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Show Senate Stirred to Depths By German Plot Calls on President to Disclose Full Details of Germany's Ger-many's Plot to Unite With Mexico and Japan in War on This Country. Washington, March 1 The commit-, nication of Germany to Mexico and Japan, proposing an alliance against the United States, as published today,, was broucht up in the senate when it! convened, by Senator Lodge, who in-1 troduced a resolution proposing that the president inform the senate if: the note signed "Zimmermann" is authentic. au-thentic. Senator Swanson of Virginia said he was authorized to state that it is substantially sub-stantially correct. Senator Swanson informed Senator Lodge that the Democratic senators had been authorized by the president to state that the account of the Zimmermann Zim-mermann note as revealed by the Associated As-sociated Press was substantially cor-recL cor-recL Senator LaFollette of Wisconsin said he would not object to passage of the Lodge resolution, providing it was amended to ask the president to state when the Zimmermann note had come into possession of the United States I governmonL Senator Lodge's Resolution. Senator1 Lodge added to his resolu-j ! tion a clause requesting that the senate sen-ate be supplied with all other information infor-mation regarding this matter, if not incompatible with the public interest.! The text of the Lodge resolution is as follows: "That the president be requested to' inform the senate whether the note j signed 'Zimmermann' published in the ( newspapers of the morning ol March I 1, inviting Mexico to unite with Ger- I many and Japan in war against the United States is authentic and in the possession of the Kovernment of the United States, and, if authentic, to' send to the senate, if not incompatible With the public Interest, anv further; i Information in the possession of tho United States government relative to the activities of the Imperial German government in Mexico." Time People Should Know. "It is time." said Senator LaFollette.! "that we should know how long the , president or any branch of the government gov-ernment has had the document in his I possession." Senators Reed and Hardwick object-ed object-ed i" nasty passage of the Lodge resolution reso-lution and bad it reread. Senator Lodge declared lhat when "a preat new;- gathering association like the Associated Press" put for-ward for-ward seriously and solemnly what pur- ports to be s dispatch from the secretary secre-tary of foreign altalr ol Germany in-; j vitlng Mexico and Japan to unite to I make war on the I'nited States, it was i I time the congress and the people -liiuild 1m mi "Miii (I oi the ma iter." Story Officially Confirmed I While Senator Swanson was assuring assur-ing Mr. Lodge that he w-as authorized1 to state that the announcement by the (Associated Press was correct, full con J firiuutlon was being given officially at I the White House and state depart-i depart-i ment. Senator Hardwick of Georgia, Demo-I Demo-I crat, objected to immediate considera- k tion of tho Lodge resolution and other senators urged him to withdraw. Explicit Information Demanded Senator Works. Republican, of California Cali-fornia argued that it should be adopted. adopt-ed. "It is exceedingly important." said he, "that we have explicit Information whether the president, at the time he asked congress to confer extraordinary powers upon him, knew of these conditions con-ditions as disclosed in the newspapers. If the president had the information at that time it was due congress and the people of tho United States that he should lay before congress all of the circumstances which might affect the action of congress. Congress is dealing deal-ing with that situation and we should have all the information before taking any steps." Senator Reed deplored that what he said appeared to be criticism of the president, although Senator Lodge dis Claimed any Intention to embarrass him. "I hope that at this moment, which to mo appears to be a very solemn one." Senator Reed said, "we will not have any more manifestations of disposition dis-position to criticise the president Lei us criticise nu one by any kind of interference. This is a time when Americans should close their ranks and face one way and respond to one lentlmenl l hope that w ill be done " "I am very deeply impressed wuu the gravity of the situation," said Senator Sen-ator Thomas. Democrat, of Colorado. "We are confronted with a crisis lhat may be very serious. It is a coincidence coinci-dence that the Associated Press publication pub-lication comes when the senate is considering con-sidering the army und navy bills. "But. if this letter from the German foreign minister is authentic, and it is said to be by tho senator from Vir ginia, we should know it and know it now, I hope the resolution of the senator sen-ator from Massm husetts will be acted upon and 1 am sure the president will respond to if. There may be reasons for nol giving the Information, If incompatible in-compatible with the public interest "The fact is the Associated Press has given this entire story to the public pub-lic with what seems to be a most important im-portant document. It is probably