Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-04-10

storff be sent home. At once 1 urg-
ed the arming of American mer-
chant ships with orders to fire upon
submarines. On that matter I al
most had a personal difficulty on the
floor of the senate with Senator La
Eo1iette. Congress adjourned by
limitation before we could pass the
resolution authorizing the presldent
to arm merchant vessels, but we told
him to go ahead and do 1T anyhow,
and he did.
Supported War Measures.
eft is true 1 urged the freedom
Of the seas for American commerce
in 1914 and 1915-and the president
supported me. Nothing was more
clearly established than our right to
ship cotton to neutral ports. In the
Japanese-Russian war, Russia mad
threatened to interfere with SNIP
ments of cotton from Egypt to Jap
She would send the cotton through
with convoy of battleshlpS II nee
essary. and Russia backed down. In
the same matter, Secretary hay
then head of our state department,
wrote magnificent argument on
the subject. protesting against Rus
sia's threat to stop cotton, and Rus
STA receded. SO the position we, took
against England in 1914 and 1919
was identically the position england
and the united SldteS i0u e0'iNSAi
against Russia.
fWhen the war came on, resulting
from Germany'S unrestricted supma-
rine warfare, I voted for the declafa-
ton of war; helped to prepare and
voted for the war finance bills; voteo
one after another for the measures
to prosecute the war. Repeatedly on
the floor and in committee IN
sisted that there was but one way 10
fight, and that was to f1ght ano
fight hard. 1t is true l old not v n9{ {;
as they came to us. Some were pre-
pared by assistant bureau chiefs nav
ing no experience in leglslatlon. Inc
food control bill, for example, as II
came to US, would nave e. n nfanfin y
Of his seed to the marketing OF ms
crop. It would have into~fered with
dry goods, shoes and nearly all KINGS
Of merchandise in no way connected
with food. 1t would have 1nterIereo
with all kinds of industry. l In
sisted on limiting the bill to con
troll of food, and the bill was amend
ed, and I voted for 1t.
Denounces "cowardly Lies"
"And since I supported vigorous
prosecution of the war, since tneLe
IS nothing in the record that can be
criticized, my enemies are MAKING
the charge that I voted one way IN
committee and another way on the
floor. THAT is a miserable and cow
ard1v lie! (Applause.) No man has
vet come and made that charge TO
my face. I am sixty-four years old,
but I promise one thing-lf any man
will come and make that charge 10
my face, he will not be able to make
it any more. applause and cheers.)
GLOW is a man to meet such SLAM
der? They have not named single
measure on which I voted one way
in committee and another way on the
floor. They have not named SIN
gle committee tt They 7 have named
CLARK Howell has printed ISLANDERS
about me in the Atlanta Constitu-
ton that were miserable, cowardly
lies, and he knew they were when
he printed them, and he made OF
himself miserable and coWardly
liar when he put them in his paper.
The senator was making himself
very plain. At first his words were
received in sort of still silence.
Then a roar of cheering and ap-
plause shook the auditorium.
The League Of Nations
"And now we come to the great is
sue-to the League of Nations" said
he, when the excitement subsidized.
Briefly he outlined the gener"1 plan
Of organization Of the league, it's gen
VI oil anu pOWCIS, lis pIO-
visions looking to moral suasion to
forestal war.
"A1l Of these provisions" said the
senator 81 am in favor of. I think
they'll do no harm and may do much
good. But the other provisions, the
provisions of force, the provisions of
blood and steel, I will not vote for I'M
less they are 'nullified.'"
Senator Smith then discussed the
reservations he demands as to man
datories, as to domestic questions
as to England's six votes to the
United States one, as to the interna-
tional labor tribunal, as to right OF
withdrawal.
He showed that the council of the
| league would deal out manufactures
| among the nations having member
ship in the council, and that the man
datory tentatively dealt out to the
United States was mandatory Of
the Turkish empire, and that such a
mandatory, according to a special
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