The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1916-02-25
SAIL ON ANY SH|P,
SAYS JOHN SHARP
MississiPPrs SENIOR SENATOR
SAYS HIS VIEWS ARE TYPl-
cALLY Americans.

Washington, Feb. 25.-Whether tn
nation shall stay on the Rock of Ii
ternatiOnal law" or whether it shal
venture from it in an effort TO benefi
the American people. is the matte
uppermost today in the minds of ever.
member of the Senate and House
Opinion differs among Louisiana ant
, Mississippi members. This is wha
Senator John Sharp Williams thinks
"As an individual would not TAX;
j passage on board a belligerent shil
if an American or a neutral ship were
available This action, however, woult
be prompted by my desire to reduce
my personal danger t. the minimum
But if | had important business and
no neutral ship were available, l. most
certainly would utilize an available
belligerent ship and | would expect
my government to protect me. This
is the personal aspect of the situa-
ton. and | believe it is typical of the
view held by the average American.
"The national aspect is so clearly
defined that it is hard to understand
why any other course could be con
sidered by a well-informed person.
The President has no right to advise
a citizen that the nation will not pro
tect him in his historic right to travel
the high seas.
"The Germans are trying to change
international law to suit their needs.
They are trying to make us agree to
such change 1t is a well-recognized
principle that when neutrals change
recognized conditions so as to affect
unfairly one of the belligerents it com
mits an unneutral, if not an unfriend
ly act. In addition to the right of an
American citizen to claim protection
from his government, there is tbs
right of belligerents that we 60 moth
ing to detract from advantage gained
"A good many congressman and
senators are running around like
chickens with their heads off. excited
by talk and full of superficial sugges-
tions. but they all will take refuge
on the rock of international law. The
majority of each party strongly favors
protecting American rights against
any nation.
Meanwhile, there is no imminent
danger of war unless the Germans
choose to have war. If Germany should
decide to make war on this country if
would be like that tabled contest o.
the bull against the eclipse. If Ger.
many forces the United States to as.
sumo an attitude OF war, she could
not transport a policeman to our
coast. |, for one, think the German
government has better sense.
Even if it comes to war, we need
not have war against the German peo-
pie or against the German govern
ment, but only against the German
submarines, those murderers of the
seas. AS soon as we could chase and
sink them, we would come on home
We would make no alliance with the
allies, although if Germany should
pick quarrel with us, we should
have to cooperate with the allies to
a certain extent"
Representative Sisson. of Missis-
sippi, takes an entirely different view
of this question. He said:
Congress alone can declare war
The responsibility for war is with
Congress and not with the executive
1t seems to me that it is the proper
thing for Congress to define its posi-
tion and say, by resolution, that
Americans in going into the. war zone
should travel on neutral ships and nor
on armed craft flying beligerent flags
IF the American citizen should
choose to go on the. more palatial
boats to a known whirlpool of danger.
after being warned, and is killed that
TACT should not ps 8 ! e = ! q Sal. M
one American has the. right to involve