Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-01-28
WOULD involve
THIS COUNTRY
Senator Lodge Says Purchase Of
German Ships by Government
Is Dangerous.

Washington, Jan. 27.-Attributing
to the administration an intention OF
German SHIPS intepned iato American
ports CT the ship-purchase bill is pass
ed, Senator Lodge declared in the
senate that the measure would bring
us within measurable distance of
war, not with England alone, but with
France, England and Japan
To Violate Neutrality.
He quoted from house committee
hearings to show that Secretary Nc
Ado0 had practically admitted that
the purpose of the bill was to buy the
German ships" laid up. in Boston and
New York. If such were not the pur-
pose, Senator Lodge suggested that
the impression now general could be
! corrected by an amendment, which,
he said, hebelieved had already been
J voted down in committee, to debar
the government from such purchases.
!; ITO buy the German ships intern
ed in these ports, and relieve their
owners from the heavy daily expense
in caring for them and to hand rel
to them thirty or forty millions of
money belonging to the American
people," said Senator Lodge, would
be a great and direct assistance to
one of the belligerents in the war
now raging. 1t would be an unneu-
trail act, and very readily might be
construed as a hostile act and an
actual breach of neutrality"
Take Big Risk.
Senator Lodge state he had been
informed that the administration had
determined to send the Dacia, a Ger
man owned ship purchased by Amer
leans and transferred to American
registry, abroad to furnish a test
a ut seems to me q, rather dan.
gerous business to make test acses
OF this character in time of war, when
belligerent governments are protect.
ing against the action, and for the
state department to approve sending
forth a vessel which as late as Janu-
airy 10 our war risk bureau declined
to INSURE" ...
He said that France and Russia
had held consistently that the trans
fer of the flag from a.belligerent to
a neutral, after hostilities had be,
gun was not to be recognized, and
England, the same, although Sir Ell.
ward Grey last summer made some
notifications of his opposition to the
sale, If the ships were; not used in
trade with Europe. III view of the
present empty cargo space going to
South America, Senator Lodge said
the United States could desire the
ships for that traffic, but only for thu
European trade. In. carrying on Eu-
ropean trade, he urged, the enemies
of Germany would still regard the
ships as Cermany's and liable to be
sunk, 80 s@,.
-. The emergency in the shipping bus
mess, which had once been advanced
as a reason for buying the. interne,.
ships, Senator. Lodge: declared no
longer supported the. purchase. be-
cause ships We're going empty to
South America and discnarging facil-
tiles were not to be- obtained for
those ships now entering the crowded
open ports OF Europe.
Taking up a list Of the informed
boats, he declared that with two or
three exceptions these vessels were
unsuited for the purposes the admin,
istration had in mind and their pur-
chase would be an intolerable waste
of monev.
Cannot. Understand It.
why it is so earnestly desired to
buy them, for with care and effort