Bisbee daily review., 1916-02-25
Answer to Letter of Inquiry by Senator Stone Results in Some Plain Facts Given in Convincing Manner.
DESIRES TO KEEP
 U. 5. OUT OF WAR.
But Cannot Allow Expedien- cy Take the Place of Princi
 pie. Few Are Know Who Wish to Haul Down Flag"

W NAS6l-NAI ION, FeD. Zt.- le President at the end of two days of agitation in Congress on action warning Americans off armed European belligerents wrote Sen ator Stone, chairman of the Sen ate Foreign Relations Committee, that he conld not consent to any abridgment of the rights Of Ame rican citizens.
 The letter says in part: ." ap- preciate your kind and frank let ter. feel it calls for an equally frank reply. You are right in as- suming that 1 will do everything in my power to keep the United States out of war. l think the country can feel no uneasiness of my course in that respect. The course the Central nations have announced for the future in re- gard to sea warfare seems, for the moment, to threaten unsur- mountable obstacles, but so mani festIy inconsistent are the differ ent assurances given l must be- Iieve that explanations presently to ensue will put a different as- pect on it. in any event my duty is clear.
 "No nation or group of nations has the right, while the war is in progress, to disregard the princi- pIes which all nations, have agreed upon in mitigation of the horrors of war. If the rights of American citizens are abridged or denied we should, it seems to me, have in our honor no choice.
 "For my part l cannot consent to any abridement in any respect. The honor and self respect of the nation is involved. 1t is import ant to reflect that if in this in- stance We allowed expediency to take the place of principle, the door would inevitably be opened to still greater concessions"
 The letter was in answer to one written late in the afternoon by Senator Stone outlining the situa- tion in the capital where, since yesterday morning persistent de- mands were made for some action to lessen the possibility of war between the United States and Germany. The Presidents state ment will be repeated tomorrow to Speaker Clark. Representative Kitchin and Representative Flood, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who alter ask ed an engagement in order to eX- plain the position of the House and asked the President for a statement of the administrators views.
 The President wrote the letter. shutting himself in his study while leaders vainly attempted to get him on the telephone. After a tele- phone conference with his cabinet and other close advisers, his de- cision was to end all speculation on the position of the government and let Congress and the country know that the Administration be- lieved that the United States could do nothing but stand behind the rights of its citizens and the freedom of the seas.
 Representative Glass, of Virgil nia, issued statement that he was unable to discover any Ire volt" against the Presidents poIi- cy. There are few men, but precious few, who seem willing to haul down the American flag and circumscribe the rights of Ameri- can citizens on the high seas to save a ball or two of cotton.
 Stone's letter was written at the request of colleagues who wanted to know the exact attitude of the President before proceeding with the resolution held in Con- mittee denying Americans the right to travel on armed ships oi