The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-05-14

CelNed from the ulSlFlCIS OF THESE gen"
tlemen nothing about the comments
of newspapers published I'm their own
states. l decided to close it up, and
told my friends that I had. But ]
said, 'If any one of them starts a
new attack, ! am going to answer
him. The gentleman from Illinois, Mr..
Mason, was the first one of them 10
make such an attack. This is what
he said in the speech that | have crit
icized; First, The people of the United
States are patient, there will be no
riots that will shake our government,
for they know that in the COOL quiet
days of next November they will be
permitted to speak upon the questions
OF life and death about which here.
tofore they have been silent" Gem
tlennen of the House, what did he mean
by that statement? What did he mean
by insinuating that the people of this
United States would not riot2 Was
there any occasion to make that speech
here when our boys were fighting over
yonder? Is there any other honest in.
depreciation that you can put upon
IT except that they do not indorse
their country's program and that they
Will repudiate it? What other mean
ing can be attributed to it? Gentle.
men. is that the right kind of note
to be sounding at a time like this!
What is the next statement in that
speech? l will read; "fhe people In
the last analysis govern Congress and
IL they do not govern this one they
will the next one" Now what did he
mean by that? This is the Congress
that declared war This is the COM
gress that passed the selective draft
law. This is the Congress that re-
fused to pass his bill. and keeps it ~
ing in the pigeonhole, where it be-
longs. And yet he says that If the
people do not control this one, they
will the next one. Now | read further
from that speech. He said, "And some
of you. maybe, were surprised, when
you discovered that our good friend
the Mikado. who does not want to
own land in this country or send his
children to the schools OF California
and does not want the Sandwich ISL
ands or the Philippine Islands, and
who, while in our fight for democracy
has not found it convenient to send
man or a ship to help us while we are
helping him; l say, some of you may
have been surprised that our Jap
anese friends, while expecting our as
sistance in this fight for democracy
had a secret treaty with the great
democrat, the Gear, whereby they
were to fight your Uncle Sam in the
far east in case action should arise
and we need the whipping Why that
suggestion at time like this? japan
is an ally of England, one of our great
allies. Why should anything be said
to reflect upon Japan? The gentle
man takes a fling at Japan. About
that time, Japan. it is said. was here
asking our government what she could
do to aid the great forces Of civiliza-
tion in this war. But the gentlemans
speech lis a fling at Japan, and ac-
cuses her of having a secret treaty
with somebody to fight America at
some future time. At a time when we
ought to have been sounding every
word that suggested harmony and un-
ity that would bring to our aid every
force that sympathized with us, a
member stands on this floor and an-
tagonizes a nation in sympathy with
the allies, and speaks in this solemn
place that which can be circulated by
German agents in this country. Is
there anything in this about Germany
about the murder of the Archduke ana
Duchess of Austria as pretense ana
excuse to begin the war? Is there
about the Kaiser saying ION
to Paris and world dominion? No. Any
thing about the Crown Prince telling
Gerard that they had 100000 reserv-
lists In the United States that could
strike down this country before II
could raise an army? No Anything
about the spies right here in Wash.
ington and over the country blowing
up munition plants, destroying our
property. and melting sedition and
treason amongst the people? No. Nag
ging at the allies, nagging at Japan.
England. France, Russia and Italy?
What greater contribution could be
made to the enemies of the govern
ment than such suggestions as those?
Another statement from the speech
that l have criticized "Snce the pub
LEGATION of the secret treaties between
our allies, we have discovered that
since we went to war for democracy,
our good friends. the English. the Rus
slams and the French, had agreed just
how our English cousins and our
French brothers were to slice up Ge--
many. and the noble democrat, the
Car of Russia, was to have slice Of
Turkey. We have also learned ~
the publication of the secret treaties
that If we were successful in our fight
for democracy that the King of Italy,
that great commoner, could turn down
the Pope and become sovereign over
the farmers of a part of Austria" Gen.
tlemen. what is the tendency or lean
ing of the thought in that statement
Which side does 1t lean to? Does it
draw us closer and closer to our al
lies and them to us; does 1t contrib
ute to unity of purpose and concerted
action between us? No; it assails and
attacks the position of our allies who
are fighting with us for existence and
liberty. That is what it does. Cen
tlemen. as I said before / called at
the state department and they knew
nothing about any such treaty. The
allies deny the existence of such
" n M hia oy11, Of S'iph
a treaty is the conjured-up stuff of
hired agents of Germany. There is no
such treaty. the allies say, yet MEM
Der on this floor says that since the
secret treaties have been published,
our English cousins. our French
friends and Russian allies are going to
slice up Germany. Gentlemen. do you
think that a statement like that should
be permitted to go out from this place?
Do you believe that the fathers ana
mothers of our boys who are fighting
and dying for us in France should
have to read such stuff as that, that
our brave allies are fighting to slice
up Germany? These boys are fighting
to save the life of this nation from
the dangers that threaten it. CAP
plause.) But the gentleman says that
they had such an agreement when we
went in to fight for democracy, and
that we are lighting Win men "ho
want to slice up Germany, and the in
ference is that that is what we are
over there fighting for now. Is there
any other meaning to 1t but that? Gem
tIemen. is there anything personal in
this? There is nothing personal about
1t with me. If know my own heart.
am fighting for my country and for
4 correct statement of her position be-
fore the world. (Applause.) I would
n. Ia, xrrI.t N fn NJ
fend them. But I have registered a
VOW and I here renew it, that so long