Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1917-03-22
House Leaders Say There Will be no
Delay Over Organization-To
Hasten Choice of Speaker.

President Wilson's call for an extra
session April with patriotic express
sions and confident predictions that
the close organization fight in the
House would not be permitted to de-
lay action on the grave questions to
be submitted by the President.
Hurry calls for all party leaders in
Congress went out as soon as the
President announced advancement of
the date of the extra session. With
the menace of war looming close
ahead, political differences began to
fade away. Some Congressmen al
ready here went SO far as to suggest
that the fight for organization of the
House be p Stponed until after the
international situation had been dealt
with.
In laying the whole situation be-
fore Congress, the President is eX-
pected to detail fully the warlike acts
of Germany against the United
States and to pay particular atten-
tion to the future of the American
Government as the great conflict
draws to close.
1t is not improbable that he will
ask Congress to declare a state of
war existing, although there is some
indication that he may only outline
the situation fully and leave to Con-
gress the action which is accepted as
unavoidable. So much can develop,
however, before Congress assemblies,
that the President is keeping his
plans in tentative form. Germany,
by her acts in the interim, may throw
all the plans awry and accept the
onus of having forced the war.
Speeding Preparations.
Meanwhile, every preparation for
putting the nations defenses in con-
dition to meet state of war are
going forward. The. principal a. ivi-
ties center in the Navy, where far
reaching preparations are being car
ried Oh to deal with the submarine
menace, whether it is to be met in
the war zone about the British coasts
ut at the gates of American cMies.
The Army's plans are in less def
mite state because Of the uncertainty
as to what part it will be called upon
to play. General staff plans to fit
several contingencies have been
worked out, however, and every step
that can be taken in the present stu
alton has been taken. Tonight Sec
retary Baker conferred with the
President, but the details thev dis
cussed were not revealed.
The possibility of Germany en-
tending submarine operations to the
Atlantic seaboard has not been un-
derestimated, but it is recognized
that when she extends her warfare
from the comparatively limited bar
red zone to the 5000 miles OF broad
Atlantic she so effectively weakens
her starvation blockade of England
that the announced object of the cam
paign of ruthlessness will of necessity
be abandoned. At the same time the
submarine menace to shipping will
comparatively decrease.
Germans May Revolt.
Next to war, the attention of the
American Government is upon one
other object-the internal situation in
Germany. With a military censor
ship screening the hstory-making
events transpiring within the German
Empire and equally screening from
the German people the full meaning
of events in the world outside, the
real condition of affairs in that coun-
try, guardedly reflected in dispatches
from abroad, commands close atten-
ton.
Murmurings of revolt against
autoeracy, emboldened by the revolu-
tion in Russia; reports of food riots
in Berlin, which are said to have ne
cessitated the withdrawal OF troops
from the fighting lines; military
successes by the Entente Oh the
western front and in Asia Minor; the
submarine campaign operating Tar
below the efficiency predicted for IT,
lead to the belief among officials here
that possibly before Congress can as
semble to meet the, situation the
world may be confronted with an en-
tirely different set of conditions. J.,
No Thought: of Spoils.
In every sense, war, if it actually
comes, will be defensive war, free
from ambitions Of spoilss or territory
in which the United s States, the
President has publicly declared, shall
want nothing for itself, and shall
seek only to preserveothe rights of