About Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920 | View Entire Issue (March 2, 1917)
®he Atlanta VOLUME XIV. Congress, Shocked By Plot, Falls Into Line With Wilson GERMANY BLAMED FOR COLUMBUS MASSACRE; PLOTTED TO DRAW U. S. INTO WAR WITH JAPAN House Takes Up Bill to Give Wilson Power to Act senate mucms ABANDON FILIBUSTER ■ FUCK PRESIDENT ■„ ■ » Democratic Leaders Are As sured of Their Support of the Nation’s Chief Executive in National Emergency (By Aneciated Praaa.l WASHINGTON, March I_—Shocked and amazed by the revelation of Ger many a attempt to unite Japan and Mexico to war upon the United States, 'ongreas today forgot its differences of opinion and began .swinging into line behind the president. Senate Republicans abandoned their general filibuster and gave Democratic leaders assurances of their support to the president in a national emergency. In the house, without a roll call, and under special provision Tor its immedi ate consideration. Representative Flood’s *u*l to clothe the president with author itr to deal with the German submarine ■eenace by arming ships, was taken up snder an agreement for a vote after three hours of debate. The magnitude and astounding char acter of Germany’s proposal complete ly overshadowed all other considerations in the government today. Full official confirmation of Germany’s intrigue to ally Mexico and Japan with I ’-er to make war on the United States, as; -wealed last night by the Associated Press, was given today at the White' House, the state department and in the On the floor of the senate it was an nounced that Democratic senators had *»eefi authorized to state that the reve lations. including the text of the in structions from German Foreign Minis ter Zimmerman to German Minister von Uckhardt at Mexico City, were correct. On motion of Senator Lodge the ren-, ate at once took up a proposal to ask the president to communicate the facts: to congress officially. . Chairman Stone's request to have the Lodge resolution referred to the for-. e;gn relations committee without any in- ' strwctions as to when it should report. I was adopted by the senate by unanimous consent. • Senator Stone then called a meeting of th committee to considr the resolution • The text of the Lodge resolution fol lows: ’That the president be requested to inform the senate whether the note signed *Zimmermann.’ published in the newspapers o fthe morning of March 1. inviting Mexico to unite with Germany and Japan in war against the United States, is authentic and in the posses sion of the United States, and if authen tic, to send to the senate, if not incom patible with the public interest, any further information in the possession of the United States government relative to the activities of the imperial Ger man government in Mexico.“ Senator LaFollette. of Wisconsin, said he would not object to passage of the Lodge resolution. provided it was amended to ask the president to state when the Zimmermann note had gotten | into possession of the United States : government. The committee ordered a favorable I report on the Lodge resolution after! changing only a few words. The committee amended by striking out the provision asking the president for information as to when the 'Zim mermann" letter came into possession of the United States. Senator Lodge added to his resolution a clause requesting that the senate be supplied with ail other information re garding this matter if not incompatible with the public interest. Senator Lodge declared that when "a great news gathering association like the Associated Press put forward se riously and solemnly* what purports tn be a dispatch from the secretary for for eign affairs of Germany inviting Mextsn and Japan to unite to make war on' rhe United States.** it was time the congress and the people should be informed of the matter. While Senator Swanson was assuring Mr Lodge that he was authorized to state that the announcement by .the As sociated Press was correct, full confirma tion was being given officially at the White House and state department. Senator Hardwick, of Georgia. Demo crat. objected to immediate considera tion of the Lodge resolution and ether «enators urged him to withdraw it. Sen ator Works. Republican, of California, arrued that It should be adopted. "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 condi- on Page Bight, CoL 8.) ♦ 4 Rome Makes a Splendid Presentation of Claims For Armor Plate Plant Manner in Which Her Case Is Submitted to Armor Plate Board Would Have Done Credit to Any City BY BOGEBS WTITTEB. (journal Staff Correrpondent.) ROME. Ga., March 1. —The claims of this city for the location of the armor plate plant to be built by the United States government for manufacturing armor plate