The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-03-05
Led by Senator LaFollette
and Encouraged by Sena-
tor Stone, the Presidents
Former Confidante, Small
Minority Ruled - Presi-
dent Wilson Denounced
Them as Group of Will
full Men"

Washington, d. c., March 5.-Presi
dent Wilson believes that the killing oi
the armed neutrality bill by Senate
filibuster before final adjournment yes.
terday may effectually prevent him from
exercising the executive prerogative to
arm merchant ships, and he advocates
the immediate reform of the rules by
the Senate, at session called for to-day,
to prevent a small majority from hold
! ing up legislation in the future.
! Twelve senator's, led by Senator La
Toilette, and encouraged by Senator
Stone, Democratic chairman of the for
| eign relations committee, in a filibuster
denounced by President Wilson's spokes-
man as the most reprehensible in the
! history of any civilized nation, defied
the viii Of an overwhelming majority
in Congress up TO the last minute yes
teTday.
UnyieIding throughout the o6 hours of
continuous session TO appeals that their
defiance of the president would be hu.
initiating TO the country, uncompromis-
ing in crisis described to them as the
most serious to the nation since the Civil
war, LaFollette and his small group of
supporters refused majority OF their
colleagues an opportunity to vote on
the armed neutrality bill and it died
with the Gath Congress at noon.
Responsibility Fixed.
To fix responsibility before the coun-
try, 76 senators, 80 Republicans and 46
Democrats, signed manifesto proclaim
ing to the world that they favored pas
sage of the measure.
This declaration, embodied in the rec
ord of the Senate, referred to the fact
that the House Thursday night had
passed similar bill by vote of 402 to
l3 and also recited that the Senate rule
permitting unlimited debate gave a small
minority opportunity to throttle the will
of the majority.
The text of the manifesto is as fol-
lows:
"The majority of United States SEN
ators favored the passage of the Senate
bill authorizing the president of the
United States TO arm American merchant
vessels, similar bill having already
passed the House by a vote of 400 to l3.
Under the rules of the Senate allowing
unlimited debate it appears to be i'm
possible to obtain a vote previous to
noon March 4, 1917, when this session of
Congress expires. We desire the state
ment entered on the record to establish
this fact that the Senate favored the leg
islation and would pass it if a vote could |
be obtained"
Thirteen senators declined to sign the |
declaration, but one of them, Senator |
Penrose, Republican, of Pennsylvania,
announced that he would have voted for
the bill had opportunity been afforded |
him. The IL who went on record with /
the l3 members of the House against /
granting to President Wilson the au-
thority he asked from Congress in this
crisis were:
Republicans-Clapp of Minnesota,
Cummins of Iowa, Gronna of North Ds
Sota. Kenyon of Iowa, LaFollette of
Wisconsin, Norris of Nebraska, Works
If California-seven.
Democrats-Kirby of Arkansas, Lane
IF Oregon, o'Gorman of New York, Stone
II Missouri, yardaman of Mississippi
i've.
he armed neutrality bill were the fol-
owing REPRESENTATIVES, VINO Nuttu against
he House bill Thursday night:
epublicans-Benedict of California, 4,
'ary of Wisconsin, Cooper of Wisconsin,
Davis of Minnesota, Helgesen of North 4
Dakota, Lindbergh of Minnesota. Nelson
4 Wisconsin. Stafford of Wisconsin, vii Z
on Of Illinois-nine. Ii
Democrats-Deck. Missouri: Shackle- {
ord Of Missouri, Sherwood of Ohio
hree
Socialist-London of New York-one. {
The 20 senators who signed the mani =
esto were: c
Democrats-Ashurst. Bankhead. Beck 6
am. Broussard, Bryan. Chamberlain, i
hilton. Fletcher, Hsrdwick. Hitchcock, s
Iollis. Hughes. Husting. James. johnson G
South Dakota. Kern. Lea. lee, Lewis, {
iartin Of Virginia, MARITIME of New Jer- v
ey. Meyers. Newlands. Overman. Owen, c
'helsn, Pittman. Pomerene, Ransdell, i
eed. Robinson. Salisbury. ShafrCth.
henpard. Shields. Simmons. Smith ~ a
eorgia. Smith Of Maryland, Smith Of
outh Carolina, Swanson Thomas,