13 JANUARY 1917, Page 2

The debate in the United States Senate last week on

Senator Hitchcock's resolution endorsing the President's Note was memorable for a strong speech from Mr. Lodge. After administering a stinging-rebuke to Count Bernstorff for his abuse of Ambassadorial privileges, Mr. Lodge opposed the resolution on the ground that it would be a leap in the dark to force the hand of Congress in the midst of -negotiations of which they knew nothing. He was unable to say whether, as reported, the President had received in secret the terms of peace agreeable to the Central Powers, and this illustrated the ignorance of the Senate on a matter upon which it was asked to grant blindly its endorsement. Similarly, the Entente reply to Germany's proposals indicated the absolute futility at this time of bringing peace to the attention of the Allies. Mr. Lodge concluded with the striking words : " We don't want to find ourselves at the end of the war without a friend in the world, with the fact glaring us in the eye that WO made uncounted millions out of the war which cost other nations uncounted millions of money and uncounted millions of men."-