w .
FINAL EDITION
: . - ; ; -' ' . - - -
Dispatch
WEATHER FORECAST.
North and South Carolina -Rain
in the east and rain or snowjn west
portion tonight. Friday partly cloudy
FULL LEASED WIRE SERVICE
' -i. in" j . r, " I
VOL. XXII. NO. 408.
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 1, 1917.
PRICE FIVE CENTS,
- - r 1
., ; . " i - ,
' .; 4 ,V,y , '
PATRIOTISM rJTNS JiMl ETelf STS utonconspira cy
FULLS PR
HOUSE AND SENATE
Party Quarrels Seem Forgot
ten as Congressmen Pledge
Support to Wilson.
AMERICA SHOCKED
BY THE REVELATIONS
Members of National Congress
Amazed at Germany's
Move and Disclosures Stim
ulate The Necessity for
United Country.
iBv The Associated Press.)
Washington, March 1. Shocked and
amazed by the revelation of Ger
manyV attempt to unite Japan and
Mexico to war upon the United States
Coneress today forgot its differences
of opinion and began swinging into
line behind tne rresiaent.
Senate Republicans abandoned their
general filibuster and gave Democratic
leaders assuraces-of their support to'
the President in a National emer
cency. In the House, without a roll call and
under special provision for its imme
diate consideration, Representative
Flood's bill to clothe the
President i
with authority to deal with the Ger-; bin to clothe the President with au
nnn submarine menace by arming uhnritv fn ,,nl wUH th0 frmnn i,k.
thine wa takpn nr unrfftr an asrrp.fi-l
ment' for a vote after three hours of
debate
I
President Wilson, however, will in-
i un urniB eiunj n iu usc
or instrumentalities asvproOB-Wi4e6
the bill pending in tne Senate, f v
Full oflicial confirmation of
ninny's move as repealed by the As-because it does not provide the "other
iockted Press was given at the White J instrumentalities" which the Presi
i Souse, State Department and on the, dent desires and proposes to refuse
floor of the Senate. war insurance to ships which carry
Secretary Lansing, in an official munitions.
tatHiient made clear that the United The portions the administration
Stales did not believe Japan had wants may be inserted on the floor of
knowledge 0f the scheme or would the House or after the bill gets to the
take part in it. He also expressed the genate.
i-oiHKience ot the government mat
.Mexico would take no part.
... .cuu - uaaay xU
tircii'nstances would Germany s pro
".u'u vy . l"
; nnient; reiterated the allegiance of
i tP , fei rfDle- f lanSf aTt?;
mPd her fnendship for the United
Thf niasnitiide and astounding char
'i ter oi (lennany's proposal complete
ly over shadowed all other considera
lion.s in the government today.
MTO (TCREEK
Engineer on New Orleans and
Northeastern Train Killed
in Wreck.
M a j -r x
PLUNGED
Lburi-i, '.Aiiss., March 1. Southbound Peace settlement that is certain to ioi
train No. 1 on the New Or- low its end, but I do not see how it
"' ''s and Northeastern from Cincin-is possible for a patriotic nation to
11 t'- Mt the rails at a curve near 'refuse to give the President at the
--ariy today, the engine, baggage itime of this crisis power which he
t i v rtssoi'iarpn ' ri-xj i
and mail cars overturning into a
David Corbett, engineer of Meri4 "I recognize the fact that those op
(i';in, was drowned. Frank Bizot, fire-j posing this proposition are filled with
ni"n, and several express messengers patriotism and devotion to the country
mail clerks were slightly injured, as the rest of us are," he continued,
xwie of the passengers was hurt. '"but I am not willing to cavil over the
(terms of power conferred on the Pres-
GREAT BRITAIN HAS ident
WITHDRAWN OBJECTION
ships shall be assaulted and the limit
H'.y Associated Press )
) ashington, March 1.
-Ulcalr
Britain
has
withdrawn its objection"0
'? made known its permission for the
HartfioMs, ltd., the English munitions
C0"tern, to enter into contracts with1
I nited States navy for armor
m'-reine s.IipUr nf id ifi-in-h
type.
4
"
J GERMAN CONSULATE ROB
BED.
(By Associated Press.)
t -Juarez,
Mexv March 1. The
rnian consulate her was rob- '
I T1 late last night and a number
Ox important official paper? were
reported to have been taken !rom
.. dl" files of Consul M..-- WAher.
ho has been in charge of con-
sular and diplomatic affairs for
. German a j ju j.
. -wuiau government in iNortn-f
" icjuco. 4
4t
' I . .-to.-?-..
