New Britain herald., 1917-03-01
SENATE STIRRED
 BY REVELATIONS

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 tContinued From First Page.)
 protects the president-pcrmtttin him to give the information if conn patabile with public interests. We all realise the gravity of the situation. want the most explicit information before acting on 8 matter which may be SO grave in it's consequences"
 After carefully reading the rcsolu- tion. Senator Stone, chairman of the foreign relations committee. said: Tt seems to me that the resolution ought to Eo to the committee on foreign re- lations. Here is .A newspaper report that the secretary of foreign relations of Germany. has sent the German am- bassador in Washington 8 letter, which appeared In the morning pa pers. We arc not informed as to the source. We have no facts upon which to determine OUT judgment as to tho resolutions accuracy. .A
 There may be information in the hands of the state department of & confidential nature that 1t might not be thought compatible with public in- tcrest to reveal. Then again. this al- legged despatch may not be authentic. IL may not be true. :
 There may be something behind all this VIC t,o no. know about" said Senator Stone. ''lt seeps to me In the exigency of .his moment 1t Is the part of prudence and sound judgment to proceed deliberately. I think the wiser course would be to send the res- olution to the committee and have that committee make the necessary investigation and then report what action in their opinion should be talk en. But if that view is not coincided In by the senate then we ought at least to have the resolution broad- ened SO as to call on the president for all information respecting the sources of this statement said ito have, been given out officially or semi-officially. would like to know all about it. how 1t was obtained and from whom and I want to know the facts tending to establish it's authenticity. We might fall into situation we do not care to touch. I do not see how we can act until we know the facts. We ought to be as fully advised not only as to the Associated Press but as to the state department"
 Senator Smith. republican. of Mich igan, suggested the president could re- fuse to give the information if he de- sired.
 "But the senate,'' added Senator Smith. "as the counsel of the execu- live in these matters ought at least to ask for the information. I have sus- tained the president throughout this crisis and I am going to sustain him now but think we are entitled to in- formation properly within his posses sion without any hesitation or delay"
 Fails to Excite Pofndcxter.
 Senator Poindexter. republican. of asked Senator Pomerene why the publication of the Zinmer- mann instructions created a situation of great gravity.
 @''T fail to see very much news In It." he said. "We have been reading for months of alleged activities of this kind concerning which this Thinner mann note appears to me to be mere incident. Every senator in this body has read of the melting of in- in Cuba and various ma in Mexico. Reports like this have been circulating for weeks and months. Even if this is true. will 1t change the situation?''
 ''I have seen rlmors and rumors of replied Senator Pomerene, but this morning, for the first time we. have concrete statement pur- porting to be a note issued by a high official of the German government. I pray to God it is not true. but at the same time,N when confronted with what seems to bs documentary evi- dence and with the statement by the senator from Virginia in effect that the president said the matter pub lished was substantially correct think I am within the bounds of req pol when I say that there is a grave situaton.' I am not willing to act until we can have the fullest inform ation the president can give us com- patible with the public interest
 Well that does not change our situation" Senator Poindexter con- tinued. "It does not alter the fact that it is impossible for us to send an army to Mexico or to Germany, or navies either
 Senator Hardwick said he did not object to referring the Lodge resolu- ton to the committee but objected only to immediate consideration. Senator Townsend. republican de- plored the objection of the Georgia senator. putting the resolution over until tomorrow.
 There may never he any 'tomor- row in this situation said Senator "This new element in-