The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-03-08
President Plans to Equip U. S.
Vessels Despite Congress.
soLoNs ISSUE MANIFESTO
SeVenty-Six Lawmakers Tell People
That They Wanted to Vote Power
to the President, But Were Pre-
vented by Rules of the
Senate-La Toilette
Talks Bill to Death.


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
istfatiOn leaders. The president is
confident he has the power to take
ehis action, and believes the vote on
rhe bill in the house and the general
attitude in the senate show him that
congress is behind him.
Twelve senators, 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, defied the will of an over
whelming majority in congress up to
the last minute on Sunday, and de-
MED to the president a law authorizing
him to arm American merchant ships
to meet the German submarine men
ace.
Unyielding throughout 90 hours of
continuous session to appeals that
their definance of the president would
he humiliating to the country; uncOm-
promising in a crisis described to them
ms the most serious to the nation since
the Civil war, La Toilette of Wiscon-
sin and his small group of supporters
refused 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 manifesto
proclalming to the world that they IA
Nored 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 bill by vote of
4O3 to Is, and also recited that the
senate rule permitting unlimited de-
bate gave small minority Opportun-
1ty' to throttle the. will of the majority.
- Protest of Majority.
he text of the manifesto is as fol-
bows:
"The majority of United States SEN
Iators favored the passage of the SEN
Iate bill authorizing the president of
Fthe United States to arm American
merchant vessels, similar bill hav-
Ping already passed the house by a
vote of 403 to ID. Under the rules of
he senate allowing unlimited debate
pr appears to be impossible to obtain
b vote previous to noon March 4, 1917,
when this session of congress expires
"We desire the statement entered on
fthe record to establish the fact that
he senate favored the legislation and
would pass 1t If vote could be OBJ
halned."
Those Who Signed Manifesto.
The 76 senators who signed the
bnanifesto were:
Democrats Ashurst, Bankhead,
pleckham, Broussard, Bryan, Cham
s'erlain, Chiffon, Fletcher Hardwick,
Hitchcock, Hollis, Hughes, Husting,
flames and johnson Is. d., Kern,
lea, Lee, Lewis and Martin (va.),
hIartine On. -, Myers, Newlands,
hverman, Owen, Phelan, Plttman,
b'omerene, Ransdell, Reed, Robinson,
s;aulsbury. Shafroth, Sheppard,
Shields, Simmons and Smith (Ga.),
Smith (Md), Smith Is. c., Swanson,
Thomas, Thompson, Tillman, Under
hy0od, Walsh and Williams-46
Republicans-Borah, Brady, Bran
Flegee, Catron, Clark, Colt, Curtis,
Dillingham, Dupont, Fall, Fernald,
Harding, Jones, Lodge, McCumber,
hIcLean, Nelson, Oliver, Page, POin-
slexter, Sherman, Smith (Nfich.),
Smoot, Sterling, Sutherland, Town
send, Wadsworth, Warren, Watson
iind Weeks-30.
Hours before the end senator's who
Fought throughout the night to break
kiown the filibuster conceived n way
no thwart La Follette's well-laid plans
no occupy the center of the legisla-
hive stage at the climax of the bitter
flight.
Its execution brought the session to
b, dramatic end, with La Toilette fight
ing vainly for chance to deliver
speech on which he had worked many
days. He saw friends of the doomed
Legislation infiict 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
Ia 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