New Britain herald., 1917-03-01

 ] jected has made 1t very dimcult for the senate to act on the resolution of the senator from Missouri (that em- towering the president to arm shtps.) I We are in doubt us to what we ought
 to do." Touched for by President. 1 Senator Swansons statement to the l senate after hc had talked with President Wilson regarding the zin.-
 merman letter, was as follows:
 II will state that have talked with the president about the letter referred to in the resolution which has just 1 been read and he authorized me to
 state that tho letter therein referred l to is substantially correct. have no objection to tho consideration ana 1 passage of the resolution" Replying to Senator Hardwick. who ! said 1t was ''vcry dangerous to act 1 immediately on such . resolution ana that Senator Lodge must understand l 1t was,.a most touchy proposition
 Senator. Lodge said: ;. Praise for Associated Press. ] That is the reason I introduce the 1 resolution. This. news appeared m l the Associated Press. tpis mormng' | not III aH tuOltAUuhA AS''VE~r's 1 the Associated Press, q great news gathering association of this country. tho greatest, probably in the world. It has nut forward seriously and sol- 1 emnly what purports to be de-
 snatch from the secretary for foreign l relations in Germany, inviting Mexico md Japan to unite with them in war upon the United States. If 1t Is false, the country ought to know 1t in or der to allay the popular excitement 1 which this publication will cause. If it is true then the congress of the United States and people ought to know 1t. This is not a time when a truth so grave as that should be sup pressed.
 .T have been careful to say as to other information If not incompatible with the public interest," I don't want to cmbarass the president, far from it. I understand the statement of the senator from Virginia on this floor that the despatch. is authentic and think that we certainly ought to know it and that the country ought to know it.
 1T am sorry any objection should have been made to the resolution" When Senator Pomerene asked con- sent that the Lodge resolution be re- ferred to the foreign relations conn., mittee. Senator Lodge said: 'If it can be dealt with today have no objection. But 1t if is to be killed then let it be killed here in public" Senator Williams asserted that it was clearly not the intention of any committee member to kill the reso- lution.
 Senator Norris wanted to have tho resolution referred with instructions to report tomorrow but Senator Stone objected to any instructions.
 Smith Suggestion Approved.
 Senntor Smith of Georgia made a suggestion which the senate at once recognized as of high importance
 ''It occurs to me-" he said, that there might be especial propriety for us to ask fer the letter (Zimmer- mann instructions) and for such in- formation as the president may have in reference to it..
 "Thc president might be gratified for us to have 1t and yet hesitate to formally send 1t to us as emanating from his own action.
 ''I wish to say" replied Senator Lodge. ''that the statement the sen- ator from Georgia makes is a per- fectly accurate one. If the president, at his own motion, were to send those papers into the senate without com ment. according to our precedents. 1t would mean that he could do nothing automatically and he wrote to con- gross for war"
 Tt would be practically a request for a declaration of war;" said Sen- ator Smith.
 "It would" Senator Lodge replied, "but if We take it up there is no such situation"
 'That was just the distinction was desiring to present." said Senator Smith.
 Lodge Resolution. The text of the Lodge resolution is as follows:
 That tlie president be required to inform. the senate whether the note signed Zimmerman. published in the newspapers of the morning of March 1, inviting Mexico to unite with Ger many and Japan in war against the United States, is authentic and in the possession of the government of the United States and, if authentic, to oSAhu " eAC SSAA@SOs AA AAOS AAASVhaPesStOaO with the public interest, any further information in the possession of the United States government relative to the activities of the imperial German government in Mexico" | Senator Stones request to have the resolution referred to the foreign re- lations committee without any instruc- ton as to when it should report way l adopted by unanimous consent. The senate foreign relations con- mittee this afternoon ordered favorable report on the Lodge resolu- ton after changing only a few words.