New Britain herald., 1919-12-04
NO ACTION UNTIL
 LANSING IS HEARD
Hitchcock Advocates Giving President Power To Take Any Steps Necessary in Subduing Trouble-Mak- ing Nation.

Washington. Dec. 4.-Secrctary Lansing will be called before the SOIL ate foreign relations committee before action is taken upon the resolution of Senator Fall, republican, of New Mexico, requesting President Wilson to sever diplomatic relations with Mexico. The committee hopes to have the secretary before it later today.
 Decision to call Mr. Lansing for discussion of the Mexican question was reached by the committee after a two hours session behind closed doors.
 Fletcher Gives Testimony.
 Henry P. Fletcher, American ann bassador to Mexico, was before the committee today to give his views on the Mexican situation. The discus- sion was said to have revealed con- siderable difference of opinion among committee members regarding the best method of protecting American interests in the southern republic.
 When the committee recessed, sen- ators said the whole situation was in an uncertain state Senator Hitch cock, of Nebraska, acting democratic
 
 tors had not taken any definite stand against the resolution, but wanted the committee to be fully advised before a course was decided upon.
 Hitchcock Presents Resolution.
 Senator Hitchcock introduced substitute resolution in the commit tee which, besides authorizing the president to break off diplomatic re- To y,-it support of congress to him in any subsequent action he might decide upon.
 Republican members of the com- mittee were understood to have fa- vored the resolution, but then joined with the democrats in preparing to get all of the facts from Secretary Lansing before reporting to the senate.
 Senators said much of the com mittee's time was taken up with a discussion of the phraseoIogy of the resolutions. The chief reason for summoning Secretary Lansing, it was said, was to place the two proposa Is before him.
 Jenkins Case Discussed. Ambassador Fletcher, it was under ' stood, did not directly endorse either the Fall resolution or the Hitchcock ! substitute. He answered many Ques- l tions about the State departmen s course in recent negotiations with Mexico in which he had an active part. Virtually all of these questions had to do with the case of William O. Jenkins, the American consular agent under arrest at Puebla. He went into this subject fully and it was said that many of the questions to be asked 1 Secretary Lansing would be of simi- i lar nature.
 l Administration senators called att tention to the possible effect of adop- tion of the Fall resolution on the eff forts of the government to secure Jenkins release and are said to have argued that a severance of diplomatic { relations might conlplicate this and other questions which now are the | subject of discussion through dip- lomatic channels.
 Would Insist on Payment. resolution aut uthorizing the presi- dent to use the army and navy, ii necessary in enforcing payment by Mexico of claims for damages suf- 1 fered in the loss of American lives and property was introduced today in the senate by Senator King, democrat Utah and referred to the foreign re- lations committee. Appointment by the United States and Mexico of a joint high commission to adjust American claims, was proposed but should Mexico refuse to participate an American commission would de- ternlinc the claims.