for ships of the navy were presented Wednesday afternoon to the armor plate board in a manner that would have done credit to any city in the United States. From the very outset of her campaign to secure the armor plate plant, Rome has based her bid on merit alone. She has 'Conducted her case on the principle that she wants the plant to be located in Rome if the authorities of the gov ernment decide that Rome is the beat location, but she doesn't want it or ask for it if they decide that some other! location would be better suited. This has been the keynote of her whole campaign, and it was the key note Wednesday afternoon of the pre sentation of her claims to the board appointed by Secretary Daniels of the navy to inspect the nineteen available locations which have been tentatively recommended. Nothing was offered but facts; only such facts as had a direct bearing upon the subject, and every angle of the sub ject was thoroughly covered. At the conclusion of the hearing. Cap tain Commander Frank H. Clark, a mem ber of the board, took occasion to say to T. E. Grafton, secretary of the Rome chamber of commerce, that Rome had made the most comprehensive presenta tion of her case of any city in the whole list of fourteen which have been vis ited by the board. MEMBERS OF BOARD. The armor plate board consists of three officers of the United States navy. The chairman, is Admiral Frank F.i Fletcher, who is a member of the gen eral board of the navy, and the man who commanded the fleet at Vera Cruz. Then Captain Commander Clark, men tioned above, and Lieutenant Command er Reuben E. Bakenhue. When it was decided by congress that the government should build an armor plate plant and make its own armor plate, rather than pay the steel com panies exorbitant prices, some 200 cities applied for the location of the plant.; All of these were eliminated except nine teen. and Rome was one of the nineteen, being the only Georgia city in the nuin-i ber. Secretary Daniels of the navy ap pointed the board to make an inspection of the nineteen cities and recommend to him the one most suitable for the location of the plant. The members of the board have visited and inspected l fourteen of the nineteen cities. The re maining fix e are all in the west. Arriving in Rome Tuesday night, the members of the board spent a very pleasant social evening with Rome citi zens and ladies, then Wednesday morn ing they started on a tour of the differ ent sites which are offered by Rome for the building of the plant. Three splendid sites were offered and inspected by the board. All are in a few miles «f Rome, all comprise more than 200 acres .and all are accessible to the railroads and the Coosa river, and are situated on level ground in valleys. Besides inspecting the sites, the mem bers of the board made a visit to the famous Berry school and to Shorter Col lege, after which they were brought back to the city and.tendered a luncheon by the Rome Rotary club. ATLANTIANS AID ROME Present at the* lunheon were a delega tion of Atlanta citizens who came up to j aid this city in presenting her claims and ; to let Rome know that Atlanta Is equally as enthusiastic in Rome’s behalf as she would be if she was bidding for the lo cation of the plant. The members of this delegation were Ivan E. Allen, president of the Atlanta chamber of commerce; Walter G. Coop er, secretary of the Atlanta chamber of commerce; W. B. . Willingham, W. J. Davis. B M. Hali and Sam W. Wilkes. When the luncheon was over the board adjourned to the commissioners’ room in the city hall and there the formal hear ing wa» held. beginning about 3:15 o'clock and running until about 4:30. None pf Hie speakers spoke longer than six minutes. None of them made the slightest effort at oratory. None of them indulged in any compliments or iouquets or laudatory remarks concern ing Rome or the armor plate board or President Wilson or anybody else. They confined themselves entirely to facts, and presented these facts in <ne most direct, concise and business-like way. The members of the armor plate board sat behind a long table. At the end of the table sat Secretary Grafton of the Rome chamber of commerce, who called up the, speakers one at a time. In the audience, were citizens of Rome and visitors ad mitted by card. “We will begin at the ground and build up. gentlemen of the board.” said Secretary Grafton, and called up his first (Continued on Page 8, CoL 5.) RE-THML OF ROGERS ON: SAME GROUND OE-COVFOE9 Solicitor Puts Up Only Two Witnesses and Then Rests State’s Case The retrial of W W. (Boots) Rogers, which commenced Thursday morning, on a charge of robbing Paymaster Boy kin. of the Martel Manufacturing com pany, near Hapeville on the morning of last December 2. is covering