The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-03-01

resolution to his committee FOR fuI
Their necessary Investigation ana !, y
curry before ili-advised action y
taken"
I'VE are not informed as % u
Z. source OF this news. We have a.
facts. It may not be authentic; !
i may not be true.
1--WE do know. however, that ever!
i nossibIe agency has been used to ex
cite American public opinion. Thert
NAV he. stone said slowly, some
i thing behind this alleged news %
| which we do not know. 1t Is tnt
/ wiser course to permit the committee
to investigate"
| Stone. one OF the presidents strong
est supporters, seemed to take no cog
1 nizance OF the words which had JUS
fallen from the lips OF Senator swan
| son. giving official Authorization 70
the conspiracy.
Lodge retorted: 3 !.
we ought TO know the evidence
| on which we are proceeding. con :
think that there is anything apou,
NV INQUIRY that could be distastelui
to the president, and we ought 10
know about 1t SO that we can act
together. 49,
Senator Hardwick's objection stood,
but when the senator realized THIS
nut the matter over to tomorrow,
hasty move was made TO have the
resolution referred to the foreign
committee.
Senator Pomerene asked that It go
there with recommendation for I'M
mediate action. Senator Lodge sug-
eested the committee might Kill the
resolution there. but democrats re-
torted that there was no inclination
to do so.
III It is to be killed it might as
vel. be killed out here IN the open'
Lodge said.
Il don't know as there will be
tomorrow for this senate, inter
iected Senator Townsend. Michigan,
limiting at fijibustering and suggest
ing that the armed neutrality DIN
may not be sufficient to cope with
the situation.
..That makes the whole matter
doubtful" he continued.
THAT Is why the sooner We know
about this. the sooner we VIII Dc
able to act properly"
Il repeat that this senate ID ready
to act-and act patriotically-upon
anything which it is asked to act on.
Therefore we ought not to act with
out information"
The parliamentary situation be-
came tangled; objections few for
time to variously worded requests for
referring the Lodge resolution to the
foreign relations committee. Senator
Stone, Chairman of the committee.
was uncertain as to just how long 1t
would take the committee to act
Finally the bill. was referred to the
foreign relations committee.
BY Viva veee Vote.
WASHINGTON. March amidst
applause from various parts Of the
chamber, the house this afternoon
adapted a rule for consideration OF
the armed neutrality bill by a unanl-
NOUS viva vOce vote.
The war strain ran beneath the
proceedings in both the house and
/ senate Shortly before the house
. took up the armed neutrality bill.
/ debate was In progress in the sen.
ate ON a resolution presented by Sen
ator Lodge inquiring as TO the
; authenticity of the published text OF
the German letter seeking to align
Mexico and Japan against the United
States. The resolution was referred
10 the committee on foreign relations
and the senate then took up discus
sion of the naval bill with constant
references to the international situa-
ton.
There were hints that the foreign
relations committee might kill the
Lodge resolution Chairman Stone
insisted that II be referred to his
commftte and there were indications
that he desired to learn the presi-
dents mind before taking action.
Democrats resented che insinuation
that the inquiry would die in COM
mittee-
Senator Hoke Smith OF Georgia,
suggested that If the president, him
self, had presented the information
OF Germany's plotting. to the sen.
ate. it might have been construed as
equivalent to a request for war ac-
ton by congress. AS the information
was first published, he held that
should the president now officially
give the full facts, the action could
not be construed as request for
war. unless such request should be
specifically expressed.
After more than an hours consid-
Grafton the senate foreign relations
committee this afternoon agreed to
report out the Lodge resolution in
substantially the form presented by
Lodge.
That 1t would pass the senate, ap-
peared certain.