The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-03-06
America VIII Stand "Firn7 in Armed
Neutrality" Says The President
OBSTRUCTIONISTS KILL
THE DEFENSE BILL
Eleven Senators Thwart the VIII Of
Executive, Congress and Nation
Censured by Wilson.

WASHINGTON-T little band Of
obstructionist senator's consisting of |
seven Republicans and Five Demo- |
Gratis succeeded in preventing action
Saturday night on the bill authoriz-
ing President Wilson to arm mer-
chant ships and use such other in
stl umentalities as might be necessary
to protect American shipping The
obstructionists planned to have Sena-
tor La Toilette talk the measure to
death by occupying all the time avail
able until the term of congress OK
pired In order to deprive the Wis
cOnsin man of the satisfaction ana
notoriety which he hoped to gain, the
friends of the bill arranged to have
Senator Hitchcock, father of the mea-
sure, sing the swan song for it.
Hitchcock took up all the time that
LaFOllette hoped to use in scoring
| the Wisconsin man and his associates.
Before adjournment seventy -siX
senators signed a statement placing
! the blame for the failure to act on the
Obstructing group. Senator Penrose
refused to sign this statement, though
he announced himself as favoring the
bill. Two senators were sick and un-
able to be present, and several were
absent from the city. Those who
were not present are said to have been
favorable to the legislation.
I Immediately after the adjournment
of congress President Wilson issued
a statement censuring the obstruc-
zionist tactics employed in this and
other matters. Relative to the de-
fense measures he said:
"The termination of the last ses-
sion of the Sixty-fourth congress by
constitutional limitation discloses
situation unparalleled in the history
of the country, perhaps unparalleled
in the history of any modern govern
ment. In the immediate presence OF
a crisis fraught with more subtle and
| far-reaching possibilities of national
danger than any other the govern
ment has known within the whole
history of it's international relations
the congress has been unable to act
either to safeguard the country OF
to vindicate the elementary rights o
it's citizens. More than five hundred
of the five hundred and thirty-on'
members of the two houses wer'
ready and anxious to act; the hous'
of representatives by an overwhelm
ing majority; but the senate was un
able to act because a little group D
eleven senators had determined tha
it should not.
'The senate has no rules by whicl
debate can be limited or brought t
an end, no rules by which dhator
tactics of any kind can be prevented
A single member can stand in tn
Z way of action if he have but III
physical endurance. The result il
, this case is a complete paralysis aliN
of the executive and of the legisla
tive branches of the government"
President Wilson speaks of onl
eleven as being Unidentified with tn
obstructionist tactics. 1t is though
that in this he leaves out Senate
/ Stone, who while opposing the meas
ure announced that he would not or
pose the taking of vote on its pas
sage.
At the same time the president at
e thorized the further statement ths
what rendered the situation eve
more grave than it had been suppo'
ed that it was, was the the disco'
cry that, while the president unde
l his general constitutional power
could do much of what he had aske
the congress to empower him to d
;, it had been found that there wei
= certain old statutes as yet unrepeale
= which may raise insuperable practt
= = al obstacles and may nullify his poy
- er. This has been taken up with II
legal department, with present ind
cations that the authority of the pre-
ident will be upheld.
The old law referred to by the pres
r dent was adopted by congress in IS
{ and referred to the resistance of Ar
erican merchantmen against the a
T.. tacks of privateers and pirates, b
=, excluded from vessels which Nigh
re so attacked "a public armed vessel
a nation in amity with the Unit
States" Technically, Germany is n
Is at war with the United States al
" submarines are public armed We
y, sells of Germany"
n