The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-05
WILSON SCORES
SENATE RULES
FOR PARALYSIS
Rxtra Session Is Reanired to Clothe Him with Au.
theEity but Il Wauh Re Useless Under Present
Btfnation-Aslks That Senate Change Rules
in Special Meeting Today
4GONGRESs UNABLE no SAFEGUARD COIkNTnvr

41O GRESS UNABLE 10
Washington, March 4.---President
Wilson t0night Informed the country
In Il statement that he may be without
power to arm merchant ships and take
other steps to meet the German sub
marine menace in the absence of au-
thority from congress.
An extra session Of congress- the
president says, is required to clothe
him with authority. but it is useless to
call one while the senate works under
the present rules, which permit a
minority to keep an Overwhelming ma :
jority from acting.
The president proposes therefore
that the special session of the senate
which he has called to meet tomorrow
revise the rules ito supply the means
of action and save the country from
disaster
"A little group of wilful men," says
the president in his statement. "rcp-
II.
have rendered the great government of
the United States helpless and con-
temptible"
Presidents Statement.
The presidents statement follows:
The termination Of the last session
OF the SiNty-fourth congress by con-
| stitutional limitation discloses q. situ-
alton unparalleled in the history of the
| country. perhaps unparalleled IN the
history of any modern government In
the immediate presence of a crisis
fraught with more subtle and far
| reaching possibilities or national dan
ger than any other government has
known within the whole history of it's
international relations the congress
| has been unable TO act either to safe
guard the country or to vindicatc the
| elementary rights OF It's citizens
More than 500 of the sal members of
| the two houses were ready and anxi-
| ous to act: the house of represent
| ativcs had acted. by an Overwhelming
majority. but the senate was unable ia
| act because II senators had deter
| mined that 1t should not.
| Debate Unlimited.
| "Thc senate has no rules by which
debate can be limited or brought to an
end: no rules by which dilatory tac-
tics OF any kind can be prevented. A
single member can stand In the way OF
| action If he has the physical cndur-
ancc. The result in this case is n
| complete paralysis alike of the legis-
lative and the executive branches OF
1 the government.
This inability OF the senate to act
4 has rendered some of the most neces
snry legislation of the session impos-
siblc, at a time when the need for i,
| WAS most pressing and most evident
| The bill which would have permitted
such combinations Of capital and OF
organization In the export and import
trade OF the country as the circ,,m-
stances of international competition
have made imperative--a bill which
the business judgment OF the whole
country approved and demanded---has
failed
Important Bills Fail.
| The opposition Of one or two sena :
tors has made 1t impossible to incre:,s sc
the membership of the interstate COM
merce commission or to give it the
altered organization necessary for its
efficiency. The conservation bill
which should have released for imme-
diate use the mineral resources which
are still locked up in the public lands
now that their release Is more impera :
lively necessary than ever, and the
| bill which would have made the ln-
used water power of the country i'm
mediately available for industry have
both failed, though they have been
under consideration throughout the
sessions Of two congresses and have
been twice passed by the house OF
representatives.
| THE appropriations for the army
have failed, along with the appropria
tions for the civil establishment of tn,
government, the appropriations for thu
military academy at West Point ant
the general deficiency bill. 1t ha.
proved impossible to extend the power.
of the shipping board to meet tn,
special needs Of the new situation int,
which our commerce has been force,
or to increase the gold reserve of on
national banking system To meet. til,
unusual circumstances Of the cXistin,
financial situation.
Extra sSession Powerless.
1T would not cure the difficulty t
call the Sixty.fifth congress in OK
traordinary session. The paralysis o
the senate would remain. Tho purpos
and spirit OF action are not laclsinl
now. Tho congress 10 more defIniSel,
united In thought and purpose at thl