The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-12-14
over SEA RIGHTS HOKE
and LODGE WRANGLE
GEORGIAN'S RESOLUTION TO IN
VESTIGATE TRADE INTER
FERENCE STARTED IT
LODGE ASKED FOR WIDER SCOPE

And Contended That Human Lives
Are More Important Than Dollars
Said American Citizens Should BE
PrOtecred First.
WASHINGTON, D. C.-The long
expected storm in congress over the
administrator s conduct of the de-
tense of American rights on the seas
broke today when Senator HOke
Smith, democrat, demanded an inyes-
tigation of Great Britain's inIerfer-
ence with neutral trade and Senator
Lodge, republican, replied with a de-
mand that an investigation include
the loss of American lives.
The body of an innocent child,
floating dead on the water, the victim
of destruction of an unarmed vessel,
is to me a more poignant and more
tragic spectacle than an unsolt bale
of cotton" declared the Massachu-
sets senator.
To Senator Smiths resolution for
an investigation of trade interference
Senator Lodge, who is the ranking
minority member of the foreign re-
latiOns committee, offered an amend
ment for investigation of the law and
the facts in the submarine attack on
the Lusitania, Falaba, HeSperian
Arabic, Gulf1ight and AncOna and Of
the plots and conspiracies against the
neutrality OF the United States to
which President Wilson referred in
unmeasured terms in his address to
congress Tuesday.
Referred to Committee.
Both resolutions were referred to
the foreign relations committee,
upon which further action will de-
pend. Their introduction served to
bring out the first debate of the SEES
sion on a subject to which all minds
had turned.
Senators on both sides of the cham
her were drawn into the discussion,
which was precipitated by vigorous
speech by Senator Smith in support OF
his resolution.
Il wish to extend the scope of the
resolution by my amendment, said
Senator Lodge, as the Georgia senator
concluded, because if We are to take
I'D this question of the violation. of
our rights l want to put it notVon
the lowest ground alone, but on the
highest ground as we'll. | think it is
of great Importance that We should
vindicate our rights as a neutral in
trade if those rights have been VIC
lated, but I think it is far more i'm
portant that We should extend prOtec-
ton and assure security to American
citizens wherever they rightfully are,
for l do not believe that any govern
ment can long retain the respect of
it's own people if it does not give them
the protection to which they are en-
titled.
Should BE Protected.
Il think Americans should be pro-
tected in their lives and in their lib
erty everywhere | do not think they
ought to be murdered in detail and
obscurely in Mexico OF openly or
wholesale on the high seas.
Although | am anxious as any one
can be to care for rights of trade if
they are violated, to me American
lives are more important than Amer
lean dollars. If this Investigation is
to go on and especially if congress is
to take action l want it to take in all
the violations of our rights that may
have occurred. The most important
is the violation which has affected
American lives or the security of an
American CitiZen-man, woman or
the next most important
are those pointed out by the presi-
dent of the United States in his mes
sage the other day when he referred
to the destruction of property accom-
panied by destruction of life in the
United States and states that con-
spiracies in alien interests are going
on within our own borders.
Should Not BE Omitted.
4 think if we are to investigate
and ipouirp with a view to action