Evening journal., 1918-12-10
BY the United Press.

BY the United Press.
WASHINGTON, Dec. i0.--Senator
Hitchcock, chairman OF the Senate for
eign relations committee, and Prof.
Albert Bushnell Hart. Harvard unlver-
sity. today branded as false and un-
warranted the efforts OF German propa-
gSndists TO connect them with German
intrigue In the United states before this
country entered the war Hltchc0cks
denial was delivered 10 the Senate while
Hart's was made before the Senate Com
mittee which Is investigating propa-
ganda. Hitchcock referred 10 the let
ter dated July %, 1915. read into the
record by A. Bruce Blelaski, OF the De-
partment OF Justice. In which German
Consul Reisweitz at Chicago said that
Hitchcock. among others. would aid IN
a movement to get an embargo on arms
shipments TO the ALLIES. This letter was
written 10 some unnamed "excellency."
III his alleged excellency or Rels-
weltz himself had any intelligence e,th-
er or both OF them must have known
that was myself the author Of the bin
60 prohibit the export OF arms and am
muniilon. and that ] had introduced Il
In The Senate more than eight months
before the Reiswilz letter was written, 4"
said Hitchcock.
They must have known that had a
Senate speech upon the question and
that IL had been debated In the Senate
and discussed In the newspapers. They
must have known that on February AZ,
1915. ! had offered my bill as an amend
ment to the shipping bill then pending
and that my amendment had been de
feated by a vote OF 36 to 81. My POSI-
tlon. therefore. OF prohibiting the ex-
port OF arms and ammunition had been
Independently and publicly taken and
was widely known months before Reis-
weitz discovered Il and revealed Il to
his chief as a secret.
"The part took during 1914 and 1915
In favor Of prohibiting the export Of
arms and ammunition during our neu-
trality has never been subject OF
c0ncealment or apology on my part. Il
became a campaign Issue IN 1916 when
ran for reelection and the fact that
! was reelected by a comfortable ma
iorliy indicates that my course and my
motives were understood and approved
by The people OF Nebraska.
My stand was taken In 1914 as an
American for neutrality. The Germans
In America took theirs by forming the
embargo conference In 1915 as pariisans
Of Germany. They were supporting my
bill, bH ] declined 10 go 10 their con-
ferences. conventions or meetings,
though ! was often invited 10 appear as
speaker. / made my only speeches
here In the Senate or in defending my
course later beforesmy constituents.
I'm these days the country was under
pledge Of neutrality by virtue OF the
Presidents proclamation made when
the war broke out We should no
doubt remained neutral at least n0ml-
nally and officially II Germany had not
by series Of outrages made our atti-
tude ilrse diflcult and then impossible.
MY attitude naturally changed with
changing conditions.
Il stood for strict peaceful and i'm
partial neutrality even 10 the extent
of selling no arms and ammunition and
lending no money 10 either side.
Next when Germany began a syste-
matte attack on our commerce I was
ready 10 fight 10 protect our neutrality
i supported the Presidents request
that we authorize him 30 assert and
protect our neutrality by armlng our
merchant ships and had charge. In the
Senate, Of what was known as the
armed neutrality resolution which died
so dramatically here In the Senate at
noon on March 4, i9ia
a month later when the issue chang
ed from armed neutrality 20 war had
charge Of the declaration OF war which
was briefly debated and passed by the
Senate April 3, 1917.
"And like other Americans I have
passed from one phase Of the situa-
tion 20 another-peacful neutrality.
armed neutralliy-and war. German /
conduct forced those changes, not only /
In the case OF public men as lndivid- |
uals but in the case Of our country as
q whole. THIS conduct as not wholly
confined 70 the outrages perpetrated