Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-09
LEGITIMATE CRITICISM
OF WAR WINS in VOTE
Senate Amends Sedition Meas
ure to Free Loyal Speakers
of Shackles
BITTER FIGHT ENsUEs
Poindexter and Hardwick Are Forced
to Halt Sharp Inter-
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change
Washington, April ..
The fourth day Of debate in the Sem
ate on the Administration sedltion bill,
which would punish disloyal utterances
and attempts TO hinder the army draft
and Liberty Bond campaign resulted
In the adoption Of amendments designed
to meet the objection Of Senators that
the measure might prevent legitimate
criticism In the war.
The changes were I'm the clause pen
alizing "disloyaL profane scurrilous,
abunive or contemptuous language" di-
rected at the form Of government,
| Constitution, flag or uniforms of the
nation and calculated to bring them
into contempt or scorn"
Senator Thomas. Of Colorado. offered
an amendment to provide that such acts
should be 'wilful" and Senator Rorah, Of
/ Idaho, proposed to substitute the word
/ intended" for calculated" There we're
| objections that convictions would be diff
cult to secure under such language. but
/ both amendments were approved. that Of
Senator Borah by a vote Of "a to 2S. with
partisan lines disrcEarded
/ The fight on the measure assumed yes
. terday an aspect bitterly personal. For
. more than a half hour Senator PoiudcX-
/ ter Republican, Of Washington. and Sem
ator HardwiCk, Democrat. Of Georgia,
engaged In an acrimonious interchange
and on several occasions the Chair was
/ forced 10 call the attention OF the Sem
atorS to the rules of the chamber.
Senator Poindexter asked the Georgian
II he was in favor Of the war for the
I same reasons that the President has
given for continuing the war. Senator
Hardwick said he thought we were in
the war for one and only one reason, and
that was that Germany had denied to us
the freedom of the seas
Hnrdwick Fires Hot shot
we shouldn't have entered this war
| If Germany had not done that" he said
/ Millions of people, I'm fact n majority
Of the people, believed that the war was
! not our concern II that isn't true the
Senator from Washington and his friends
were slackers and laggards since Bel
gum was invaded
The Senator from Georgia" said
Senator PoindcXter, has INDUCED in
insulting intimations and improper lam
guaEe here"
Mr.. Hardwicll leapcd from his chair
and shouted;
The Senator cannot use that Lam
guagc about the Senator from Geor-
ga :"
I'm not going to yield the floor any
more" said Mr.. POindcXter.
I'm not asking you to yield the
floor" snapped Mr. Hardwick. 81 rise
to a point of order, Mr.. President
ask if the Senator Is not violating the
rules Of the Senate in his choice or lam
Euage?"
Senator Robinson. in the chair. did
not agree with Mr.. IIardwiCk, and Mr..
PoindcXtcr said he was convinced, after
listening to Mr.. Hardwcll's remarks,
that the Senator from Georgia is not
disposed to strengthen the hands Of the
Government in this war, that he is will
ing that all those who opposed the war
shall have a right to go on opposing 1t
in any way they see fit"
Quivering with rage, ill-concealcd,
Mr., Hardwick rose and said:
81 am terrified :" Then he stopped
, for "A full minute. lie EaZcd over toward
Mr.. PoindeNter. Suddenly he took up
again and delivered in loud and meas
ured tones:
"The Senator from Washington has
been guilty Of statements on this floor
that are untrue!'
on Verge OF HOstilities
Having said that, he paused for ten
I
coat sleeve up TO his elbow. The Senate
and the galleries were transiXed by the
silence, while the Georgian continued to
look into the face of Mr., PoindeXter.
The latter said nothing. Finally Mr..
Hardwick spoke.
"won. I am ready to yield to the
Senator" he said.
Mr.. Poindexter declined the offer to
take up the charge, but on second
thought he said:
The Senator has repeated his Offenscs.
There are rules of this body and do
not intend to transgress them. If the
, Senator wants to
The Chair suggested that both Sen.
ators would do well to follow the reg
uIar procedure when rising
, Mr. Hardwicl then continued:
ut is a sorry day when Senator,
exercising his constitutional rights i'm
this chamber, has to have his motives
Judged and fQully misjudged by the
, Senator from Washington. 1t IL a very
common thing for men in these times
to wrap themselves in the flag in order
: that they might hide their own short
ComingS and mistakes. | object to II
: because / have too much love for the
! ! flag to see 1t 80 employed"
! Senator Sherman, Republican. OF II.
linois, said that a man would be a Grim
0 ina under the provisions Of the bill il
. he chose to refer to the fact that Presi,
dent Wilson, the commander-in-chief OF
the army and navy, has deducted TO-
600, 900 bushels of foodstuffs from the
food supply Of the world in order that
beer might be brewcd i'm the United
States Of America.
Lodge Fights Amendment
. Senator Lodge. of Massachusetts, re
peating his opposition TO the amendment
; as It is drawn, said, 1T is my purpose
/ TO contend for every safeguard agains
S the persecution of loyal or innocen
= men"
e Senator France, of Maryland Offered
5 an amendment supulating that the aC
e Shall not be construed as limiting tn,
n liberty of impairing the right of am
n individual to publish or speak what II
true with good motives and for justlfabl
ends"
!. The Gallinger substitute for the entir,
n amendment embraces the Thomas ant
: the Borah amendments and removes en-
{ tirely the words "profane scurrilous
contemptuous or abusive" from the sec
/, tion added to the measure by the Senate
y judiciary Committee. These adjectives
r preceded the word Language" as applied
t TO the Government and the Constitution
k Under the Gallinger substitute a maI
3 would subject himself to arrest anC
\ prosecution only when he uttered dis
(. loyal" language about the Government
Y the Constitution, the flag or the soldiers
I or sailors. Taken by and large IN,
t Gallinger substitute does not diffe