The Farmington times., 1917-03-23
A TENSE FORTNIGHT

The past two weeks have certain
ly been pregnant with absorbing mo
mentous events, crowding one upol
the other. The final decision of tn
President, Notwithstanding the fail
ure of Congress to pass the bill Civ
ing him authority to maintain an at
titude of armed neutrality, that law
already on the statute books gave
him such authority without the ac
ton of Congress, and his order fol
the defensive arming of all American
commercial ships, created a tensel
feeling that we must inevitably be
drawn into the European war. While
thrilling under this nearness to armed
hostilities, a renewal of the nation
wide strike question of the railroad
brotherhoods ominously thrust itself
into the situation, already extremely
critical, and a general strike had
been ordered TO begin Saturday eve
ming, March 18th. 1t threatened to
tie up the transportation of the whole
country, not only to the great incon-
venience and loss of the general pub
lie, but to the embarrassment of the
Government in its preparedness work
to meet impending war emergencies
and while the conferences between
the Representatives of the brother
hoods and the railroads were still in
progress with no prospects of agree
ment, and the President had issued
an appeal to their patriotism to de-
sist in their differences in the face
Of the nations dire situation, the ca
bic flashed the news that three Amer
lean ships had just been torpedoed
and sunk by German submarines, and
the war cloud lowered more menac-
ingly about us. ..
Happily the two first menacing
troubles-the embarrassment of the
Government in carrying on its work
of preparedness, and the strike, which
even at the most propitious time in
the nations peaceful pursuits, would
have worked a calamity far-reaching
and inflicted untold inconvenience and
great suffering on an innocent pub
lic-havc been averted. The railroad
managers, yielding to the Presidents
appeal, granted the demands of the
employees for an eight-hour day ba-
sis. This was hardly announced, to
the great relief of the country, when
the Supreme Court, on last Monday,
handed down its decision in the case
contesting the eight-hour law passed
by Congress to avert the strike move
ment of the brotherhoods last fall,
thus possibly guaranteeing the coun-
try in the future against such strike
troubles. -t
But the other menace continues to
threaten US with more intensity and
with increased aggravation. The tor
pedoing Of the three American ships,
on their homeward voyage-a guar
antee that they carried no contra
band of war articles--with their ma
tionality clearly and conspicuously
defined, has thrilled the whole coun-
try with patriotic Indignation and
rendered the evasion of war on the
part of the United States practical
ly impossible. The torpedoing and
sinking Of these vessels was direct
act of war on the part of Germany.
1t forces upon US the imperative con-
viction that we are even now in
state of war, whether we like it or
not. The President, if he had the
would be justified in de-
rlaring a state of war between the
United States and Germany after this
open hostile act, but he has not that
authority. Only Congress may de-
clare war, and the President has
called for the immediate assembling
IF that body on April I'd, instead of
waiting until the 10th of April, the
late set for the converting of the ex-
ra session. ,.