Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1917-03-08
ACTION DENOUNCED AS THE MOST
REPREHENSIBLE IN HISTORY OF
ANY CIVILIZED NATION
STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT
Washington, March 4.-Twelve SEN
| ators, led by Senator LaFollette and
encouraged by Senator Stone, democra-
TIC chairman of the foreign relations
committee, in filibuster denounced by
President Wilson 3 spokesmen as the
most represensible in the history of anv
civilized nation, defeated the will of an
overwhelming majority in congress up
TO the last minute today and denied to
the president law authorizing him to
arm American merchant ships to meet
the German submarine menace.
Unyielding throughout 26 hours of
continuous session to appeals that their
defiance of the president would be
humiiiating to the country; uncom-
promising in crisis described to them
as the most serious to the nation since
the Civil war, La Toilette 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 sixty fourth congress at
noon.
Majority Sign Declaration.
To fix responsibility before the coun-
try, rs senator's, 80 republicans and 46
democrats, signed a manifesto proclaim
sage of the measure.
This declaration, embodied in the re-
cord of the senate, referred to the fact
that the house Thursday night had
passed a similar bill by vote of 4O3
to 13 and also recited that the senate
rule permitting unlimited debate gave
small minority opportunity to throt-
tie the will of the majority.
Thirteen senators declined to sign the
declaration but Senator Penrose repub-
lican of Pennsylvania, announced that
he would have voted for the bill had
opportunity been afforded him.
The Twelve Who Filibustered.
The 12 who went on record with the
13 members of the house against grant
ing President Wilson the authority he
asked from congress in the crisis were
epublicans-Clapp, Minnesota; Cum
Minis, Iowa; Gronna, North Dakota;
Kenyon, Iowa; LaFollette, Wisconsin;
Norris, Nebraska; Works, California.
Democrats-Kirby, Arkansas; Lane,
Oregon; German, New York; Stone,
Missouri; Vardaman, Mississippi.
Associated with them in opposition
to the armed neutrality bill were the
following representatives who voted
against the house bill Thursday night
Republicans - Benedict, California;
Carey, Wisconsin; Cooper, Wisconsin;
Davis, Minnesota; Helgesen, North
Dakota; Lindhergh, Minnesota; Nelson,
Wisconsin; Stafford, Wisconsin, Wilson,
Illinois.
emocrats-Decker, Missouri, Sher-
wood, Ohio; Shackleford, Missouri.
Socialist-London, New York.
The rs senators who signed the
manifesto were:
Democrats: Ashurst, Bankhead, Beck
ham, Brousard, Bryan, Chamberlain,
Chiffon, Fletcher, Hardwick, Hitch
cock, Hollis, Hughes, Husting, James
johnson Is. d., Kern, Lea, Lee, Lewis,
Martin (Va.), MARITIME IN. J.), Myers,
Newlands, Osterman, Owen, Phelan,
Pittman, fomerene, Ransdell, Reed,
Robinson, Salisbury, Shafroth, Shep-
pard, Shields, Simmons, Smith (Ga.),
Smith (Md.), Smith Is. d., Swanson,
Thomas, Thompson, Tillman, Walsh,
Williams-46.
Republicans-Borah, Brady, Bran
dagee, Carton, Clark, Colt, Curtis,
Jones, Lodge, McCumber, Mclean,
Nelson, Oliver, Page, Poindexter,
Sherman, Smith (Mich.), Smoot, ster-
ling, Sutherland, Townsend, Wads-
worth, Warren, Watson, Weeks.-30.
OF the seven senators not recorded,
three, Gallinger and Goff republicans,
and Gore, democrat, We're absent on
account of sickness. Senators Lippit,
republican, and johnson of Maine and
Smith of Arizona, democrats, were alb
sent from the city. Senator Culberson,
democrat, did not reach the senate in
time to be recorded.
Washington, March A. President
Wilson tonight informed the country, i'll
a statement, that he may be without
power to arm merchant ships and take
other steps to meet the German sub
marine menace, in the absence of
authority from congress.
An extra session of congress, the
president says, is required to clothe him
with authority, but it is useless to call
one while the senate works under .the
present rules which permit small
minority to keep an overwhelming
majority from acting.
The president proposes, therefore,
that the special session of the senate
which he has called to meet tomorrow
revise the rules, "to supply the means
of action and save the country from
disaster.
GA little group of wilful men, says
the president in his statement, "rep-
resenting no opinion but their own have
rendered the great government of the
United States helpless and contempt
ible. -
The president S statement in full
follows:
"eThe termination of the last session
of the sixty-fourth congress by conf
stitutional limitation discloses sit
uation unparalleled in the history of
the country, perhaps unparalleled in
the history of any modern government.
Tn the Immediate presence of a crisis