EDTODAYIN REFUSE TO BE UN ITiilLOF
TOFF
FEET BY FIERY
SPEECH TODAY
Republican Leader Takes
Stand By Democratic Lead
er For The President.
BILL AS REPORTED
' CERTAIN TO PASS
President Stands Pat For Pas-
sage of Senate Measure
Mann and Kitchin
Arouse Enthusiasm
(By Associated Press )
Washington, March 1. Spurred by
the developments of the International
situation the House today took up the
marine menace under agreement
to
ivote alter tnree hours aeoate.
.The statement was made officially;
mai me vviiue nouse siaiua ueiiiim-i
last and all 'the time," does not 'ap-
Ger-jprove the House bill in its entiretly
At the outset of the House debate
.Chairman Flood aroused intense en-
thusiasm on both sides. Every ref-
I'oronpo tn Amsripa's vvillinp'iipss in nrn-
itect the rights of citizens wherever
they had a right to travel, was met
I 6Qf applause.' He cited
;that authority for the President to act
SUggested in the bill had been
granieu to uiiier eiauuvts iu
1798, 1805, 1815, 1839, and 1856, and
"incidentally attacked the pacifisits
protesting against the bill.
"In 1798," he continued, "many peo
ple 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 power, our commerce was protect
ed, our honor vindicated and war was
'averted."
Even greater applause greeted Re
publican,, Leader Mann's stirring
speech' in' favor of the bill, his remarks
being interrupted by patriotic out
bursts. "It is well known," Mr. Mann said,
"that I have" done and will do every
thing in my power to keep this coun
try out of the European war and the
. ...... ...
asks ana wnicn is proviuea ior m uie
pending bill.
'of our patience bearing for insults or
destruction that may be heaped upon
. J it Vismnmaa fha rllltir rF
ia r"D " r "
"Sh" r
lts riMs uPn ne. sea' . .
"I hope and believe that by giving
this power to the President we shall
be more apparent to keep out than to
get into war."
I Representative Ki.tchin, 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 tne gravest
crisis. It faces the supremest respon
sibility to itself and to the world
' "Already the European atmospl
threatens the faith of mankind
Christianity, in civilization.
"The widening of that catastrophe
by a great and powerful nation like
mnU aoam to nha.11p.nee the right
ours wuma eeui lu i,uomdu6
of Christianity to exist., il m"
test the potency of civilization it-
self." A v ,:
NO VOTE ON COURT
HOUSE REMOVAL
Senator Cranmer Has The Bill
Tabled When It Reached
The Upper House.
GRANT INTRODUCES
TWO NEW BILLS.
New Hanover's Bill For Rural
Policemen Is Passed
Prison Reform Bill
Up Again.
(Special to The Dispatch.)
Raleigh, N. C, March L Parson
Hewett, of Brunswick, won his fight
to submit the Brunswick court house
question, to referendum today, but im
mediately lost it when Senator Cran
mer tabled it.- The table was the
game today. The minority opposing
the submission of the court house to
popular vote lost its report when Par
son Hewett tabled its" recommenda-
Hon. iVCKaCkin, . 01 UOlUmDUS, ap-
iTemi
ocracv urainst this ReDublican
IN BRUNSWICK
srhpinp finallv nt th renort on the
table, but he lost.
The bill then wentto the Senate,
and Senator Cranmer killed it by Hew
ett tactics.
Grant introduced new bills today re
lating to oil inspection, and prohibit
ing the sale of quail in New Hanover,
and Forsyth. His bill, providing ru
ral policemen, passed.
By amending the prison reform bill
presented by Senator Turner, the Sen-
late today threw such safeguard about
it as to make the whip the last resort
for incorrigibles. Senator Turner
would have abolished it and Wednes
day twenty-six against twenty-one sup
ported him.
Today Senator Burgwyn, of North
ampton, offered an amendment, pro
viding corporal punishment shall be
inflicted not earlier than twenty-four
hours after the offense, shall be done
in the presence of the chaplain and
the physician in charge of camps, and
they shall be sole judge as to the
amount and the character of such pun
ishment, "whether by whipping or oth
erwise." The vote was twenty-seven
to nineteen.
There was an amendment by Jones
to exempt Buncombe county from the
operation of section one of the bill,
which provides for the sending of all
county convicts sentenced to two years
or more at hard labor. Long, of Ala
mance, and Justice, also, sought to
amend the bill, asking that the pro-j
visidn as to pay be stricken out so as
to provide for the operation of the
Sawyer house bill providing for the
payment to dependent families of the
prisoners oi not less man ten nor more i
than fifty per cent of the convict's net!
earnings. This was also lost and the
bill passed third reading and was sent
to the House.
