The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-04-12
Congress Declares a State Of
War Exists With the Impe-
rial Government.
HEATED DEBATE IN SENATE
Ia Toilette, Gronna. Stone, Norris,
vardaman and Lane Vote Against
ResoIution-0reat Majority
for the Measure In the
Lower House.

Washington, April 6.-The United
States Is now formally at war with
Germany. In response to the presi-
dents message congress has adopted
the resolution declaring that a state
Of war exists between the two cOun-
tries.
The senate was the first to act on
the war resolution and adopted 1t by
vote of 80 to @. The six senators who
voted against the resolution for war
were:
AISLE J. oRoNNA, Republican,
North Dakota.
HARRY LANE, Democrat, Oregon.
r. M. La TOILETTE, Republican,,
Wisconsin.
@. W. NORRIS, Republican, Ne
braska.
WILLIAM J. STONE. Democrat.
Missouri.
). K. vARDAMAN. Democrat. Mis-
sissippi.
There were eight senator's absent or
pnired. They were: Bankhead. Goff,
Gore, Hollis, Newlands, Smith of
Maryland, Thomas, and Tillman. OF
those absent 1t was announced that all
except Senator Gore of Oklahoma
would have voted for the resolution IL
present.
All six of the senators who voted
against the resolution were members
Of the group of twelve which de-
feated the armed neutrality bill at the
last session. There was no attempt
! to filibuster this time. however.
Thirteen Hour Debate.
Thirteen hours of heated debate
preceded the vote. Party lines dis
appeared In this discussion and Repub-
licans Joined with Democrats in sound
ing the call to the nation to support
the president unitedly.
The little group opposed to the reso-
luton drew fire from every side. SEN
ator La Toilette, defending Germany
and heaping blame upon England, was
informed by Senator Williams that DR..
Won Bethmann-Hollweg. the German
chancellor. would have made the same
speech In the reichstag had he been
imbued with sufficient effrontery.
Senator Norris, charging that the
United States is going to war Mt the
behest of the munition barons of Wall
street. drew from Senator Reed the re,
tort that such accusation Is "al-
most treason"
The assertion that the nation was GO
Ing to war on the demand of gold. he
said, was ''nn Indictment of the presi-
dent of the United States. an indict-
ment Of congress, Of the American peo-
pie, and of the truth"
"The president is not calling Amer
ica to arms for the sake of few
ued. but for the life. honor. and in
tegrity of this country"
Introduced by Hitchcock.
In introducing the resolution into
the senate. Senator Hitchcock made n
brief statement in which he said that
not discussion"
1.-THE time for discussion has
passed" he said. "The president has
stated clearly. effectively. more con-
clusively the reasons which make this
grave step necessary. The resolution
provides for war against the imperial
German government. 1t places re-
sponsibility for the war squarely upon
the shoulders of the German govern
ment. charged with repeated acts of
war against the United States.
1--WE want no more territory. We
will demand no indemnity. We have
no grudge to settle, nor racial anti
pathy. We will spend our treasure
and our blood and sacrifice our lives
without the thought Of gain. We are
going to war to vindicate our honor
and independence as great nation
and in defense OF humanity.
"Such quarrel as we have with Ger
many is not of our choosing 1t was
forced upon us and we did much to
avoid it. For nearly three years the
president, congress- and the American
people have hoped to avoid 1t. But
one desperate act by the imperial Ger
man government has followed an
| other"
German Pledges Broken.
Senator Hitchcock was followed by
Senator Swanson of Virginia. who said
the German government "has repeat
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