Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-03-08

Washington. March After an alI- day struggle the house of representa- tives tonight answered the demand of President Wilson for show down On congressional sentiment for warn- ing American off bellegerent ships. By at vote of 276 to .142, the house voted to table the resolution of Repre-. sentative John McLemore of Texas, about which the struggle between the pre- sident and congress had centered for week. NO direct vote was taken on the resolut on. The administra- tion forces through day of btter legislative struggle and debate held their line together and on three votes put through their pre-arranged pro- grlm None of the votes was along party lines.
 After the stress and struggle of the day were over and the last vote had been counted the situation fin the tih- precedented strain between the presi- dent and a part of congress looked like th's:
 The presidents supporters declared he had won victory; that the house had voted to support, him in his de- IJduN JAuL kAHCA AN0AA6 US 0AAOV OSA " ride unmolested on armed merchant ships of belligerent nations, and that the house had shown that the country was behind the president.
 The supporters of the proposal to keep Americans off armed shs ps de- claired that the administration sup porters had evaded the issue; that the vote in the house was in no way settlement of the question, and that the attitude of congress was still i'll doubt because the merits of the pro- posal had not been voted upon direct ly.
 Debate Without Bitterness.
 In a debate which for bitterness fell somewhat short of what had been expected, the house threshed over the international situation for more than seven hours. Impassioned speeches on both sides of the question aroused the house at times and now and then the applause swept the ctowded galleries. where throughout the session throng of excited spectators, most of them women, sat intent upon the proceed jngs.
 Speaker Clark had to use all the strength of his right arm and all the weight of his gavel to compel order. At times the feeling of members and spectators were too much for them and they cheered for minutes at a time.
 The scores of speakers who de liberately or bitterly, calmly or ex- citedly. discussed the issue centereo their arguments on few points.
 mt. <r NA thn xxyovs vs1OinQ declaration declared that the course being followed by the president was likely to lead the United states into the European war. They asserted that all of the intimations from the wnte house was that the president was de termined to maintain his present posi- ton toward Germany as to the right of neutrals to travel on armed merchantmen. And they declared that congress. holding the power to declare war, should place itself on record as against . war to protect such adventurers.
 The adm; ;nistration supporters ral- lied their followers with the cry, support the president against the world" They declared that interfer- ence by congress. with the constitu- tional powers of the president to con duct foreign affairs had tied the presi- dents hands n his negotiations win Germany, and "hamstrung his ac, tivities as the foreign representative oI the American people, and had gwen 2 pfalse impression to power with which negotiat' ons were in pro- gress. They urged that the pubic show that the natitr is not divided against itself and pleeded for 2 unltec tcontlnusd on ps1e 65