The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-03-09
WILSON IS F0|LED
BY A F|L|bUSTER
Twelve Senators Defeat Plan to
Arm Merchant Ships.
SCORED BY THE PRESIDENT
Chief Executive Is inaugurated for
His Second Term-German War
Plot Against the United States
Is Revealed.

Is Revealed.
Washington, March 6.-Twelve sena-
tors, led by Senator La Toilette and
encouraged by Senator Stone of the
foreign relations committee, in a fill
buster denounced by President Will
sons spokesman as the most repre-
hensible in the history of any civilized
nation, deied the will of an over
waefming majority in congress up to
the last minute on Sunday, and de-
MED to the president a law authorizing
him to arm American merchant ships
to meet the German submarine men
ace.
The II senator's, seven Republicans
and five Democrats, who by their fill
buster killed the armed neutrality bill,
are:
Clapp (Rep.) of Minnesota, Cummins
(Rep.) Of Iowa, Gronna (Rep.) of NoRts
Dakota, Kenyon (Rep.) of Iowa, Kirby
(Dem.) of Arkansas, La Toilette (Rep.)
of Wisconsin, Lane (Dem.) of Oregon,
Norris (Rep.) of Nebraska, O'Gorman
(Dem.) Of New York, Stone (Dem.) of
Missouri, Vardaman (Dem.) of Missis-
sippi, Works tRep.) of California.
Unyielding throughout 26 hours of
continuous session to appeals that
their defiance of the president would
be h~umiliating to the country; uncom-
promising in a crisis described to them
as the most serious to the nation since
the Civil war, La Toilette of Wiscon-
sin and his small group of supporters
refused a majority of their colleagues
an opportunity to vote on the armed
neutrality bill.
1t died with the Sixty-fourth con-
gress at noon Sunday.
To fix responsibility before the
country, 7G senator's, 80 Republicans
and 46 Democrats, signed a manifesto
proclaiming to the world that they ia
vored passage of this measure.
President Wilson's Appeal.
President Wilson on Sunday issued
from the White House an official
statement of the situation and a Wig
orous protest against the senate rules
that permitted a small majority to
Illustrate the wishes of the majority.
In 1t he said:
'The remedy! There is but one rem
edy. The only remedy 1t that the
rules of the senate shall be so altered
that it can act. The country car be
relied upon to draw the moral. I be-
lieve that the senate can be relied on
to supply the mean of action and save
the country from disaster"
At the same time the president au-
thorized the further statement that
what rendered the situation even more
grave than it had been supposed that
it was was the discovery that, while
the president, under his constitutional
powers. could do much of what he had
asked the congress to empower him to
do, it had been found that there were
certain old statutes as yet unrepealed
which raised insuperable practicable
obstacles and virtually nullified his
power.
Great Naval Increases.
On it's response to the popular de-
mand for national preparedness will
rest the fame Of the Sixty-fourth con-
gress, which las just expired. The
metamorphosis of the United States
from a commercial to a fighting nation
has been wrought by the naval in
creaseS authorized.
In the two sessions comprising the
Sixty-fourth congress there have been
authorized and appropriated for no
less than 11S war craft. Nor is this
all. The first session adopted a three
year building program, the construc-
ton of which should be undertaken
prior to July 1, 1918. This program
included this allotment of fighting
ships: Ten battleships, six battle
cruisers, ten scout cruisers, so torpedo
boat d%estroyers, nine fleet submarines,
SO coast submarines, n experimental
submarine (Neff system), three fuel
ships, one repair ship, one transport,
one hospital ship, two destroyer ten
ders, one fleet submarine tender, two
ammunition ships, two gunboats.
BY the act which adopted this build
ing program congress appropriated for
four battleships, four battle cruisers
four scout cruisers, 20 destroyers, sc
submarines, and one each of these
craft: Experimental submarine, fuel
ship, hospital ship, ammunition ship
and gunboat. During the second SEES
sion provision was made for three bat:
tleships, one battle cruiser, three scout
cruisers, Is ~destroyers, one destroyer
tender, one submarine tender and Is
submarines.
Other notable enactments of the late
congress were a ship purchase bill, the
Adamson eight-hour railroad law, {
child labor law, a measure to forbid
the immigration of illiterate aliens, {
rural credits bill, a vocational educa
tional bill and an act recognizing tn,
government of Porto Rico and extend
ing citizenship to the islanders.
Inauguration of Wilson.
On Monday with all due ceremon.
and solemnity, Woodrow Wilson an,
Thomas R. Marshall were inaugurate,
president and vice president of tn
United States respectively, for the sec
ond time. Mr.. Wilson took the oatl
of office Sunday.
Vice President Marshall was re
sworn into. Office before the Inaugural