The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1917-03-08
SUCCESSFUL FiLlBUSTER ay
STONE, LAFoLLETTE AND
FEW OTHERS.
ARMED NEUTRALITY BILL
DEFEATED BY F|L|BUsTER
Dramatic Scenes Enacted in Senate
Chamber at Closing Session Continu.
ing Throughout 26-Hour Session to
Adjournment at Noon Sunday.

shington.-Prcsident Wilson in.
! formed the country, in O statement,
mat he may be without power to arm
merchant ships and take other steps
10 meet the German submarine me.
mace. III the absence Of authority from
Congress
AN extra session Of Congress. the
President says, is required to clothe
him with authority. but it is useless
10 call one while the Senate worI.;
under the present rules which permit
a small minority to keep an over.
whelming majority from acting
| The President proposed, therefore.
that the special session OF the Senate,
| which he called to meet Monday, re.
wise the rules ito supply the means nf
action and save the country from dis
aster"
"A little group Of wilful men," says
the President in his statement. rep
resenting no opinion but their own,
! have rendered the great Government
| OF the United States helpless and con-
! temptible"
The Presidents statement in full
/ follows:
The termination of the last session
OF the Sixty-fourth Congress by con
stitutional limitation disclOses sit
uatfon unparalleled in the history Of
the country. perhaps unparalleled in
the history OF any modern Govern
ment. In the immediate presence Of
a crisis iraught with more subtle and
far-reaching possibilities OF National
danger than any other the Govern.
ment has known within the whole
history of its international relations,
! the Congress has been unable to act
either to safeguard the country or to
! vindicate the elementary rights Of its
citizens.
More than 500 of the 531 mem.
bers of the two houses were ready
and anxious TO act the House Of
Representatives had acted by an over.
whelming majority. but the Senate
was unable to act because a little
group of eleven Senators had deter
mined that it should not.
"The Senate has no rules by which
debate can be limited or brought to
! an end. no rules by which dilatory
! tactics of any kind can be prevented.
single member can stand in the
way OF action if he have but the ply
sical endurance. The result In this
case is complete paralysis alike Of
me ieslslauVc ana executive branches
OF the Government
lhis habi!lty or the Senate to act
mas rendered some OF the most nee
essary legislation of the session i'm
| possible. at time when the need for
| II was most pressing and most evi.
deht. lhe Dill. which would have per-
mitted such combinations OF capital
ana or organization in the export and
import trade OF the country as the cir
cumstances Of international competi
tlon have made imperative-a bill
/ which the business judgment Of the
+ whole country approved and demand.
"d--has failed.
Other Measures Lost
! The opposition of one or two Sen
ators has made it impossible 70 il,
crease the membership of the Inter.
state Commerce Commission or 10
/ give it the altered organization nec.
cssary for its efficiency The conse..
vation bill, which should have releas.
ed for immediate use the mineral re.
sources which are still locked up in
the public lands, now that their rc. |
lease Is more imperativcly necessary
than ever. and the bill which would
have made the unused waterpower of
the country Immediately available for
industry have both failed. though
they have been under consideration
throughout the sessions of two Con