The Senate passed the machinery
act in a short time this morning. The
most important change in the 1915 act
is a re-assessment by the" Corporation
Commission of land values in the flood
districts. An amendment offered by
Pollock to exempt all property of
churches from taxation was voted
down.
. The Sene Wednesday.
The Senate was convened at 11
o'clock by President Gardner. New
bills were introduced as follows:
Oates Amend the act dividing the
State into judicial districts. 1 .
Harrill Extend corporate limits of
(Continued from Page Seven)
(qo?BJsia am or iBpads)
(Continued from Page Seven)
-X- -X- "X- w X-1
-X- -X- -X- -X- -X- -X- ft
X-
GRMAN CONSUL MAKES
x-
DENIAL.
(By Associated Press.) -X-Mexico
City, March 1. H. von X-
X- Eckhardt, German minister to
X- Mexico declared today that he -X-X-
knew nothing about the instruc- -X-X-
tions alleged to have been sent -X-X-
to him by Foreign Secretary -X-X-
Zimmermann regarding a Ger- -x--X-
man-Mexican alliance in the -X-
event of war between Germany -X-
and ihe United States.
-J5- :. .. -x- -x-
ALLY DFlSPNY TROOPS IN WEST
Japanese Ambassador Gives'
uut statement, Ueclaring
For The Entente.
FRIENDLY TOWARDS
THE UNITED STATES
This Statement Causes Con
gressmen to Rally to Sup
port of President Wilson.
Filibuster Dying.
(By Associated Press.)
Washington, March 1. The Japa
nese embassy made the following com
ment today: .
With regard to , the alleged German
attempt to induce; Japan and Mexico
to make war upon the United States
made public in tke press this morning,
the Japanese embassy, while lacking
information as to whether such invi
tation ever reached ?Tokio, desires to
state most emphatically that any invi
tation of this .sort would under no
'circumstances be entertained by the
Japanese government, which is in en
tire accord and close relations with
the other powers, on account of form
al agreements and our common cause,
ana, moreover, our good friendship
with the United Siates which is every
day growing in sincerity and cordial
ity." x 1:1'
The effect on the-situation on Con
gress was almost inatantaneuos. Re-
PuDIlcan Senators ym. :Iia been, -fill
bustering agaiiist' tftetproposal to em
power tiie;PrejSiaeEfo aiW:sMfrV and
"use other 'mstnimentalities" to deal
with Germany,began 'abandoning their
opposition and assured Democratic
leaders the3r would stand behind the
President.
In the House a special, rule wasjation that the fall of Bapaume is im
adopted for immediate consideration
of the Flood bill to cloth the Presi
dent with authority and to authorize
a bond issue of $100,000,000.
-v. .v. -v. .V.
.V. -V. jr.
MEXICO NEUTRAU
-X- (By Associated Press.) -X-
-X- Mexico Cit, March 1. Most of -X--X-
the Mexican officials here declin- -X--X-
ed today to discuss the effort of -X--X-
Germany to involve Mexico in a -X-X-
war with the United : States' ex- -X-X-
cept to say that they,( thought vf
-X- such efforts were vain and that
X- Mexico would be neutral. -X-
x- -x- -x- -x-
, ' r f w
Vf V- A- -A" V" It t
BOTH JAPAN
EXONERA
(By Associated Press.)
Washington, March 1. Secretary Lansing today author
ized this statement:
"We do not believe that Japan has had any knowledge ot
this or that she would consider
enemy."
As to Mexico, the Secretary
"We have confidence that
, .. r
any such agreement m view ot
between this government and
Mexico."
Secretary Lansing took great care to exonerate both Japan
and Mexico and said this government had no knowledge that
the proposal had been conveyed through Mexico to Japan.
In view of the fact that the plan was not to be presented
until "it is certain that there will be an outbreak of war with
the United States," it was not certain, Secretary Lansing said,
"that the matter had been officially presented to General Car
ranza at all. -
It is known definitely, officially said, that Zimmermann's
instructions reached Count von Bernstorff here, that he for
warded them to Mexico City and that they reached the Ger
man minister there. At this point, the trail of official certainty
is lost to view.
Secretary Lansing flatly refused to give any indication of
how the information came into
government on the ground that
those concerned. For obvious
amplify, he refused to discuss the source in any way.