practically the same grountT that was gone over last week In Rogers' first trial, which came to an end when Judge Hill declared a mistrial as the case was nearing the finish. Solicitor John A. Boykin put up only two witnesses Thursday morning, and then rested his case: The first was Paymaster Boykin, who again described the robbery, again positively identified Rogers, and incidentally brought M. J. Yarter into the case by asserting that ‘Tarter aided Rogers in the hold-up. The second witness was Mrs. »t>ra Lloyd, who happened to pass when Boykin was being robbed, and who again identified Rogers. Yarter is the man whom Rogers ac cused when he took the stand in his own defense in his first trial. It will be recalled he asserted his inno cence and threw the crime on Yarter’s shoulders by asserting that he dicto graphed Yarter in the home of Mrs. Viola Tyler and overheard him tell her about robbing Boykin. At a preliminary trial held Wednes day, Boykin sprung a surprise by iden tifying Yarter as the man who was with Rogers, and aided him in the hold up. Yarter. as the result of this testi mony, was bonnd over under a bond of 15.000. Governor-Elect Hugh M. Dorsey, chief counsel for the defense, grilled Paymas ter Boykin for an hour in an at tempt to break down or weaken his iden tification of Rogers, but the paymaster stuck to his story. When Solicitor Boykin had closed, the defense immediately began to present its case. Instead df putting Boots Rogers on the stand ahead of the alibi witnesses, as In the first trial. Attorneys Dorsey and John W. Moore, who is associated with him, led off with the alibi wit nesses. R. God.frev. motorman. and J. Nesbtt, conductor of the street car that carried Boykin to Lang avenue on the day of the robery testified that Rogers* was not the ' man who got off of the car behind Boy- | kin and thaj Yarter was the man. Bo: hi were put through a severe cross examin- , ation by the solicitor and admitted that they could not remember any other stop i made that morning or anything about ' any other passengers whom they car ried on that day. The Jurors, who were selected without much difficulty, are as follows: J. A. Adams. A. V- Toney. H. B. Phil lips, Sam Clower, T. L. Middlebrooks. William F. Maurer, D. R. Evans. W. O. I Dewberry. W. H. Smith, L. H. Hill, J. E Paden, W. R. Johnson. At 1 o’clock Judge Hill took a recess I until 2 o’clock and announced that the trial would then run until 6 o'clock. BINOITS HOB BINK MO KILL TOWIf MAYDH Two Men Get $3,000 From Collinstown, La., but Drop It in Flight <By Press.) MONROE, March 1. —Two uniden- ' tified men held up and robbed the Bank of Collinstown. La., twenty miles north of Monroe, about today, and in the j pursuit which followed they shot an'l | killed P. W. Vaughan, mayor of Collins ville, a member of the posse. Reports from the scene stated one of the rob bers had been captured. The robbers obtained $3,000 from the bank and fled on horses they found tied nearby. A posse quickly was organized anti started after the robbers, who were so closely crowded in the pursuit that ! they dropped the bag containing the stolen money, according to reports. The authorities here were Informed that cit izens of Collinsville were threatening to lync)i the robbers for killing Mayor Vaughan, if they were captured. ATLANTA, GA., FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1917. FURTHER BETBEAT ON THE WESTffI FRONT ADMITTED BV BERLIN “Voluntary and Systematic” Withdrawal of Parts of Ger man Advance Positions on Ancre Is Announced ..(By Associated Press.) LONDON, March I.—The remnants of the Turkish force retreating from Kut-el-Amara have been shattered com pletely, according to information given out in the house of commons today. The Turks, it was said, would reach Bagdad only as a disorderly mob. <By Associated Press.) NEW YOrtK, March J.—Berlin today made its exiiected announcement on the Somme front retiremerft, referring to the move as an evacuation of “a part of our advanced positions" on both sides of the Ancre. The move 'was made several days ago. it jp declared, and remained concealed from the Brit ish, upon whom considerable losses were inflicted by the Germaq rear guards as .they fell back, according to orders. The defense, it Is stated, has been trans ferred to another prepared line. The German office also reports the repulse of two British attacks, just south of the evacuated ground, one near Le Transloy and the other near Sailly. The British appear to have penetrated the German positions in the latter case and to have established themselves in what Berli nailudes to as ‘‘riflemen’s nests” of local importance only. According to Paris dispatches the great retrograde movement of the Ger mans on the Franco-Belgian