authentic" au-thentic" Lodge Disclaims Desire to Criticise. Senator Lodge said he cared Little regarding the form of his resolution. "Nothing is further from my mind than to suggest criticism of the president.' pres-ident.' said he. "We ought to bave this information the people ought to have it to know whether the document docu-ment is true or not. If we are to act together we ought to have that fact. "I have every reason to believo that the inquiry is not distasteful to the president. We must not act on newspaper news-paper reports and we ought to have the official information. The president is asking great power. For one, I think we ought to give it to him. And we ought to have this information in that connection." Senator Pomerene, Democrat, ot Ohio said that in addition to tho Asso- I elated Press dispatches the senate had the statement of Senator Swanson that the Zimmermann dispatch was authentic. authen-tic. "Substantially correct," interjected Senator Swanson. "If there is any variance we ought to know that fact," remarked Senator Sena-tor Pomerene. "The resolution amply protects the president permitting him to give the information, if compatible with public interest We all realize the gravity of the situation. I want the most explicit Information before acting act-ing in a matter which may be so grave in its consequences." Senator Smith, Democrat, of Georgia said he hoped the resolution would be I adopted at once. Resolution Is Discussed. After carefully reading the resolution, resolu-tion, Senator Stone, chairman of the foreign relations committee, said: "It seems to me that the resolution ! ought to go to the committee on for-! for-! elgn relations. Here is a newspaper report that the secretary of foreign re-t re-t lations of the German government has ! sent the German ambassador In Washington Wash-ington a certain letter which appears ' in the morning papers. We are not I informed as to the source. We have no facts upon which to determine our judgment as to the resolution's accur-: accur-: acy. "There may be information in the hands of the state department of a confidential nature that it might not be thought compatible with public ln- leresi to reveal, inen, again, mis alleged al-leged dispatch may not be authentic. It may not be true. "There may be something behind all this we do not know about," continued Senator Stone. "It seems to mo in the exigencies of this moment, it is the part of prudence and sound judgment judg-ment to proceed deliberately. I think the wiser course would be to send the resolution to the committee and have that committee make the necessary neces-sary investigation and then report what action, in their opinion, should be taken. But if that view is not coineided by the senate, then we ought at least to have the resolution broadened broad-ened so as to call on the president for all information respecting the sources of this statement said to have been civen out officially or semi-officially I would like to know all about it, how it was obtained and from whom and I want to know the facts tending to establish es-tablish its authenticity. We might fall into a situation we do not care to touch. I do not see how we can act until we know the facts. We ought to be as fully advised, not only as to the Associated Press, but as to the state department." Senator Smith. Republican, of Michigan Mich-igan suggested the president could refuse re-fuse to give the information if he desired. de-sired. Senate Entitled to Knowledge. "But the senate," added Senator Smith, as the counsellor to the executive exec-utive in these matters ought to at least ask for the information I have sustained the president throughout this crisis and I am going to sustain him now. but I think we are entitled to information properly within his pos. session without hesitation or delay." Senator Poindexter, Republican, of Washington, asked Senator Pomeren9 why the publication of the Zimmermann Zimmer-mann instructions created a situation of great gravity. "I fall to see very much news in tho item." he said. "We have been reading for months of alleged activities activi-ties of this kind concerning which this Zimmermann note appears to me to be a mere incident. Every senator in this body has read of the Inciting of insurrection in Cuba and various machinations ma-chinations in Mexico. Reports like this have been circulated for weeks and months. Even If this is true, what change i6 there in the situation?" situa-tion?" First Concrete Statement, "1 have seen rumors and rumors of rumors," replied Senator Pomerene, "but this morning, for the first time, we have a concrete statement purporting pur-porting to be a note issued by a high official of the German government. I pray to God it is not true, but, at the same time, when confronted with what seems to be documentary evi-dence evi-dence and with the statement by the senator from Virginia in effect that the president said the matter published pub-lished was 'substantially correct,' I think I am within the bounds of reason when I say that there is a 'grave situation.' I am not willing to act until we can have the fullest information in-formation the president can give us compatible with tho public interests." |