The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1917-03-16
Senator vardaman Wanted Vote
on the Armed Neutrality Bill.

Senator vardaman Wanted Vot
on the Armed Neutrality Bill.
In justice to Mr.. Vardaman
refuting the charges of his polit
ical enemies that he aided ant
abetted the filibuster proceedings
resulting in the defeat of the armet
neutrality resolution. The Weekly
repr0duces Senator Vardaman'
denial of that charge. This is
done. in order that all may pas.
just criticism of his conduct il
the light of his true attitude.
On March 9th, after the smoke
of battle waqed on the armed
neutrality resolution had cleared
away. Mr.. Vardaman delivered
the following speech in the Sen
ate chamber:
Mr.. Vardaman. Mr.. President, i
is not my habit to explain. l pre-
fer that my acts and words interpret
themselves, but l cannot remain si.
lent under Misrepresentation, how
ever great or insignificant my accu-
ser may be, especially when silence
would be taken as confession OF
guilt. / notice in the columns OF
the Washington Post of it's issue OF
March 5, 1917, that my name ap-
pears among the little group OF
willful men" who are charged with
the flagitious crime of preventing
the Presidents program from being
carried out by the Senate. And in
these unusual abnormal days when
the atmosphere is surcharged with
apprehension and timid hearts yield
in silent alteration to power, the Of
tense with which l am charged is
rather serious. / am at loss to
understand just why the distinction
of being one of the "willful men"
should be given me, because l am
not conscious of having done any
thing to merit it. If the patient
steady clock that hangs on the wall
above the head of the honorable and
dignified gentleman who presides
over this body were possessed Of the
senatorial tongue. and were not
afraid OF being charged with treason,
] am quite sure it would acquit me
0f having contributed in any way
to the defeat of the aforesaid presi-
Dental program. l think by the
watch consumed just Is minutes
of the precious senatorial time in
the discussion of the Presidents
program. Now. l am not in the
least displeased with the character
of men with whom my name is as
sociated in that little group" who
have been made target of the Pres
ident's animadversion-and l should
not be altogether candid if l with
held from the Senate the fact that !
am not in the least disappointed that
Senate bill No. 1922 was defeated.
/ was not for that measure then. l
am not for it today will not be
for it tomorrow-but, as / stated
few days ago in short address to
the Senate, If this bill should have
been amended by the adoption of
the House measure in its stead and
incorporated in the House bill the
amendment offered by the able and
patriotic Senator from Missouri (Mr.
Stone), / should not have in the
circumstances voted against it. But
I would not have voted for it. !
would have consented negatively to
the passage Of the bill out of defer
ence to the wisdom of the majority
of the colleagues in this chamber.
But will not delegate to the Pres
ident Of the United States or any
one else the power to execute a trust
committed by the people under the
constitution to the Congress. Espe-
cially when believe the delegation
Of such trust to the President, as
in this instance, would in all prob
ability bring on war. l have no
constitutional rightto delegate such
. power to the President, and from
my viewpoint to do so would be lit
tie short of q betrayal of a trust on
myapart. l think / know my duty
to my constituents, and l am going
to perform that duty regardless of
what any individual man may say
or others do l shall rely upon the
6reDf fpatriotism burning within my
own heart to light the pathway Of