Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-04-01 | Page 11 | Stone and Hitchcock

STONE AND HITCHCOCK. The Democrats in the United States senate, although they have a clear majority ma-jority of twelve votes, are in bad shape upon the eve of war. Senator William J. Stone, chairman of the foreign for-eign relations committee, has refused to follow the lead of President "Wilson and Senator Gilbert M. Hitchcock of Nebraska, Ne-braska, the ranking Democratic member mem-ber of the committee, has been conferring confer-ring with the executive regarding the all-important action to be taken by congress con-gress next week. Hitchcock, however, is not in favor of either a straight declaration dec-laration of war or a modified declaration declara-tion that a state of war exists, and as a mouthpiece of President Wilson he is not likely to prove a bright and shining shin-ing success. It may be that the Nebraska senator will subordinate his personal views to the wishes of his colleagues and the preponderance of sentiment of the people peo-ple of the country and vote for calling Germany to account for making war upon us. If he does not do this and follows the course of "Gumshoe Bill," then the Democrats should reorganize the. foreign relations committee at once and select other men for the chief places. Of course, in case ( of a show-down Hitchcock and Stone combined will not be able to block the passage of a resolution by the senate or prevent a favorable report by the committee, for in this grave matter the Republicans are with the president and wiy show by their votes just where their party stands when the honor of the country is to be upheld by force of arms. Most of the men who helped talk the armed neutrality bill to death at the last session of congress have heard from their constituents and have experienced a change of purpose, if not of heart, and outside of Stone and La Follette, unless Hitchcock also betrays be-trays his trust, we do not expect any opposition to the president's policy when the senators como face to face with the alternative of peace or war. In a few days we will know whom to trust in the United States senate.