front con tinues. Apparently even the strong hold of Bapaume, for months the main objective of the British operations on the Somme front, is to be abandoned, if, j indeed, it has not already been evacu ated. Taris military circles report Informa tion that tMe fall of Bapaume is immi nent, the Germans having already fallen back behind the town. Dispatches from the front byway of London lent color to the reports. The Germans appear 'to have been preparing for evacuation j and were said to have blown up the ■ famous dock tower there. The new German line, according to French information, runs behind Ba paume- and thence southward along the Bapaume-Peronne road. This would ap proximate the present line from Le Transloy, three and a half miles south of Bapaume, southward to Peronne. Northwest .of Kut-el-Amara. on the Tigris, the British still have the Turks in,full retreat, according to the latest official received in London. The pursuit was previously reported to have reachefl a point more than thirty miles north-northwest of Kut. and the addi tional advices announce it as continuing. More prisoners and material have been captured. The American merchant steamer Rochester from New York for Bordeaux has arrived safely in French waters. ; Another German air raid on (England has been carried out. A single airplane was the raiding medium. It bombarded Broadstairs, on the Island of Thanet. The British official report says one woman was Injured. Teutonic submarine operations have resulted in the sinking of four more vessels, aggregating 8,796 tons. The I largest was the British steamer Clan Farquhar, of 5,853 tons. A Norwegian steamer, a British sailing vessel and a French schooner were the other vic tims. WASHINGTON COES DRV Bi VOTE BE 273 T 0137 Conferees on Postal Bill Reach Agreement Favoring Reed Amendment (By Atiociated Press.) WASHINGTON, March I.—Prohibition won a double victory In congress last night when the house passed, 273 to 137, the senate bill to make the national cap ital dry and senate and house con ferees on the postal appropriation bill unexpectedly announced an agreement under which the Reed “hone, dry” amendment is virtually assured of en actment. Hope of agreeing on the postal supply measure had been abandoned by the conferees, who submitted a resolution to continue existing postal appropria tions for another year. Last night, however, they got together on a report which includes the Reed amendment, prohibiting shipment of liquor Into pro hibition states, and which they expect to present in both houses today or Fri day. The leaders thought there was no doubt of its acceptance in senate and SPURRED TO ACTION. AGREEMENT IB MADE TO VOTE I 3 HOURS ’House Is Notified Wilson Stands Squarely Behind Senate Measure “First, Last and All the Time” (By Associated Press.) WASHINGTON, March I.—Spurred by the developments of the International situation the house today took up the bill to clothe the president with au thority to deal with the German sub marine menace under an agreement to vote after three hours’ debate. The statement was made officially that the White House stands behind the bill as drawn in the senate “first, last and all the time,” and does not approve the house bill in its entirety because it does not provide the "other instrumen •talities” which the president desires, and proposes to refuse war insurance to ships which carry munitions. The portion the administration wants may be inserted on the floor of the house or after the bill gets to the senate. A special rule for immediate consid eration of the Flood bill to empower the president to arm and protect ships "un der United States registry” was favor ably reported today from the house rules comnrittee. Without a roll call the house unani mously adopted the rule and three hours general debate on the measure was be gun immediately. FLOOD STIRS HOUSE. At the outset of the house debate Chairman Flood aroused intense en thusiasm on both sides. Every refer ence to America’s willingness to pro tect the rights of citizens wherever they had a right to travel was met with a volley of applause. He cited that au thority for the president to act as sug gested in the bill had been granted to other executives in 1794, 1798, 1805, 1815, 1839 and 1856, and, incidentally, attacked the pacifists protesting against the’ bill. “In 1798," he continued, "many people in this country at that time said our rights should not be upheld and that to uphold them would lead to war with France. We gave the president the i power, our commerce was protected, our I honpr vindicated and war was averted." Even, greater applause greeted Re- j publican Leader Mann’s stirring speecji in favor of the bill, his remarks being interrupted by patriotic