "in view of the delicate position in -which the country coun-try finds Itself in its foreign relations," rela-tions," we had better repeal the exemption. ex-emption. "In taking that position, the senator sen-ator advises his countrymen to surrender sur-render a valuable right to which he declares we are entitled, because, if we do not, some evil will befall us. "To escape that evil, whatever it is, the senator advises that we back down. "That makes the situation serious. There might be some reason in asking ask-ing repeal on the ground that our previous interpretation of the treaty was wrong, but not then until after a moBt vigorous presentation of the American view, such as would demonstrate dem-onstrate our own sincerity and good faith. "But there is no reasoning in support sup-port of the position of Senator Lodge, except the assumption that the nation is in danger from ,6ome power or combination com-bination of powers 'stronger than ourselves, our-selves, and which will enforce against us some policy which we do not like unless we buy off by surrendering that to which we are entitled. "Now, if that is the situation, the publio is entitled to know the facts to the last detail. There Is generally ' g6od reason for withholding from the public the progress of international discussion of controversial topics lest the people on both sides become unduly un-duly excited, and the countries drift into unfriendly relations and perhaps war. Our war with Spain, for example, exam-ple, was a people's war which the governments could-not prevent.' "But if anything i$ to be said, it ebould all be said. The vague warning warn-ing of the .president In his message, now re-enforced by the equally explicit ex-plicit and equally vague declarations of Senator Ldge, has created a sit. uatlon more dangerous than could ap parently exist If the public knew all that the president and his advlsert know. The situation can hardly be made worse, and would almost cer lalnly be made better if all the fact? were public property. "In a general way, the public ma suspect that the difficulties which, confront the president are related tc our relations with the Latin-Americar states, under what Is officially call ed "our traditional policy," or to th( question whether we shall determine for ourselves what classes or racee of aliens we will admit to residence among us or both. "But, whatever the difficulties, th public Is entitled to know them and also to be Informed in what way and for what reason the situation will be mended by the surrender of a right which we believe to be ours and which can be exercised without injury in-jury to others. If we are to back down, we are entitled, to know why." |