The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-08
DOUBTFUL ABOUT
 : WILSON'S VICTORY IN HOUSE

merchantmen was of doubtful legality. They insisted that the whole contro- Nersy with Germany hinged on that. MT. Floods answer was that the allies had declined to agree to the suggestion that they disarm merchantmen, and, therefore, the whole issue stood as it did before Secretary Lansing wrote his mem- orandum.
 Representative Lenroot of Wisconsin, republican, of the rules committee, quot ed liberally from the memorandum, ask ing, in the light of the contention of administration adherents, that to warn Americans off ships would be unpatriotic if the Secretary had been patriotic.
 DOUBTFUL LEGAL RIGHT
 Gentlemen have said throughout this debate that this proposition of Ameri- cans travelling on armed merchant ships is an unquestioned right under interna- tional law he said. with reference to that I want to call attention of the House to the fact that on January IS, little over six weeks ago, the present Secretary of State, in a note written to the allied powers used this language with reference to what now is said to be an unquestioned right. He said:
 Tn proposing this formula as a basis of conditional declaration by the belligerent governments, I do so in the full conviction that each government will consider primarily the humane purposes of saving the lives of inno- cent people rather than the insistence upon doubtful legal rights, which may be denied on account of new condi- tions
 Doubtful legal right is what the state department terms this on Janu- ary IS. When since did it become an unquestioned legal right, concerning which there can be no difference of opinion upon the pa., of patriotic Americans? Is your Secretary of State a patriotic American or not?
 'I propose to vote against tabling the McLemore resolution. Because, if it is not tabled, there then will be oppor- tunity to amend it, expressing the con- viction of the House, giving the House an opportunity to vote for simple resolution of warning and thereby give notice to your President and to my President that in the opinion of the not so unquestioned as to justify this country in going to war for violation of that sort of right"
 HEFLIN CALLS ROLL
 Representative Heflin of Alabama, democrat, dramatically called the roll of the southern states to ask them where they stood. His answer came back from the southern delegations that the south was with the President. The issue, MT Heflin said, was whether Congress would stand with Lansing and the President or Won Bernstorff and the Kaiser"
 Representative Decker, democrat, of Missouri replied. "In Germany" he said "the issue was, will we stand by the Kaiser? In England, the issue was, will we stand by the King? In Russia the issue was, will we stand by the Czar the little vicar of God? If war comes we will all stand by the Presi- dent of the United States But this, thank God, is a representative govern ment And I wish to say to the insinu- ating gentleman from Alabama the question now is, will you stand by the American people?
 T have stood by the President of the United States. I have stood by him in his efforts to carry out the mandate of the American people. He has said that if an American citizen on board an armed merchant ship is drowned by a German submarine without warning, he will hold Germany co strict account. Stripped of it's diplomatic language, it means that if an American life is lost as the result of the sinking of an armed merchant ship without warmng-it means war.
 MUST BE VITAL RIGHT
 "I am willing to go to war for an American right but not for doubtful legal right as MT. Lansing says. I am willing to go to war for an American right. but it must be a vital right. In the name of God, why am I traitor and a coward when I stand in the halls where Henry Clay stood and say, You shall not hurl the miners and the farm CTS of my district into this hell of war; you shall not take the sons from the mothers of my district and sacrifice them at Verdun or in the trenches of Europe in order to maintain a doubt full right
 Republican Leader Mann, who had been expected to take an active part in the struggle, made only one speech, while the debate on the previous question was in progress The burden of his remarks was that the President should be given straight vote on a warning proposi- ton.
 Representative Shackleford, democrat, of Missouri, caused genuine surprise by a speech urging the tabling of the Me- Lemore resolution. It was due to Mr. Shackleford's activities, largely, that the turmoil for the passage of a resolution started. Today he insisted that he still was for warning resolution, but that if agitation for one had disturbed the Presidents diplomatic negotiations, he was ready to vote against it.
 GARDNER URGES TABLING
 Representatives Gardner republican, of Massachusetts, who clashes with the democrats as frequently as any repub- lican in the House, urged tabling of the McLemore resolution.
 In all the fight nobody except Repre- sentative McLemore himself had a good