Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-02-27
Bill introduced in House.

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WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 27.-
President Wilson has gone before Com-
gress for the second time in less than
a month over the German situation,
and the immediate response was the
introduction in the house of a bill ap-
proved in advance by the president,
empowering him to furnish guns and
gunners to American merchantmen;
to employ such other instrumental
ties and methods" as may become
necessary, and providing for $10e..
100000 bond issue to be used in his
discretion for war insurance to en-
courage American commerce to brave
the submarine peril.
The bill may be brought up in the
house today. with special rules for IFS
immediate consideration. A similar
bill will be considered today by the
senate foreign relations committee.
The text of the Flood bill follows:
BE 1t enacted by the senate and
house of representatives of the United
States of America, in congress assem-
bled. that the president of the United
States be and is hereby authorized and
empowered to supply merchant ships.
the property of citizens of the United
States and bearing American registry
with defensive arms, should it, in his
! judgment, become necessary for him to
do so, and also with the necessary am
munition and means of making use q
them in defense against unlawful 2
tack3 and that he be and is hereby Ca
thorized and empowered to emEAOy
such other instrumentalities and meth
ods as may in his judgment and dis
cretion seem necessary and adequate
to protect such ships and the citizens
OF the United States in their lawful
and peaceful pursuits on the high
seas.
Section 2. The sum of one hum
dred million dollars is hereby appTd-
priated out of any moneys in the treas
ury not otherwise appropriated to be
expended by the president of the Unit
ed States for the purposes herein
until the 1st day of January. l91Ss
and the president is authorized to
transfer as much thereof as he may
deem necessary to the bureau of war
risk insurance created by act Of con-
gress, approved September 2. 1914. for
the purpose of insuring vessels, their
freight, passage moneys and cargOes
against loss or damage by the present
risk of war
Section g. For the purpose OF
meeting the expenditures herein aU-
thorized, the secretary of the treas
ury, under the direction of the presi-
dent, is hereby authorized to borrow
on the credit of the United States. and
10 issue therefor bonds of the United
States. not exceeding in the aggre-
gate $l00000,000, said bonds to be in
such form and conditions as the secre-
tary of the treasury may prescribe ana
to bear interest at the rate of not ex-
ceeding per centum per annum; pro-
vided that such bonds shall be sold at
not less than par, shall not carry the
circulating privilege, and that all
citizens of the United States shall be
given an equal opportunity to sub
scribe therefor. but no commission
shall be allowed or paid thereon; tha1
both principal and interest shall be
payable in United States gold coin OF
the present standard of value, and b.
exempt from all taxation in any form
OF all state. municipal or local author
tiles; that any bonds issued hereunder
may. under such conditions as the sec
retary of the treasury may prescribe.
! be convertible into bonds bearing 3
higher rate of interest than three per
eentum per annum, if any bonds shall
be issued by the United States at a
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