Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-25
Speaker Clark, Representa-
tives Kitchin and Flood Con-
fer With Mr.. Wilson.
DESCRIBE SENTIMENT
ON FOREIGN SITUATION
Chief Executive, Determinedly, De-
clares He Will Not Surrender
to Congress His Right.

Speaker Clark, Majority Leader
Kitchin and Representative Flood,
chairman of the House commit
tee on foreign affairs, went to the
White House at 9 o'clock this
morning and were in conference
with the President until shortly
before 10 o'clock. With one &C
cord, they said the object of their
visit was to apprise the President
of the situation in the House re-
specting the latest turn in foreign
affairs. They did not go there to
raise an issue with the chief ex-
ecutive as to the rights of Con-
gress to step in at this critical
juncture, but to inform the Presi-
dent clearly of the sentiment of
that body.
The President, in carefully picked
words. spoken slowly and determinedly,
told his visitors that he will not sur
render to Congress his right to handle
foreign questions up to certain point,
and, further, that he will not surrender
the fundamental rights of the citizens
Of the country to go upon the high seas
without being butchered by submarines.
Say House Is With President.
While the House leaders were talk
ing with the President there were COM
ing into the White House letters from
representatives in the House begging
the President to feel confident and as
serting that the House was with him
in spite of the flare-up there: in spite
of the predictions that he would be
overridden in that body by a decided
grams from all parts Of the country
urging the President to stand firm and
not to yield from his position.
Additional gravity is lent the out
today, by the fact that the German
government may misunderstood the
democratic attitude in the House as a
genuine and permanent revolt against
the President and lead to stiffening
of the German position that would
surely lead to Enthusiastically serious, re-
suits between the two countries. Moth
ing that has happened will SO greatly
embarrass the Presidents efforts with
Germany. it was believed today, as the
democratic fare-up in the House; moth
ing will be SO pleasing to Austria and
Germany; nothing will promise SO much
to them.
President Advised to Force Vote.
There were strong intimations early to-
day that President Wilson may within
the next few DAVIS force a vote upon the
warning resolutions in both houses of
Congress, convinced. as he was, that
within a few days the opposition to his
attitude will have withered away to
practically nothing, and convinced also
that it will be important to Germany
and Austria to know that Congress
and the country are not hostile to the
President in this particular case.
The probability of this, however, be-
gan to be somewhat removed later.
when information was conveyed to the
White House that the proposed warn
ing resolutions are not intended to be
or break with Germany. So long as the
President is keeping the country out Of
war Congress will be satisfied, but if it
looks to be growing so serious as to
reach a break in diplomatic relations
and possible actual warfare Congress
will step in.
The President will not push the ques-
ton for a few days. If at all. but some
of his friends are already advising that
by the first of next week he will be
SO fully in command Of the field that he
can safely force a showdown as be-
tween himself and Congress.