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Show NEBRASKAN'S STATEMENT ON HISJJJYALTY WASHINGTON, Dec. 10. Senator Hitchcock of Nebraska, chairman of the foreign relations committee, ad-drossed ad-drossed ihe senate today in regard to the mention of his name among advocates ad-vocates of a munitions embargo in documents produced before the sen-, sen-, ate judiciary committee's German propaganda pro-paganda inquiry. He said he had no disposition to criticize the placing of all German documents in the record, but that it was evident that the Germans Ger-mans had used the names of many public men recklessly If not falsely, the climax of absurdity being reached when they recorded Professor Albert Bushncll Hart of Harvard as willing to co-operate with them. In 1314, Senator Hitchcock said, he' proposed a munitions embargo bill as a measure for strict American neutrality. neu-trality. Later, ho declared, German propaganda and criminal acts in this country and atrocities abroad caused him to change his attitude. "Like other Americans," said the senator, "I have passed from one phase of the situation to another peaceful neutrality, armed neutrality, war." Referring to the letter of a German agent dated July 22, 1915, saying Senator Sena-tor Hitchcock "seemed strong" for the embargo movement and had said it would "sweep the United States," Mr. Hitchcock pointed out that he had introduced in-troduced a bill for a munitions embargo em-bargo more than eight months before and had made a speech in the senate in tho bill's behalf. On February 17, 1915, the measure was rejected 51 to 36, as an amendment to the shipping bill. "My stand was taken in 1914 as an American for neutrality. The Germans in America took their by forming the embargo conference in 1915 as partisans par-tisans of Germany. They were supporting sup-porting my bill, but I declined to go to their conferences, 'conventions or meetings, though I was often Invited to appear as a speaker. I mado my only speeches here In the senate or in defending ray course later before my constituents. "My attitude naturally changed with changing conditions. I stood first for a strict peaceful and impartial neutrality neu-trality even to the extent of selling no arms and ammunition and lending no money to either side. "Next when Germany began a systematic sys-tematic attack on our commerce I was ready to fight to protect our neutrality. neutrali-ty. vi supported the president's request that we authorize him to assert and protect our. neutrality by arming our merchant ships and I had charge in the senate of what was known as the armed neutrality resolution which died so dramatically here in the senate at noon on March 1, 1917 ' "A month later when the issue elianged from armed neutrality to war I had charge of the declaration of war which was briefly debated and passed by the senate. April -1, 1917." oo |