The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-03-07
SENATORS KILL
ARMED SHIP BILL
WITH f|L|BUSTER
President Plans to Equip U. S..
Vessels Despite Congress.
S0L0NS ISSUE MANIFESTO
seventy-Six Lawmakers Tell PeopIe'
That They Wanted to Vote Power
to the President, But Were Pre-
vented by Rules of the
Senate-La Toilette
Talks Bill to Death.

Washington, March 5.-PreSident
Wilson will arm American merchant
ships and take whatever other steps
he deems necessary to protect them,
even though the senate failed to pass
the armed neutrality bill giving him
specific authority. according to admin
tstration leaders. The president is
confident he has the power to take
this action, and believes the vote on
the bill in the house and the general
attitude in the senate show him that
congress is behind him.
Twelve senator's, led by Senator La
Toilette and encouraged by Senator
Stone, Democratic chairman of the
foreign relations committee, in fill
buster denounced by President Will
sons spokesman as the most repre-
henSible in the history of any civilized
nation, defed the will of IN over
whelming majority In congress up to-
the last minute on Sunday, and de-
MED to the president law authorizing
him TO arm American merchant ships
to meet the German submarine men
ace.
Unyielding throughout 26 hours Of
continuous session to appeals that
their definance of the president would
be humiliating to the country; uncom-
promising in crisis described to them
as the most serious to the nation since
the Civil war, La Toilette of Wiscon-
sin and his small group of supporters
refused a majority of their colleagues
an opportunity to vote on the armed
neutrality bill.
1t died with the Sixty-fourth con-
gress at noon Sunday.
To fix responsibility before the
country, 76 senator's, 30 Republicans
and 46 Democrats, signed a manifesto
proclaiming to the world that they IA
vOred passage Of this measure.
This declaration, embodied In the
record of the senate, referred to the
fact that the house on Thursday night
had passed similar bin by vote of
4O3 10 ID, and also recited that the
senate rule permitting unlimited de-
bate gave small minority Opportun-
ity to throttle the will of the majority.
Protest of Majority.
The text of the manifesto is as fol-
lows:
1.-THE majority of United States sen.
ators favored the passage of the sem
ate bill authorizing the president of
the United States to arm American
merchant vessels, q similar bill hav-
ing already passed the house by
vote Of 4O3 to -. Under the rules of
the senate allowing unlimited debate
1t appears to be impossible to obtain
vote previous to noon March 4, 1917,
when this session of congress expires.
"We desire the statement entered ON
the record to establish the fact that
the senate favored the legislation and
would pass 1t If a vote could be OBJ
tanned"
Those Who Signed Manifesto.
The 76 senators who signed the
manifesto were:
Democrats Ashurst, Bankhead,
Beckham, Broussard, Bryan, Cham
berlain, Chiffon, Fletcher, Hardwicl1,
Hitchcock, Hollis. Hughes, Husting,
James and Johnson Is. d., Kern,
Lea, Lee, Lewis and Martin (Va),
MARITIME IN. j., Myers, Newlands,
Overman, Owen, Phelan, Pittman,
Pomerene, .Ransdell, Reed, Robinson,
Salisbury. Shafroth, Sheppard,
Shields, Simmons and Smith (Ga.),
Smith (Md), Smith Is. c., Swanson,
Thomas, Thompson, Tillman, Under
wood, Walsh and Williams-46.
Republicans-Borah, Brady, Bran
degee, Catron, Clark, Colt, Curtis,
Dillingham;, DUPONT, Fall, Fernald,
Harding, Jones, Lodge, McCumber.
Mclean, Nelson Oliver, Page, Poin-
dexter, Sherman, Smith (Mich.),
Smoot, Sterling, Sutherland Town
send Wadsworth, Warren Watson
and Weeks-30.
Hours before the end senators who
fought throughout the night to break
down the filibuster conceived way
to thwart La Follette's well-laid plans
to occupy the center of the iegisla-
tive stage at the climax of the bitter
fight.
It's execution brought the session to
a dramatic end, with La Toilette fight
Ing vainly for a chance to deliver
speech on which he had worked many
days. He saw friends of the doomed
legislation infict the death blow
which he planned.
Instead of La Toilette, Senator
Hitchcock, leader of the majority in
favor of the bill, talked out the wan
Ing hours Of the session. Timing his
opportunity to the minute, Senator
La Toilette entered the senate cham
Der shortly after nine o'clock Sunday
morning, prepared to take the center
of the stage for the last act of the
tragedy. When the moment he had
chosen arrived he addressed the chair,
but Senator Hitchcock prevented his
recognition.