The border vidette., 1917-03-03
NO PARTY LINES.
Republicans and Democrats Hasten 10
 Support President.

the United States, and then convinced by official evidence of it's authenticity, congress today abandoned the delays and ob struetions which have checked President Wilson's efforts to be clothed with express authority to deal with the submarine men ace.
 The house after ten hour debate and by an overwhelming majority passed a bill to empow CT the president to arm merchant ships and providing for a hun dred million dollar bond issue. The bill, however, does not con- tain the grant of authority to use "Other inStrumentalities" which the president specifically desires and would prevent government war insurance for munition ships, a prohibition which the president does not approved.
 When the house bill is receiv- ed in the senate tomorrow, the senate bill, which the admins tration fully. comments, will be substituted, and that is eX- pected finally to be accepted by both houses as the law.
 Official announcement was that the administration stands behind the senate bill first. last and all the time" With it's provision for 'other instrument alitieS."
 In the senate an attempt to ask the president to disclose the governments source of informa- tion of the attempted intrigues with Mexico and Japan, on the supposition that it came from one of Germauy's enemies, was defeated after a sharp and sen sational debate. Instead, the senate merely asked for official notice of the authenticity of the despatch of instructions from German Foreign Minister Zim- mefman to German Minister von Eckhardt in Mexico City. The president transmitted it imme- diately with the statement that it would not be compatible with the public interests to reveal further details concerning it.
 Members of both houses of congress, some skeptical of the authenticity of the astounding revelations of Germany's in trigue, others feeling that it had been permitted to become public for it's effect in congress and throughout the country met the situation with mixed emotions, which with few possible eX- captions as the days develop ments were unfolded, solidified into a decision to stand behind the president.
 Congressmen classed with the so called pacifist group in the house who have been opposing a grant of authority to the pre- sident on the ground that 1t would be step toward war, an nounced that they would vote for the armed neutrality bill in the belief that to arm the pre- sident with power to protect rights might be the way to avoid war.
 Republican senators who have been filibustering against the armed neutrality bill, not be- cause they were opposed to it, but to force an extra session of congress, declared their convic- tion that the situation demanded the united support of the pre- sident.
 A congress badly divided, and, in it's dying moments, with it's legislative programs at sizes and sevens and charges of playing politics" flying from every side, took on a new aspect.
 It was as if the cry America first' had rung through the halls of both houses and the response had been almost instantaneous
 All proposed amendments to the measure except those added in committee were rejected by the house under an avalanche of votes. Never since questions out of the European war began to agitate the house al most three years ago has there been such a display of patriotic non. partisanship as was witness ed today in the chambers. De- mocrats and Republicans, even most of the members who here tofore have aligned themselves