The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-03-08

armlng of merchant ships, but not the
, other mstrumcntaliticS" for which
the President was asking.
= The bill was taken up in the Son
ate on Friday with view to amend
ing same to meet the requirements
OF the occasion. 1t was thought for
time that this would be ACCOMPLISH
cd, as sentiment was overwhelmingly
patriotic IN both houses. But lonr
| debate, led by Senator LaFollette,
seemed to forbodc no good.
Saturdays dispatch stated that
WIN PRESIDENT Wilson's armed nell
trallty bill facing failure because of
the opposition of small group of
Progressive Republicans, Democrat
ic ana Republican Senators favorinp
prepared manifesto to show the
country just where the responsibility
VIII rest If the measure is not passed
AT midnight when the debate had
ueVeloped strong indications that
Ihe blllS opponents intended to pre-
vent vote bcfor" the session should
| expire at noon. the following day.
the manifesto had been signed bv
more than majority of the Senate
ana trends of the bill said that in
Ihe end it would bear the signature of
| 80 per cent OF The Senators.
1t was the Intention to hold back
| me document until it became GER
| tam that no vote would be permit
ted and then to read it into the Son
ate record with the names of those
VINO had stood behind the Presidents
| program attached. The leaders had
not entirely abandoned hope of saw
| ing the measure and some of them
| thought circulation of the manifesto
ior SIGNATURES had increased the pos
SipliltleS of passage. 1t was conced-
cd, however, that the possibility was
Il remote one.
All OF the trouble came from q
small group of Progressive Republi-
cans, who blocked cvcrv effort to
secure unanimous consent for linn
Jung DEBATE or setting a time for q
vote. Democratic leaders appealed
% the Republicans to aid them in
swinging the little group into line.
pleading that in the present crisis
failure of the bill would mean ma
tIonal disgrace
oh Monday came the disquictiny
news that twelve Senators led bv
| senator La Toilette and ENCOURAGED
| 'y senator Stone, Democratic chair
| nan oi inc foreign committee, in a
iI1!huStcr, denounced by President
lIS"n's spokesman as the most rep
rrh"nSiDic IN the history Of any civ
l!I|"d nation, dcfcd the will of an
Overwhelming majority in conpross
up to the last minute on March 4th
ana denied the President law au-
'horiZlng him to arm American mer-
chant ships to meet the German sub
marine menace.
Unyicldinr throughout 26 hours
ol continuous session to appeals that
thclr defiance of The President would
| DC Illuminating to the country: nm
| compromising in crisis described
% them as the most serious to the
| aation since the War Between the
| sections, La Toilette and his small
| group OF supporters refused ma.
."rlty Of their colleagues an oppor
tunlty to vote on the armed neutral
| !ty bill and it died with the Sixtv-
fourth congress.
To fix responsibility before the
country rs Senators, 30 Republicans
ana 46 Democrats, signed a mani
'"Sto proclaiming to the world that
they favored the passage Of the
measure.
What the President Thinks
Washington, March 4.-President
Wilson tonight informed the country
IN statement that he may be with
out power to arm the merchant ships
ana take other steps to meet the
German submarine menace, in the
absence of authority from congress.
An extra session OF congress, the
President says, is required to clothe
nm with authority but it is useless
10 call one while the Senate works
under the present rules, which per-
mt small minority to keep an over
"hcimlng majority from acting.
The President proposes, therefore.
That the special session of the Sen
ate which he has called to meet to-
morrow revise the rules "to supply
the means of action and save the
country from disaster"
"A little group of wilful men,"
says the President in his statement.
representing no opinion but their
own, have rendered the great gov
ernment of the United States help
less and contemplate.