The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-03-02

Washington, March ALI the pow.
er asked for by President Wilson in
dealing with the German situation
will be granted within 36 hours, ad-
ministration leaders said today.
The state department, 1t is report
ed, is in a position to reveal even
more startling disclosures than the
plot TO ally Mexico and Japan against
the United States, when the time
comes.
Millions of German money, it is
known to the government, have been
going into Mexico during the past
few months. Some of the funds were
in the shape of loans to the Carranza
government and a considerable por-
ton of the money was for the pur-
chase of smelters wherever they
could be bought.
Washington, March 2.-Aroused by
the disclosure of Germanys plot to
unite Japan and Mexico with her in
a war upon the United States and
then convinced by official evidence of
its authenticity, Congress yesterday
abandoned the delays and obstruc-
tions which have checked President
Wilson's efforts to be clothed with ex-
press authority to deal with the sub
marine menace. The House. after a
l0hour debate and by an overwhelm-
ing majority, passed a bill to empow-
er the president to arm merchant
ships and providing for a bond issue
of s100,000,000. The bill. however,
does not contain the grant Of authori-
ty to use other instrumentalities"
which the president specifically de-
sires and would prevent government
war insurance for munitions ships, d
prohibition which the president does
not approve.
When the House bill is received in
the Senate today. the Senate bill,
which the administration fully COM
mends, will be substituted, and that is
expected finally to be accepted by
both houses as the law. Official ad-
ministration stands behind the Senate
bill first, last and all the time," with
its provision for other instrumental
ties" In the Senate, an attempt to
ask the president to disclose the gov
ernments source of information of the
attempted intrigue with Mexico and
Japan, on the supposition that 1t
came from one of Germanys enemies,
was defeated after sharp and sensa-
tional debate. Instead, the Senate
merely asked for official notice of the
authenticity of the dispatch of in
structions from German Foreign Min
lister Zimmerman to German Minis
ter Won Eckhardt in Mexico City. The
president transmitted it Immediately
with the statement that it would not
be compatible with the public inter
ests to reveal further details concern
ing it.
Some senators showed that they
think the message was intercepted by
one of the belligerents, but David
Laurence. correspondent of the New
York Evening Post, declares that it
was done by agents OF the American
secret service.
The president informed the Senate
that he received the Zimmerman
note during the present week." thus
disposing of the earlier report that he
knew of it month or more ago.
In the Senate. members who have
opposed the president in his manner
of dealing with Germany on the
ground that it was leading to war,
were found fighting influences which
the presidents supporters declared
were calculated to embarrass him.
There were bitter references in de-
bate to senators to whom the presi-
dent would be expected to look for
advice on foreign affairs. Chairman
Stone of the foreign relations COM
mittee, was voted down in his own
committee on his own draft of reso-
luton asking the president to disclose
il the American governments infor-
nation concerning the latest phase Of
German intrigue came from one of
Germany's enemies.
With the authenticity of the now
celebrated Zimmerman instructions
officially established to the Senate,
and the armed neutrality bill passed,
the House today is expected to ad
xrns, nst H., % rtn