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Show H f . . . H I President Wilson Accused of Favorine War With I Germany; Chairman Stone Vigorously Denies I j STORM BREAKS IN U.. S, SENATE OVER TI ARMED SHIP ISSUE I Senator Gore Starts Most Sensational Debate of Session ' I Practically Accuses President of Trying to Provoke War With Germany Stone Vehemently Denies Story ( Blind Senator Declares Country Is Heading To- ' ward War Hot Discussion Follows. I ! I Washington, March (2. The armed I ship Issue suddenly blazed up in the i senate today with the most sensa- i tional debate of the session, in which Senatpr Gore, Democrat, and author : of a resolution to warn Americans ' off belligerent vessels, repeated what $i he characterized as a report that j; President Wilson had told certain con- '' gress leaders that "a war between the United States and Germany might 1 not be ungrateful and might result in advancing civilization by bringing ; about the end of the European war i bv mid-summer " " Chairman Stone Denies Story. Chairman Stone, of the foreign relations re-lations committee, emphatically de- : nied that the president ever had ex-; ex-; pressed any such sentiment in his hearing and Senator James, another ! administration leader, demanded to 5 know why Senator Gore had not 1 sought to "confirm the report from the i ; president himself. ;- Senator Gore responded that he had hoped the report was untrue; that he had repeated it only as a report sur- rounded by circumstances which gave ', it credence in his opinion but that 1' he was gjad to hear it denied I, Storm Breaks In Senate. ' The storm broke In the senate un- expectedly when Senator Stone, an- nounced that he was not in accord- X with the president's demand for a de- v feat of the armed ship resolutions, t and would propose amendments to p Senator Gore's resolution in order to let it come to a vote, and Senator I James announced the administration I forces had the votes to defeat it: ; Senator Gore's Speech, Senator Gore, in his speech, dc- V clared at the proper time he would : put squarely before the senate wheth- j er the sinking of an ai'med merchant j vessel by a submarine would be con- 'i sldered sufficient cause for war. ? "I introduced my resolution because K I was apprehensive wc were heading -? toward war," ho said, "My act was ;l based on a report which seemed to me to come from the highest authority author-ity that certain senators and members of the house in a conference with the I president received from him the intimation, in-timation, if not the declaration, that ' ' if Germany insisted on her position, the United States would insist upon : hers, and that this would result prob- j! : ably in a breach of diplomatic rela- tions and a breach of diplomatic rela-l rela-l tions would probably bo followed by j ; a state of war, and that a state of j war might not bo an evil, might not ' ; ; be ungrateful, might end the war by I mid-summer, and thus might render a 1 ; great service- to civilization. I can- ji not certify to the truth of the report. H. 1 tell the tale as it was told to me. 1 ; There were such external and internal 1 I marks of tmth that I feared that it "IB might oe the truth. Calls for Denial. "If the senator from 'Missouri, the chairman of the foreign relations com- , rnittee, will deny it, that will satisfy 'J me. If the senator from Indiana says 'j j' it is not true, I will accept that" ' 'v "I do not know why the senator ; ;' quoted me," replied Senator Stone. "I did not quoto the senator," rc- J sponded Senator Gore. j "Well, in fairness to the president," ) said Senator Stone, "I think I should state that the president never stated to me, nor stated in my hearing, that he believed, or in anyway entertained, the thought that war between the (. I'uited States rind the central powers i ould be desirable or would result in i any good, or would not bo ungrate- 5 ful." i 1 Kern Speaks Sternly. I "It is well known that the president t if has a passion for peace," interjected ' Senator Kern in a tone that indicated i riat denial of Senator Goro's charges. j; "I have no passion for peace," Sen- j ator Gore responded. "I do not be- j I lieve all peace is honorable, or that all 'i war is dishonorable, but I repeat that ?j what I heard of the reported conversa- 'l tlon between the president and the senator from Missouri was believed to j ) be founded on fact because of the ; ' source froin which it cmue to me. I j was convinced that there must be r; some basis for the report that the V ; President suggested to the senator 1 r from Missouri that the United States I ' might bring the war to a close in the I .,, middle of the summer." I ' Chairman Makes Emphatic Denial. f, Senator Stone jumped -to his feet a U second time. - ? "The president of the United States I I made no such statement as quoted by ? the senator from Oklahoma," Senator ' j, Stone declared emphatically. "What- ( eer the president did say is some- ti l thing that I do not care to repeat. I Whenever I go to the White House for A a. conference "with the president, J wnat ho says to mo is sacred. I have 1 not repeated the conversation I had M l with the president. I have stated' im-M im-M ( presslons the conversation made on "J 7 my mind. I stated in substance, my I Impressions in my letter to the presl- ; dent which was made public." . James ABks Pointed Question. ; "The senator from Oklahoma is one of the president's closest friends,'' said Senator James of Kentucky. "Why did he not go to him and ascertain ascer-tain just what he said. I am sure the president would have been glad to tell him." "In the first place I had no evidence that I might be taken into the president's presi-dent's confidence, or that Imlght receive re-ceive his impressions in the matter," Senator Gore replied. "I acted on what seemed to me to bo the facts. I have only undertaken to tell of the report as it came to me. "Whatever may have been the conversation con-versation between the president and Senator Stono I hope the impression received by me and others was a mistaken mis-taken one. No Choice of Enemies. "Whenever the -ital interests of the United States or the essential rights of American citizens are violated or outraged I will go as far as any one to arm the president with every available avail-able power to wage war, whether it be with Germany or any nation under the sun. I have no choice of enemies." Senator Gore took his seat and for a moment there was tense silence. The vice president called upon Senator Sen-ator Shields to continue with the water power bill under discussion and the international debate was closed lor the day |