Ambassador Sato of Japan was informed of the possession
of the text of Germany's proposal by this government yester
day afternoon when he called at the State Department to see
Counsellor Pols.
Officials her(e expect Japan will welcome the opportunity to
reiterate her allegiance to the Entente alliance and that the oc
casion will be taken as a means of cementing relations be
tween the United States and Japan. -
Berlin Declares Rear Guard
Action Inflicted Losses to
The British.
ANOTHER AIR
RAID ON ENGLAND.
British Official Report Says
One Woman Killed Four
More Vessels Sunk by
Submarines.
Berlin today made its expected an-.
nouncement on the Somme front re-1
tirement, referring to the move as anj'Wrillt riUUofc vilVfctb
evacuation of a part of our advanced
j The move was made several days ago,
it is declared, and remained concealed'
from the British, upon whom consid
erable losses were inflicted by the Ger
man rear guards as they fell back, ac
cording to ofders. The defense, it is
stated, has been transferred to an
other 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 position, in
the latter case and to have establish
ed themselves in what Berlin alludes
to as a "riflemen's nest" of local im
portance only.
According to Paris dispatches, the
great retrograde movement of the
Germans on . the FrancoBelgian front
continues. Apparently even the strong
hold of Bapaume for Tnoirh- the main
objective of the British operations on
the Somme front is to be abandoned,
if indeed, it has not already been
evacuated.
Paris military circles report inform-
minent, the Germans having already
fallen back behind the town. Des
patches from the front by way of Lon
don lent color to the reports. The
Germans appear to have been , prepar
ing for evacuation and were said to
have blown up the famous clock tow
er there.
The new German line, according to
French information runs behind Ba
paume and thence southward along
the Bapaume-Peronne . road. This
would approximate 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
(Continued on Page Eight.)
AND MEXICO
TED BY GOVT.
any proposition made by an
said:
Mexico would not be a party to
i r n
the tnendly relations existing
the defacto government, of
possession of the United States
it would endanger the lives of
reason, which he could not
NQWlADE KNOWN
B Y UNITED STATES
SENATE TACKLED
President Called Upon For
More Particulars as to The
Disclosures.
Q JQ THE NEWS
Senator Lodge Introduces Res-
olution, Which Foreign
Relations Committee
Considers at Once.
X- -JC- -X 4fr -X- -X- -X- -5fr -K- -X-
-X- X-
X- FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITS
X- TEE AT WORK.
X- (By Associated Press.)
X- Washington, March 1: ;17ull -X-'
X- official confirmation of Ger- -X--X-
many"s intrigue to ally Mexico
and Japan with her to make war -X-
on the United States, as reveal- -X-X-
ed last night by the Associated -X-
Press was given today at the -X--X-
White Hoiise, the State De-
Partment and ' in tbe Senate.
- :n the floor of the Senate, it
x- was announced that Democratic
Senators had beep authorized
to state that the revelations, in- -X-X-
eluding the text of the instruc- -X-x-
tions from German Foreign , -X--X-
Minister Zimmermann to Ger- -X-
X- man Minister von Eckhardt
at -X-
X -
-X- Mexico City were correct.
X- Chairman Stone's request to - x -
have the' Lodge resolution refer-
-X- red to the Foreign . Relations - X -
-X- committee without any instruc- -X-
-X- tions as to when it should report -X-X-
was adopted by the Senate by -X--X-
unanimous consent.
X- Chairman Stone called a meet-
X- ing of the committee for 12:30 -X-X-
o'clock today to consider the -X-
Lodge resolution. -X-X-
The Senate Foreign Relations -X--X-
committee this afternoon order- -X-
ed a favorable report on the
X- Lodge resolution, after changing -X-
nnlv a few words. -X-
X- The committee amended the -X-X-
resolution by striking out the
X- provision asking the President -X-X-
for information as to when the -X-X-
"Zimmerman" letter came into
possession of the United States:
.
-x-
Washington, March 1. The commu
nication of Germany to Mexico and
Japan proposing an alliance against
the United States published today,
was brought up in the Senate when it
convened by Senator Lodge who intro
duced a resolution proposing that the
President inform the Senate if the note
signed "Zimmerman" is authentic.
Senator Swanson, of Virginia, said
he was authorized to state that it is
"substantially correct.
