The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1916-03-10
MR.. SISSON'S

In the vote cast in the lower house of Congress Tuesday, the
name of Hon. I. U. Sisson appears with that OF a majority of the
Republicans in favor of the McLemore resolution and in opposition
to allowing President Wilson to continue to handle the delicate and
trying diplomatic matters with the European powers engaged in
war. Mr.. Sisson may be right but we can not see t in that way and
ne must have felt awfuhy lonesome because every other congress
man from Mississippi voted the other way and the President was
sustained by a vote of 276 to I42.
The McLemore resolution, it will be remembered, sought to
warn Americans to keep off of armed merchant ships of the allied
powers for the reason that Germany had said she was going to sink
without warning every merchant carrying vessel that carried even
the customary arms for defensive purposes" Germany comedies
that under international law and up to this war, these merchant ships
would have had a right to carry arm for defensive purposes and
that the people of any neutral power would have had a right to
travel on them, but that the invention and use of the submarine
makes a new condition and virtually sets aside presidents and law.
In other words, Germany takes the position that the statutes may
define what a deadly weapon is and what murder is, but should a
person be killed with some new device or weapon not covered in the
statutes, then the act committed is not murder. Germany would
have the law suited to weapons and not weapons to the law.
We think our people should not go aboard these armed mer-
chant vessels; discretion and patriotism should prompt them to re-
frain from exercising their legal. rights but we do not think the gov
eminent of the United States should step in and pretermit a vested,
legal right. To do SO in one instance establishes a precedent and
might embarrass this country at ONE future time. The case was
aptly stated in the following words by Congressman Garrett in a
speech made Tuesday on the McLemore resolution in these words
"when this House shall adjourn after this turbulent session. men,
bers will go across III street to the House office building. Should
it be communicated to me of US that some person will be lying in
the shrubbery along the wa with the intention of taking his life,
it would be the part of discretion for the member so warned to go
through the subway; but he has the right under the law, to travel
Iirscty ~ remotey have ave- to ao WITH tbn "1nt for ~maae ~ ma" a g ~
indicate even by a suggestion that he should lot exercise that legal
right, because, fosooth, he might be damaged"
We would not put Mr. Ssson in d false light. 1t is fair to as
sumo that he voted his honest judgment. But great things are only
done by concert of action and a representative of the people, elected
as a member of a great political party, should hesitate a long while
before breaking away from his party on a great issue and especially
at a crucial time when his vote may be regarded as giving aid and
comfort to a foreign power that is seeking to enbarrass and compl.
cate the problems OF his own government. We have been taught in
this part OF the country that tn: interest of the country and of the
Democratic party run along parable. lines, if this teaching is correct.
then Mr.. Sisson and all Democrats who voted like him erred; if Mr.
Sisson's vote was correct, then the sooner we are untaught the
better.
MI. Sisson is a man of exceptional ability and upon the whole
has made a valuable and useful congressman. Personally we like
him, but we fear that he is exercising a mistaken independence" at
Washington City on too many things for his own good and for his
country's welfare.