Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-03-08


tonight informed the country. in a state
ment, that he may be without power to
arm merchant ships and take steps to
meet the German submarine menace, in
the absence Of authority from Congress.
| An extra session of Congress. the Prcsi-
dent says. is required to clothe him with
authority. but it is useless to call one
while the Senate works under the present
rules which permit small minority to
keep an overwhelming majority from act
ing.
/ The President proposes, therefore, that
the special session of the Senate which he
has called TO meet tomorrow. revive the
rules ITO supply the means of action and
save the country from disaster"
LITTLE GROUP OF WILFUL MEN.
"A little group of wilful men," saws
the President in his statement, repre-
senting no opinion but their own, have
rendered the great government of the
United States helpless and contemplate. %
The Presidents statement in full fol-
lows:
The termination of the last session of
the 64th Congress by constitutional limita-
ton discloses situation unparalleled in
the history of the country. perhaps un-
paralleled in the history of any modern
government. In the immediate presence
of crisis fraught with more subtle and
lfar-reaching possibilities Of national dam
ger than any other the government has
known within the whole history Of it's in
ternational relations. the Congress has
been unable to act either to safeguard the
country or to vindicate the elementary
rights Of its citizens. More than 500 of
the 531 members of the two Houses were
ready and anxious to act: the House of
Representatives had acted. by an over
whelming majority; but the Senate was
unable to act because a little group Of
! II senators had 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. single member
can stand in the way of action If he
have but the physical endurance. The re-
suit in this case is complete paralysis
/ alike of the legislative and of the ex-
ecutive branches of the government.
LEGISLATION HELD UP.
This inability of the Senate to act
has rendered some of the most necessary
legislation of the session impossible, at a
time when the need for it was most press
ing and must evident. The bill which
would have permitted such combinations
of capital and of organization in the OK
port and import trade of the country as
the circumstances of international COM
petition have made imperative-a bill
which the business judgment of the whole
country approved and demanded-has
failed.
THE opposition of one or two senators
has made 1t impossible to increase the
membership of the interstate commerce
commission or to give 1t the altered or
,iwnk t,vS IN
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 IL
more imperatively necessary than ever.
and the bill which would have made the
unused water power of the country i'm
mediately 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 Representatives.
ARMY APPROPRIATIONS FAIL.
THE appropriations for the army
have failed, along with the appropria-
tons 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 pow
ers Of the shipping board to meet the
special needs of the new situation into
which our commerce has been forced
or to increase the gold reserve OF our