The Washington herald., 1917-03-05
WILSON FIGHTS
FOR WAR POWER
IN new SESSION
Administration Is Ready to
Force Cloture Rule Upon
Sixty-6fth Congress,
TO KILL FILIBUSrERING
All Business Forced Aside to
Permit Action on Lin:
tied Debate.
FINISH OF THE SENATE BITTER
Will of Adjourned Body Thwarted by
Small Handful of Presidents
Opponents.
TO KILL FILIBUSTERING
FINISH OF THE SENATE BITTER

Thwarted in his efforts to secure from
the expiring ,sixty-fourth Congress au-
thorization to protect American lives and
American rights at sea, President Wilson
last night started q struggle to secure
the power he deems necessary from the
Sixty-ffth Congress.
A determined filibuster in the Senate
conducted by Senator La Toilette, of
Wisconsin, aided by ten other Senators,
blocked the bill designed to array Con-
gress behind the President in his plan to
place the United, States on a basis Of
armed neutrality. The Senate rules, per-
mitting unlimited debate made the de-
feat Of the measure possible, although
only eleven Senators were prepared to
vote against It. Last night the Presi-
dent declared war on the Senate rules,
and administration leaders planned an
immediate fight to force a cloture rule
through the Upper House.
Special Session To-day.
The Senate will meet in special session
at noon today. Tomorrow the battle to
make the Senate responsive to the will
Of the majority will begin. Administers
ton Senators declared that the fight
all possibility Of negligible minority de-
Tying an overwhelming majority and alb
solutely preventing all Senate action, has
been removed. II was made clear that
the adoption Of q cloture rule In the SEN
ate would clear the way for an extra
ordinary session Oh the Sixty-fifth Con-
gress and q certain Endorsement Of the
Presidents plan for arming American
ships and protecting American rights at
aAa a.. ~ q. r.. ~.
campaign Of ruthlessness. T..
Z After the President had issued q state
ment bitterly depioring the defeat of the
srmed neutrality bin, and denouncing the
means by which a handful Of wiifui men
rendered the government helpless and
contemplate, Senate leaders planned
their fight.
Busi1ess Forced Aside.
The special session of the Senate called
for today was originally called for the
Of nominations, treaties and
other purely Senate routine. Tomorrow,
all such business will be forced aside,
and SENATOR Owen, Of Oklahoma, for
years supporter of Senate cloture, will
begin fight to force through a rule,
which will limit Senate debate. The
President himself is not committed to
any particular form of cloture, but the
Owen plan would limit each Senator to
one hours discussion on any measure.
Fhis would place a maximum limit of
s6 hours on the discussion of any bill
a majority desired to bring to a vote.
Senator Owen declared last night that
he proposed to press his cloture proposal
to the exclusion Of all other Senate busi-
ness. and to prevent consideration of
all other measures until 1t has been
adopted. In his statement last night,
the President declared that an extra
session Of Congress to consider the arm
ed neutrality measure would be futile
so long as a small group Of Senators
could follow the same course that killed
the measure yesterday. A Senate clo-
ture rule. however, would make It pos
CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO.