New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-27
Asks at the Same Time for a
Grant of Unlimited
Power .af
Would Arm American
Ships If Necessary
Thinks the Country May
Have Recourse to An
"Armed Neutrality"
By STEVENSON II. EVANS

Washington, Feb. 90 When
President Wilson at last appeared
before Congress at o'clock this af-
ternoon he asked to be invested with
a power which he admitted he al
ready possessed and hoped not to be
obliged to use, namely, the power to
arm American merchantmen if nee
essary.
He asked also to be invested with
unlimited or blanket" authority to
use call instrumentalities" of the
United States in his own discretion
to meet any emergency that might
arise while Congress is not in ses-
sion.
Beyond this, Mr.. Wilson's only
definite idea was that the United
States should, if forced to it, adopt
a policy Of EARNED neutrality"
BERLIN INFORMED OF SPEECH
ARMED neutrality" does not look
to war; whether it shall become war
depends upon those who infringe
upon the rights it seeks to protect.
There is ample historical precedent
for it.
Although the President, when he
severed diplomatic relations with
Germany, invited other neutrals to
follow his lead. he has not, so far as
is known, suggested that neutrals
ioin in the armed neutrality ne pro-
poses. All foreign governments,
however, have been officially advised
Of his address to Congress to-day
and official copies have been delivered
to. their diplomats here. By wireless,
the text was sent TO Berlin.
Never has a speech of Woodrow
Wilson TO Congress been received
with so little warmth or expression
of feeling. Comparing its reception
to that which was accorded his
address of February 3, it is as If to-
days speech were water and the
other wine.
ADDRESS LACKS POSITIyENESs
1t seemed as if the President in
tended it to be so. There was an
absence of positive assertion, there
was no definite promise of anything,
there was nothing by which it might
be hopefully concluded that the gov
ernment of the United States was
about to cease drifting. There was
not a trumpet call in the whole ad-
dress. Not even the galleries
thrilled.
At the very outset the President
sounded a note which did not please
his friends or his critics, the peace
at-any-price element or those who
are outspoken for the assertion OF
American rights. Our own COM
merce, ne said, is suffering in appre-
hension. not in fact, because $50
many of our ships are timidly keep
ing to their home ports" That the
American ship owners deserve the
charge of timidity is far from the
unanimous opinion.
SEEKs'TO BE RID OF CONGRESS
There quickly followed the asser-
ton that it would require an unusual
length of time to assemble and orr
ganize the next Congress. From
which the inference quickly was
taken that the President would pre-
fer to. have Congress away from
Washington after it had granted him
the authority he sought.
While the President was speaking
the news of the torpedoing and sink
ing of the passenger liner Laconia,
having Americans on board, was
spread through the Capitol. He de-
scribed the loss of the Housatonic
and the Lyman NJ. Law, and declared
! that the submarine menace might
presently accomplish in effect what
it was meant to accomplish-the ty-
ing up of our merchant feet. And
then he said no covert act" had oc-
Cured.
His statements that I'VE must de-
fend commerce and people," and
that there may be no recourse but
to armed neutrality" caused a mo-
mentary stiffening, but they were
followed by, mo course Of mine will
lead TO war"
SEE ATTEMPT TO DRUG PEOPLE
Some of the leading men in Con-
! eress looked upon the speech as an
A-..r,,an x<rnxxlA