The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-22

never have criticised the President but l have thought about the least respect 1 able thing our government could do was to aid and abet bandits and revo- ! lutionists in friendly state"
 The present revolution in Mexico | Senator Smith said. had been backed and encouraged by an organization with i offices in the city of Washington. He named the MeXicans whom he claimed were connected with the organization. These included Mrs. Francisco Madero, widow of the murdered President of the republic. and her brother. Manuei
 Perez Romero. Romero has spent most of his time during the revolution Tn the District of Columbia.
 [ Senator smith declared that Francisco Madero. Sr., pr. Francisco Y. Com ez and Senor Limantour met in a New York hotel. to discuss the Mexican sit
 uation. and could have prevented the
 battle of Juarez had they been able 10 agree on the division Of railroad prop erty and oil lands.
 Think of it." said he; "the lives oi
 l7,0o0O0O in the hands of tnree men" ! Senator Thomas asked if blood shed in any war which might result would not justly rest on these t4ree men, Sen ator Smith agreed this Was a just state
 ment.
 1 Senator Shively rushed over to Senator 1 Thomas seat and engaged in earnest con- Nefsation. Senator Thomas banged his ! fist on his desk with show of deter | imitation he answered.
 ! Surely the Senate will not permit itself to be put in a straight jacket in uttering its decree" said he "I shall
 support the resolution Of the senator from | Me ssachusetts. because every statement
 in it is true"
 Senator Weeks. after an announcement | by Senator Shively that he was under | the impression that Vera Cruz had been
 taken asked if the Indiana senator did
 not consider it foolish to pass reso-
 lution authorizing the President to do
 something he already mad done.
 Does Not Ask Authority
 Tt may as we'll be understood now
 that the President has not asked for au-
 thority to use the military forces" Sen
 ator Shively replied. He has asked ! merely that his contemplated course of
 action in this regard be approved" l Senator James asked if Senator Weeks ! did not consider it would have been a joke if the President hal waited while 1 the Senate talked ana tailS.,h and per- l nitted arms to have been imported into 1 Mexico against which the forces of the
 United States may be called to face Senator Thomas said that wa with | Mexico would be no holiday affair." He declared that he wished Congress had power to force the owners or newspa- pers, the editors and the men who from
 the public pla tform and in private have
 been crying for war" to go 10 the front 1 in place of privates in the army. lie 1 said the United States made known to | the world that it has no desire to ac- qrire Mexican territory.
 l We ought to give assurance to the
 world that we not only do not want. haaf hnt tnlr territory he said. T would not give one single clear eyed American boy the bride of a fathers ambition and the l center of a mothers earnest love, for Iall of the land and all of the people of Mexico"
 l When Senator Thomas concluded Sen ator Hitchcock suggested that a recess | be taken until 8 o'clock
 We are increasingly anxious" said
 Senator Shively. for an early vote on this measure. If by a recess at this time We shall expedite the vote l will be | willing to agree"
 The Senate then recessed, and it was believed that the leaders had reached an agreement b ywhich the Senate would stay in sesion tonight until the resolution had been voted upon.
 Night Session l An air of excitement and grave con- cern pervaded the chamber when the Senate reconvened at s o'clock. The | crowded galleries and the floor were alive with teh news that four Ameri- can marines had been killed and 90
 wounded in the taking of Vera Cruz. l The big crowd of spectators sat in
 silent attention the roll was called. On the floor the senators gathered in little groups and discussed the. meagre reports printed in extra editions of the l |. were on the Senate floor, joining in the
 excited gossip
 | Senator Root opened the night ses
 sion with speech supporting the Lodge substitute.
 "I shall not prolong this debate" ne l said, -"for l believe that whatever ac- tion we take ought to be taken today, 1 There should be no further delay" As Senator Root began the British Ambassador, Sir Cecil Spring Rice, took | a place in the diplomatic gallery 1 Senator Root said the foreign rela- | tions committee resolution, while emitting the name of Huerta, made 1t plain that 1t was directed against him. He expressed the highest regard for the President and the highest confidence | in his purposes
 But we are not asked to express our confidence in him. he continued. We are asked as a part of our duty here to declare certain course of action in certain conditions to be justified We are called on to do our duty to the 100000 600 people of this country and our duty to the civilized world"
 1 The resolution, Senator Root said, called ! for "forceful armed compuson of the de facto government of a friendly nation to make amends for an insult to the flag of this country"
 I Cannot Be Justified We cannot justify this,' he continued. on our confidence in the President. We must justify ourselves before the con- science Of the people of our country and before the eyes of the civilized world What is that justification? Mark you, I do not say there is no Justification. I ask what it is?"
 ] Senator Root reviewed the Tampico in- cident as the avowed justification by the President. He said the incident was an insult to our flag
 But, sir he said, amends were inn mediately made The officer who made the arrest was himself arrested The com i mandant at Tampico apoogized and Gen. eral Huerta also apologized. These amends were not sufficient to the com mander of the American vessels, and he demanded a salute to the flag Senator Root said he agreed that the amends were not sufficient as coming from de facto government" although they would have been sufficient coming from an individual "A dispute arose." he said. "as to the details of further amends, | Al.