Evening star., 1917-04-02
Majority Of Members, as
Houses Convene, Openly
Favor HostiIities.
"PROS" AND PACIFISTS
BESET THE LEGISLATORS
President Urges House to Rush
Organization So That He May
Deliver His Message.

Congress assembled at noon
today for a session generally
agreed to be the most momentous
for fifty years.
President Wilson. ready with
his address, which it is believed
will ask that a state of war be
recognized as already to exist be-
tween the United States and Ger
many, waited only for the or
ganization of the House of Rep
resentatives.
President Keeps Own Counsel.
A resolution declaring that
a state of war exists between the
United States and Germany today
was prepared for offering to the
House by Representative Flood,
chairman of the foreign affairs
committee.
The resolution would authorize
the President to carry on war
against Germany.
Text Of Resolution.
The resolution follows:
whereas the recent course Of the
imperial German government is. in
fact nothing less than war against the
government and people Of the United
States.
Resolved. by the Senate and House
of Representatives Of the United States
Of America, in Congress assembled, That
the state of belligerency between the
United States and the imperial German
government, which has thus been
thrust upon the United States. is hereby
formally declared, and
War With All Resources.
That the President be. and he is here
by. authorized to- take immediate steps,
not only to put the country in thorough
state of defense. but also to exert all
of its power and employ all of its re-
sources to carry on war against the
imperial German government and to
bring the conflict to successful
termination"
President Keeps Own Counsel.
The President. in his address, 1t is
understood. will refer to the tradi-
tional friendship between the American
people and the German people and
differentiate between the German gov
ernment and the people it rules.
He also will recount his efforts to
restore peace to Europe and to main
tain peace with Germany.
Before going to Congress. the Presi-
dent did not take even members of
his cabinet into his confidence on the
exact terms of his address. From in
formation he has called for and general
discussions at cabinet meetings thew
know he has concluded that war with
Germany seems inevitable
PRESIDENT Wilson'S address Immediately
viii De sent to all the foreign embassies
and legations here and will be teIeeraphed
TO American diplomats abroad
sd1.vsa;k IT was ae;knowledged today that foreign
terpret 1t as they think best, even to as-
sumo that it SO closely approximates
recognition OF state Of war as to neces-
state the issuing Of neutrality procIa ma
tions. Whether such a step will be taken
by any neutral prior to formal action by
Congress Is unknown here.
Asked to Rush Organization.
oeAS Aioosc leaders got word
from the White House to hurry the or
ganization as much as possible.
Congress assembled with a maioritv
openly in favor of a declaration Of
state of war. if not actually a declara-
tion of war.
Beset on one side with large deles,
tions OF pacifists praying that the
country be kept out of war, and be-
sieged on the other by large numbers
of patriotic pilgrims" who demand
the country's entrance into the war
Congress waited to hear the President
outline the long history of German az
gressions against American lives and
rights and the predatory violence of
her submarines.
Administration officials have made M
secret that they consider Germany has
been making war on the United States
for some time. A large majority in
Congress takes the same view. The
minority is divided between those who
sufficient for the President and the
very few who openly favor peace n
any price.
War Spirit at Capitol.
The Capitol was arrayed in a war spirit
asCongress assembled. The pacifist dele
cations. wearing white their sleeves
or white streamers across their breasts,
paraded the sidewalks in numbers,
filled the House and Senate galleries,
and made calls on their congressman.
They moved about without demonstra-
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