New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-18
Fiction About the Gore Resolution


the United States Senate went through the
laundering farce Of laying the Gore resolu-
ton on tie table. The Senate has been eX-
ceedinely anxious TO have the memory OF
that cheap piece Of hippodroming blotted
out. So has the Administration; and
doubtless many people have already for
gotten just what happened at the cele-
brated parliamentary mix-up on March 8
last.
Prcsuming, apparently, on this general
Iapse of recollection, newspapers friendly
90 Mr.. Wilson are beginning TO try to ere
ate an unwarranted tradition In regard
70 the Gore vote "The Evening Post
said the other day that Colonel Roosevelt
must doubt whether the Republican party
Is really capable Of the "heroic mood
every time he thinks "of the twelve Re
publican Senators TO the two Demo
cratic Senators who voted against the
tabling Of the Gore resolution The
Times" said on April 10: "The country
has not forgotten, and the Democrats will
take good care that it does not forget IN
the next campaign, that Of the fourteen
votes in the Senate against tabling the
Gore resolution only two were cast by
Democrats, twelve by Republicans" Again,
on April Is, 1.-THE Times" spoke disparag-
ingly of Senator Norris, Of Nebraska, as
A. Dov,,b1,copr xf-bo voted
for the Gore resolution"
1t seems to be the design Of "The POST
and "The Times" TO suggest that vote
against tablng the Gore resolution was a
vote against the maintenance of acknowl-
edged American rights. But such sug
gestion perverts all the facts. The tabled
Gore resolution favored an aggressive as
sertion Of American rights, not their sur
render-as will be seen from its text. which
was as follows: Resolved. by the Sen
ate (the House Of Representatives con-
curring), That the sinking by a German
submarine without notice or warning Of
an armed merchant vessel of her public
enemy, resulting in the death Of a citizen
Of the United States, would constitute a
Just and sufficient cause Of war between
the United States and the German En-
pire."
This was not a declaration calculated
to offend the supporters Of foreign policy
based on the courageous assertion Of
American rights. No one who believes In
unadulterated Americanism could well
censure Senator voting for it indirectly
or doing what he could TO induce the Sen
ate to submit it TO a vote.
The fact is that most Of the Senators
who voted 10 table the Gore resolution
either did not know what they were vot-
ing for or did not very much care. The
Democratic leaders in the Senate had
staged legislative farce and were not 10
be deferred from carrying II through be
cause of the fact that all the cues went
wrong and all the speaking parts got tan
eled up. President Wilson had challenged
the two houses Of Congress to say plainly
whether or not they favored warning
American citizens against travelling on
armed merchantmen flying the flags Of
belligerent nations.
The Democratic organization leaders in
the Senate land In the House as welD
lacked the courage 70 face such a test.
They were afraid 70 let warning resolu-
ton come TO a direct vote. They there
fore framed up a scheme 10 allow members
70 dodge the real issue by voting TO table
or not 10 table resolution advertised as
having some more or less immediate con-
nection with the matter IN controversy.
The Gore resolution. as modified by Mr..
Gore and as voted on in the Senate, was
radical anti-warning resolution. Yet
most Of the Senators who voted % table IL
I'D have voted with equal readiness 70
resolution Of exactly opposite i'm
Many Of them actually thought the
tsolution was resolution Of warn
All they wanted 20 do was 20 escape
ssuc with tho President. They could
20 gotten just as Gar by simply tabiing
the name of the introduccr Of the rcsolu-
ton, disrcgarding entirely It's preamble
and cnacting clause and text They might
have escaped some measure Of the ridicule
which overlook them If they had decided
to send Mr.. Gore himself. and not his
resolution. 70 the Senate icebox, for his
name stood very definitely for one thing,
while, as II turned out, his legislative pro
posal stood for something entirely diff
- ferent.
The Senate IL thoroughly ashamed OF
the opera bo1fe spectacle it made Of IL
self by tabling the Gore proposition. No
body in the Senate is talking now about
not letting the country forget what hap
pened at the brain-storm session If March
3. Mr. Clarke, Of Arkansas, President
pro ten. Of the Senate, The mot feared Of
81 the leaders IN The bsdy because he is