outbursts. "It is well known," Mr. Mann said, “that I have done and will do every thing in my power to keep this country out of the European war and the peace settlement that is certain to follow its end. But I do not see how it is possi ble for a patriotic nation to refuse to give the president at the time of this crisis power which he asks and which is provided for in the pending bill. REFUSES TO CAVIL. "I recognize the fact that those oppos ing this proposition are' filled with pa triotism and devotion io the country aS the rest of us are,” he con<inued, "but I am not willing to cavil over the terms of power conferred on the president. "When the time comes that our ships shall be assaulted and the limit of our patient bearing of insults or destruction that may be heaped upon us is passed, it becomes the duty of a great or small government to defend its rights upon the sea. "I hope and believe that by giving this power to the president we shall be more to keep out than to get into war.” Representative Kitchin, of North Carolina. Democratic leader of the house, announced,, amid applause, that he would vote for the bill. "I shall vote for this bill—but not without hesitation and misgiving,” Mr. Kitchin said. "The nation confronts the gravest crisis. It faces the supremest responsi bility to itself and to the world. / “Already the European » catastrophe threatens the faith of mankind in Chris tianity, in civilization, "The widening of that catastrophe by ' a great, powerful nation like ours would seem to challenge the right of Chris- ; tianity to exist. It calls to the test i the potency of civilization itself.” Representative Cooper, Wisconsin, 1 Republican, contended the bill surrenders L to the president the war power. Representative Campbell, of Kansas. Republican, contended the warring pow ers should not be delegated. house. They are taking It for granted, too, that President Wilson will approve both that and the District of.Columbia , prohibition bill. . The district bill, which would become effective November 1, was brought to a ' vote after a stubborn opposition had ' delayed for several hours the final roll call which the leaders knew would mean , passage. All day and until late in the evening they stood by their guns, ex hausting every parliamentary expedient 1 to ward off action and watching for an < opportuntiy to put the measure into a - that would mean its failure 1 with the expiration of the session Sun- * day. 1 MISER TRIED TO FORM 1 ALLIANCE WITH MEXICO ANO JAPAN AGAINST 0.5. (By Associated Press.) WASHINGTON, March I.—Revelation of how Germany, expecting J war with the United States as the result of her submarine campaign of ruth- I lessness, plotted to unite Mexico and Japan with her for an attack on the . United States has stirred the capital to its depths. , Members of congress, many tof whom have been hesitating before President Wilson's request for full authority to deal with Germany in the ’ present situation, went to the capitol today reading documentary evidence ' of the intrigue which proposed to separate Japan from her allies, and add the United States to the list of nations which Germany hopes to see con quered in her dream of world domination. The investigations of the American military intellingence officers and , the secret service along the border have disclosed many German activities ’ there, which now in the light of these revelations can be assigned to their proper places in the sequence of events. At Columbus, N. M., it is charged that German influences were respon sible for the Villa raid, with the object of forcing intervention by the United States, which was expected to draw the attention of the American military forces and munitions and conseqnetrtlj cut exports to the allies. BELIEVED GERMANY PROPMTED ATTACK AT PARRAL, MEXICO. The army intelligence officers are in possession of information which seems to imply possible connection of Theodore Kock, or Kouch, German vice consul at Parral, Mexico, with the attack by Mexican troops on the American cavalry under Major Tompkins - while in pursuit of the' Villa bandits. Although American officers say they did not find Kock at Parral v when they were there, they have received reports that he urged the Mex icans to attack the American troops in order to prevent the capture of Villa, fearing it would be followed by revelations of the alleged German influence behind the raid. One high army officer said: , > “I am positive Koch had something, if not a deal, to do with the trouble at Parral.” From other sources information has come to the government of other German activities and influences in Mexico. Dr. Krum-Heller, a German active in Mexico many years, is reported to be very close to General Car ranza