Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-23
H0KE SMITH SEES
WAR WITH GERMANY
ON A HUGE SCALE
1t Will Involve Expenditure of
Billions Full Use of Navy
and Training of a Great
Army He Declares

HLIIlyJ TIC U6CIdl GS
That war between the United States
and Germany is certain; that it will not
be war against the German people, but
against the German kaiser and his muir
derouS submarines; that for the United
States 1t will not be paper war, but war
on a prodigious scale involving the ex-
penditure of billions of dollars and full
use of the navy and the training of an
army of perhaps two million men, were
some of the predictions made by Senator
Hoke Smith Thursday in an address to
the Atlanta AID Mems club and the At
lanta Retail Merchants association on the
subject of foreign relations
The two organizations met jointly in
the large convention hall of the AnSley
hotel and the senator was greeted by an
audience that packed the hall and rose to
tremendous heights of enthusiasm when
he spoke with patriotic pride of the gage
of battle which America will soon take
up in behalf of democracy and free in
situations.
Tne convention hall was profusely
decorated with American flags, and
ohere .weEs small American tags at
CNery place, and the guests were each
presented with a silk American flag
kerchlef, which they rose and waved
Il
for united support of President Wilson
i'm the grave crisis now confronting
him.
FLAGS ON STORES.
Previous to the opening of Senator
Smiths address, Colonel Frederic J.
PaXon struck a responsive chord when
he declared:
Or. H. Afford Porter. pastor of the
Second Baptist church, asked me today
II the congregation would permit him
to nail an American flag back of the pull
pit and keep it there. ] told him l could
not speak for the congregation, but as
for me he could go as far as he liked /
] want now TO make this proposal: That
every retail merchant in Atlanta dis
play the flag and keep it displayed"
The suggestion was unanimously and
enthusiastically Endorsed and a commit
tee was appointed to lay it before the
merchants, composed of the following:
Colonel Frederic j. Paxon; w. w. Orr,
president of the Atlanta Il all Mer-
chants association; Cecil NJ ~ J. NJ.
Van Harlingen.
Seated at the table with Senator
Smith were a number of prominent At
lantians including Ivan f. Allen, presi- I
dent of the Atlanta chamber of COM
merce, and Captain A. j. Mcbride, Jr.,
commanding Battery p, Atlanta artil- |
lery, which recently returned from serv
ice on the Mexican border.
SENATOR'S ADDRESS.
The senator's address was as follows:
while our government was pressing |
Great Britain upon this subject the Ger
mans lawlessly sank the Lusitania and
murdered a number of American citi- /
zens. There were elements of excuse in
the case of the Lusitania growing out
of the fact that the attack by Germany
was upon British vessel. Our govern
ment endeavored by diplomacy to obtain |
redress and prevent occurances of SIM
liar acts. But for this inexcusable act
of Germany, Great Britain would have |
been compelled to recognize all OF the |
neutral rights of the United States.
GERMANY FORCED ACTION.
The attention, however, of our govern
ment was withdrawn from the issue
with Great Britain to the protection of
human lives from lawlessness of Ger |
many. For a while it seemed that Ger |
many would respect at least the lives |
of American citizens upon the ocean |
and our government was giving its
most urgent efforts towards bringing |
the war to an end. 1t was in the midst |
of these efforts on our part that Ger
many announced her purpose to estab-
lish a war zone around her enemies and
to destroy all property and lives of all
neutrals entering that zone. Under |
these circumstances the president prop
erly severed diplomatic relations with
Germany, hoping thereby to make the
kaiser realize that he was about to |
force his country into war with the
United States.
Having obtained no satisfaction from |
the German government the president
asked authority of congress to arm
American merchantmen, Congress was
overwhelmingly behind the president. /
but was about to adjourn. Only two
days were left for action and four men
prevented the senate from reaching a
vote. Last Sunday, so far as we can
obtain the facts, it appears that German
submarines fired upon and sank un- /
loaded vessels returning to the United
States The vessels belonged TO Amer
lean citizens and American citizens were
drowned as a result of this action on
the part of German submarines. Ger
many is deliberately sinking our YES
sells and drowning our people and our
ships are being armed for their protec-
ton. Practically a state of war exists
cit is hardly probable that thirty
days can pass without completes recog-
milton by both governments that We are
in a state of war.
1T is difficult now to see how war
can be avoided. Only the declaration
by Germany of a purpose to abandon at
once the present submarine warfare on