The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1916-03-17
SISSON WRITES IN
ANSWER TO TELEGRAM.
Gives Ills Reasons at Length for Not
Cooperating with President.
Desired to Amend Resolution.
WILLING Fur PRESIDENT TO
HANDLE DIPLOMATIC MATTERS.

In The Sentinel of last week there
appeared a copy of a telegram of date
OF March 6, signed by a number of
citizens Of Grenada county, sent to
Hon. L. U. Sisson asking that he sup
port President Wilson in asking the de-
feat of the McLemore resolution which
was to come up in the lower house of
Congress on March Z. Below is a re-
ply of MIR. Sisson to the telegram. Mr..
Sisson, with 80 other Democrats, voted
against tabling the resolution but it
was tabled by a vote Of about 2 to l.:
Hon. o. F. Lawrence, ct al.
Grenada, Mississippi.
My Dear Friends:-
beg to acknowledge receipt of your
telegram of the 9Th with reference to
the controversy in Congress relative to
the warning of Americans off the arm
ed merchant vessels of belligerent ma
lions, and l appreciate the interest of
my friends in writing me with refer
ence to the matter. l am always glad
and always seek to uphold the hands of
the President whenever | can in con-
science do so, and when ] believe that
l am best serving the people whom |
represent by 8 doing.
realize that the conduct of diplo.
matte relations is in the hands of the
President, and l was willing that the
matter be left to him. did not desire
nor seek for interference on the part of
Congress with the conduct of these
matters. But when the President asked
Tor an expression on the part of Con-
gress upon the resolutions with regard
to ravel on armed merchantmen"
felt it to be my duty to vote my honest
convictions upon this matter.
VI course in a letter it is impossible
to go into a full discussion of the uues-
ton. That the right of Americans,
however, or neutrals, to travel on the
armed merchantmen of beligerent ma
lions under existing circumstances, is
only a doubtful light, is the opinion, so
far as l have been able to ascertain, of
almost every recognized authority on
International law. But ever admitting
that they have the right, it is my opin-
ion that they should be warned that
the exercise of such right has a ten
dency to jeopardize the safety, the
peace, of our country. When a man
enters a known place of danger he does
so at his own risk, is an accepted princi-
pie of u civil law. l can not under
stand how it would compromise the
honor and dignity of our country to an
nounce this same doctrine as a princi-
Pile of international law.
Personally, l believe that when a
-merchantman is armed, armed under
the direction of the Naval Office, and
the guns handled by naval officers, that
such merchantm an should be considered
as a naval al Hillary. This view has
long been adopted by many countries,
among them France, Spain and Ger
many. So long, however, as our coun-
try does not class armed merchantmen
as naval auxiliaries, our only recourse
must be to warn our citizens against
taking passage on such vessels, or else
be continually exposed to the chance of
serious foreign complications at the will
of any citizen. OF course such warning
would not forbid any citizen taking
passage on such vessel, but would be
a disavowal of national respon-
for the security of the individ-
ual who thus exposed himself to such
danger.
My vote against tabling the McLe-
more Resolution was not an endorse
ment of that resolution, because not
even the author himself would have
supported the McLemore resolution. |
desired an opportunity to amend his |
by striking out the extrane-
Gus matter and make it a simple re-
quest to American citizens to not jeop- |
the safety and peace of our
by taking passage on armed
merchantmen. | felt that such oppor-
tunity to amend should be given, or
a simple warning resolution should
be substituted, in order that a frank
al d candid expression of opinion should
be had on this question of such grea. !
moment to the American people. With
such convictions the parliamentary stu
was such that | felt it to be my
duty to vote against tabling the McLe-
more Resolution. With kindest Re- |
CARDS, l beg to remain,
Very truly your friend.
7. II. SissOn |