and active in conducting pro-German propaganda in Mexico. Other information in the hands of government intelligence officers is that Mex imillian Klaus, a perman, is in charge of the Carranza ordnance factories which have been established near Mexico City, None of these facts in itself is regarded as having a direct relation to the proposal of Germany to Mexico and Japan, but it is realized they are collateral evidence of Germany’s gen ' eral plans. How Germany, confident that unrestricted submarine w*arfare is the ; instrument by which she will bring England ,to her knees, proposed a " triple blow, is revealed in a set of instructions from German Foreign Min ister Zimmermann, to German Minister von Eckhardt in Mexico City, which was transmitted through Count von Bernstorff, late German ambassador here. JAPAN WOULD NOT CONSIDER AN ALLIANCE AGAINST UNITED STATES. The Japanese embassy made the following comment: “With regard to the alleged German attempt to induce Japan and Mexico to make war upon the United States, made public in the press this morning, the Japanese embassy, while lacking information as to whether finch invitation ever reached Tokio, desires to state most emphatically that any invitation of this sort would under no circumstances be entertained by the Japanese government, which is in entire accord and close relations with other powers, on account of formal agreements and our common cause, and moreover, our good friendship with the United States, which is every day' > growing in sincerity and cordiality.” At one sweep, Germany proposed to weaken the entente alliance by' the defection of Japan; strike a crushing blow at England’s naval power by cutting off the vital- supply of Mexican fuel oil; and thoroughly en gage the attention of the United States by an invasion, in which Japan was to be invited to join, and for which Mexico should be rewarded by reconquering her "lost provinces”—Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. This astounding document, dated Berlin, January 19, 1917, contents’ of which have for some time been in possession of the United States gov ernment, shows plainly that Germany, while making repeated protestations to the United States that she had no Intentions of resuming her sea cam paign of ruthlessness, was making the final arrangements for its ex- ‘ ecution two weeks before it was announced, and had even gohe so far in consideration of the consequences that she proposed to meet them by the attack with Mexico and Japan upon the United States. COUNT VON BERNSTORFF HANDLED DOCUMENTS AT CAPITAL. Details were left to terman Minister von Eckhardt 1n Mexico City, who, by instructions signed by German Foreign Minister Zimmermann at Berlin January 19. 1917, was directed to propose the alliance with Mexico to General Carranza and suggest that Mexico seek to bring Japan intff the plot. These instructions' were transmitted to Von Eckhardt through Count von Bernstorff, former German ambassador here, now on his home to Germany under a safe conduct obtained from his enemies by the country against which he was plotting war. It is known positively that evidences of the activities of Count von Bernstorff, sufficient to force his departure from the country at any time, were in the hands of the government even before it knew of the attempted intrigue with Mexico and Japan. •’ • , ’ Germany pictured to Mexico by broad intimation, England and the entente allies defeated; Germany and her allies triumphant, and in world domination by the instrument of unrestricted submarine warfare. JAPAN NOT RECEPTIVE. The evidence at hand are that if Mex ico. as Germany suggested, communi cated to Japan the proposal for an at tack on the United States it met with a reception in Tokio which was quite contrary to what Berlin had expected. It is thought here that Germany’s an nouncement that she intended to with draw from the Pacific, as part of the making of peace, was carefully planned Jong ago to attract Japan to Germany’s .schemes with the prospect not only of I occupying the German possessions in the Pacific abiding to her domination of that great ocean, but of settling the NUMBER 43. long-standing friction with the United States. Observers here believe that the break down of the scheme so far as Japan waa concerned was signalized when the Mexican government suddenly reversed its attitude and announced that It had no intention of cutting off the British supply nf naval fuel oil, as had plainly been indicated in General Gaxcanza's j proposal to make peace in Europe | cutting off exports of food and munitions i from neutrals. A copy of Zimmermann’s Instructions to Von Eckhardt, sent through Von Bernstorff, is in possession of the Unit (Conttnued on Page 8, 001. L]
