The Ordway new era., 1917-03-09

Western Newspaper Union Nows s"iNIo''
Washington, March 5.-President
Wilson sunday night issued the toi'
lowing statement, addressed ITO the
Nation:
The termination of the last session OF
the sixty fourth Congress by constltu-
tlonal Limitation discluscs situ"toh
uuparaIlclcd in the history OF the coun-
try, perhaps unparalleled IN the h's
tory of any modern government ~
the immediate presence OF ctiss
fraught with more subtle ana ihF-
reaching possibilities Of national uan
ger than any other EoNcThWeH' "a.
known within the whole history OF its
international relations the congress
has been unable to act either to sate-
guard the country or TO NihuICh'e '''
elementary rights OF Its citizens
More than five hundred OF the tiSe
hundred and thlrty-onc members OF the
two houses were ready and ANXIOUS u
act; the House OF Representative hau
acted by an overwhelming mAJoritS'
but the Senate was unable to act bSd O1I
cause n little group of senators hau
determined that it should not.
The Senate has no rules by which de-
bate can be limited or brought to an
end: no rules by which dilatory tactics
Of any. kind can be prevented. A single
member can stand in the way Of ac-
tlon II he have but the physical en-
durancc The result. In this case, Is
complete paralysis alike of the leElsld-
tive and Of the executive branches OF
the government.
This Inability of the Senate to act
has rendered some OF the most neces-
sary legislation Of the session impoSsi-
BILE at n time when the need Tor 1t was
the most pressing and most evident.
The bill which would have permitted
such combinations of Capitai and OF
organization in the export and import
trade of the country as tn" Ctrcum-
. Ion NTafatt n
have made impcrutive-a bill which
the business judgment of the whole
country approved and dcmhndcd-has
failed.
The opposition Of one or two sena-
tors has made IL impossible to Increase
the membership Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission or to give 1t the al
tered organization necessary for Its et-
fiCieGcy.
The conservation bill. which should
have released for immediate use the
mineral resources which are still
locked up In the public lands. now that
their release is more imperRtively nee
essary than ever, and the Bill which
would have made the unused water
power of the country Immediately
available for industry. have both
failed, though they have been under
consideration throughout the sessions
of two Congresses and have been
twice passed by the House Of Repre-
sentatives.
The appropriations ior the army
have failed. along with the appropria-
tions for the civil establishment OF the
| government, the appropriations for the
military academy at West Point and
the general deficiency bill.
| 1t has proved impossible to extend
| the powers of the shipping board to
meet the special needs of the new stu
alton into which our commerce has
been forced or to Increase the gold re-
serve of our national banking system
to meet the unusual circumstances OF
the existing financial situation.
It would not cure the difficulty TO
call the Sixty-fifth Congress in extra =
ordinary session. The paralysis OF the
Senate would remain. The purpose and
| the spirit of action are not lacking
| now. The Congress is more definitely
| united in thought and purpose at this
moment. venture to say. than 1t has
been within the memory of any man
now In its membership. There is not
| only the most united patriotic purpose
but the objects members have in view
| are perfectly clear and definite.
| But the Senate cannot act unless its
| leaders can obtain unanimous consent
! Its majority Is powcrless, helpless. In
| the midst os a crisis. of extraordinary
peril when only definite and decided
| action can make the nation safe or
! shield II from war itself by the ag-
gression of others, action Is impos-
sible
Although as n matter of fact the
nation and the representatives, OF the
with unprecedented unanlmity of spir-
| 1t, the impression made abroad will OF
course, be that 1t Is not so, and that
other governments may act as they
please without fear that this govern
ment can do anything at all. We can
not explain. The explanation Is incred-
ible.
The Senate of the United States is
the, only legislative body in the world
which cannot act when its majority Is
ready for action.
a little group of wilful men repre-
| senting no opinion but their own have
rendered the great government of the
United States helpless and contempt
ible.
The remedy? There is but one rem.
edy. The remedy Is that the rules of
the Senate shall be so altered that II
| can act. The country can be relied
upon to draw the moral. / believe tina,
the Senate can be relied upon to sup.
ply the means of action and save the
country from disaster.
WOODROW WILSON.