Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-10
STONE, FILBUSTER,
DEFENDS HIS ACTS
Missouri Senator, Under
Fire From Angered Ma
tion, Issues Statement
FEARED HORROR OF WAR
Issue Also Was Surrender of
CONGRESSES Constitutional
y Rights in Crisis
fCopyri0ht by 81. Louis Repubio and Ercnirg
LrdnrrI

ST. LOUIS. March 10.
The ST. Louis Republic this morning
prints the following statement of Senator
William Joel Stone:
II took no part in any flibuster These
are the facts! On the morning OF the day
the President addressed the joint session
OF Congress. February 26 ! called to
the White House for consultation with the
President and was then informed of the
Presidents intention to address, the Con.
gress that afternoon and TO recommend the
passage of the statute which has been the
subject of this controversy.
According to our invariable custom the
president and | discussed the subject with
absolute frankness. I told him that, in my
opinion, u would be serious buuder 20
! take that step and gave him my reasons.
but evidently without convincing him. I
felt convinced that such law, II enacted
and enforced, would lead inevitably TO war,
land ] was opposed to plunging this country
into that horror of horrors without greater
provocation than we had so far experienced,
and In addition I was of the opinion that
such law would be in direct conflict with
the plain letter of the Constitution of the
United States. which Senators, as well as
She President are sworn zealously 20 sup
port and defend
FEARED OUTCOME
81 parted from the President weighted
with ominous apprehension. but without
him He came, as you know TO the cap
atol that afternoon and delivered his ad-
dress. ! was given suggestion for Il bill
drawn In the Executive Department in
tended to crystaize in statutory form what
the President had recommended in his ad-
dress.
within two hours after the President
had spoken I assembled the Committee on
Foreign Relations to consider the message
and the proposed bill When the committee
led Iaf haf a.,
suggestions to which | have referred
After some discussion II was unani-
mously decided by the committee that be-
3ore proceeding further the suggested bill
should be printed for the use of the COM
ifnittee. so that each member might have
a copy for his personal study. Moreover.
II was said that inasmuch as the same bill
had been sent to the House for the con-
sideration of the House committee and
iinasmuch as the bill carried an approprIa-
tton of 100000, 900 TO be expended at the
discretion of the President. and since IL
was known that the House had for years
insisted that appropriation bills. as well
as requisition bills should originate in that
body 1t was deemed best by the Commit
tee on Foreign Relations that the bill should
nrst be considered and acted upon in the
House in order to avoid friction between
the two houses
Accordingly, the committee. recessed un-
vi the following morning. | had the sug-
gested bill printed as speedily as possible
and caused IL 10 be distributed individually
10 the members of the committee within a
Few hours after this recess was taken.
AGAINST MUNITGON CARGOES
when the committee met the next morn
Ing the bill. then in print, was taken up
and considered Various amendments were
offered. Some of these amendments for
the most part of minor importance, were
agreed to- | offered an amendment provid-
Ing In substance and effect that no American
merchant ship armed or conveyed by the
United States should be permitted to trans
port munitions Of destined for de-
livery to the armed forces of a bellgerent
Government at war with another Govern
ynent with which the United States is at
peace.
THE United States was then. and still
is, at peace with all the Powers at war
even with Germany. Diplomatic relations
have been Severed with Germany, but the
yelatons of the two Governments are those
OF peace, not of war. Practically all men.
even the President, agree TO that.
THE transportation of war supplies to
the Entente Powers by or through the aid
of any governmental agency would be in
dsputably a most offensive. unnatural act
on our part and would in law be of itself
an act of war To transport such supplies
directly or indirectly. through any public
agency of the Government would be Of
fensive in the highest degree not only to
Germany but to all the other Central Pow
ers with whom our relation Of amity have
not been broken disturbed This would
be true because munitions so transported
and delivered TO the Allies would be used
in common against the armed forces of all
the opposing Powers 1t was to guard
against this situation that | proposed my
amendment
COMMITTEE DISAGREED
THE amendment was disagreed 10 by
majority vote in the committee. And there
after the committee directed that the bill
as hnally formulated should be introduced
Into the Senate the committee bill TO
be referred back TO the committee as a
matter of form, but with instructions to re-
port the bill Immediately 10 the Senate for
ecebn. stated to members of the COM
mittee that I could not support the bill in
the form agreed upon by the committee.
Nevertheless. as chairman OF the committee
i Immediately presented Il to the Senate for
reference and at the very earliest possible
moment. under the rules, had il read the
7 6rst and second times by title and had il
referred back to committee in accordance
with the rules OF the Senate. Immediately
\ under the authority and behalf of the
committee, reported the bill back to the
Senate for action
thereafter at the very earliest possible
moment. l had the bill laid before the SEN
7 ate and moved that the Senate proceed to
its consideration, which motion was agreed
20 on vote OF the Senate. That made the
bill the unfinished business of the Senate
and gave II precedence over all other busi-
ness.
" EXPLAINS WHY HE QUIT
= '.At this point stated TO the Senate that
candor compelled me to say what had said
IN the committee room, that ! could not
nupport the bill In its present form, and
fhat expected to propose material and
very important amendment TO IT. pro-
- =
!. stances felt that Il would be unjust to
1nyreif As well as TO those who favored
+ ~ bin as II was. for me to further manage
\ - on the floor. and that desired to turn
|1x6r The management OF the bill TO the next
n &nkinr member Of the committee. Mr..
IIkohcock who had stated that he would
ounor( 4 an u was. have heard no
(ltiem Of MI Hitchcock's efficiency. in
~ u,anaeeuent Of the measure and none
"a ~ r : made this statemenf and