Senator Swanson informed Senator
LATESTTHBILL
WITH A WILL
Lodge that the Democratic Senators 'ment.
had been authorized by the President You are instructed to lnform th
to state that the account of the Zim- President of MexiCQ of the aboye ,
merman note as revealed by the As- the greatest confidence as soon as it
sociated Press was substantially cor- fg certain that there wm fee an
re T ii w,-,i break of war with the United States
Senator La toilette of Wisconsin and Presidfent of Mex-
said he would not object to passage of on R. initiative, should com-
the Lodge resoluUon provided it was, munlcate suggesting ad-
amended to ask the President to state & p plan : at the
when the Zimmerman note had got
ten into possession of the United i
States Government.
Full official confirmation of Ger
many's proposal to Mexico of an alli
ance with Mexico and Japan to at
tack the United States was given to
day both at the White House and the
State Department.
Chairman Stone, of the Foreign Re
lations committee, was not in the Sen
ate chamber and Senator Hardwick
Riierepst.eri that a matter of such crave!'
importance should not be passed until j
members of that committee were pres-;
ent,
Senator Lodge addedto. his resolu-
tion a clause requesting that the Sen-
ate be supplied with all other infor-
mation reeardine this matter if not
incompatible with the public interest,
Senator Lodge declared that when
a great news gatnering association i" umveu ouucn axuuug uw c
like the Associated Press put forward j emies and making provision to .meet
seriously and solemnly what purports .
to be a dispatch from the Secretary
for Foreign Affairs of Germany invit-
ing Mexico and Japan to unite to make
war on the United States, it was time j the hands of the United otates govern
the Congress and tne people should ment while German statesmen have
be informed ot the matter." jbeen pleading that President Wilson's
While Senator' Swanson was assur- action in breaking off diplomaticrrela
ing Mr. Lodge that he was authorized tions Was "brusque" and harsh, an
(Continued on Page Eight.)
Would Have Inveigled Both
Japan and Mexico Into War
Upon America.
INVITED ALLIANCE
! WITH THESE COUNTRIES
Intigue Bared by Government
Secret Service Agents and
Backed by Documentary
Evidence Causes Sensa-
tion.
(By Associated Press )
Washington, March 1. Revelation of
how Germany, expecting war with the
United States as the. result of her sub
marine campaign of ruthlessness, plot
ted 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 of whom;
have been hesitating before President
Wilson's request for full authority to
deal with Germany in the present sit
uation, went to the capitol today read-
ing documentary evidence of the in
trigue which proposed to "separate Ja
pan from her allies, and add the Unit
ed States to the list of nations which
m. I Germany's hopes to see conquered in
her dream of world domination.
How Germany, confident that unre
stricted submarine warfare is the in
strument by which she will bring
England to her knees, proposed a tri
ple blow, is revealed In a set of instruc
tions from German Foreign Minister
Zimmerman, to German Minister von
Eckhardt in Mexico City, which was
transmitted througb Count von Bern
storff, late German ambassador here.
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 engage the
'attention of the United States by an iw
iVasion. in which Japan was to be in-
jvited to join and for which Mexico
, should be rewarded by re-conquering
;,'her "lost provinces" Texas. New Mex-
ico 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 t
the United States that she had no in
tentions of resuming her sea campaign
of ruthlesness was making the final
arrangements for its execution two
weeks before it was announced and
had even gone so far in consideration
of the consequences that she proposed
to meet them by the attack with Mex
ico and Japan upon the United States.
The text of this document is as fol
lows. "Berlin, Feb. 19, 1917.
"On the first of February we intend
to begin submarine warfare unrestrict
ed. In spite of this it is our Inten
tion to endeavor to keep neutral the
United States of America.
"If this attempt is not successful we
propose an alliance on the following
basis with Mexico: That we shall
make war together and together make
peace. We shall give general financial
support arid it is understood that Mex
ico is to reconquer the lost territory
in New Mexico. Texas and Arizona.
.The details are left to you for settle
same time offer to mediate between
Germany and Japan.
"Please call to the attention of the
President of Mexico that the employ
ment of ruthless submarine warfare
now promises to compel England to
make- peace in a few months.
"ZIMMERMAN."
To American officials the ' startling
disclosure throws new light ; on Ger
many's real attitude toward the Unit
ed States. It shows that while the
administration has been going to ut-
most lengms to avoid an arraea ciasn
with Germany, even to the extent of
repeatedly enduring flagrant violations
of American rights on the seas, and
breaches of neutrality on' American
soil, .Germany with the diplomacy so
suddenly revealed by the outbreak of
the European war, has been number-
sucn a situation.
The documentary proof of Ger
many's plot to unite Japan and Mexico
against the United States has been lir
(Continued on Page . Three.)
i
. 1
'Ah
f.,5
t
i
.'I
i