The Washington herald., 1917-03-04
SENATE BATTLES
VAINLY TO PASS
WAR MEASURE
Pacihst Element Blocks Bill
Authorizing Wilson to
Arm Ships.
STONE LEADER In FIGHT
Former White House Spokesman
Holds Floor for Hours in
Filibuster.

FIlIbuSteT.
With but twelve hours of life re-
naming. the Sixty-fourth Congress
last night fought vigorously in a vain
effort to vest President Wilson with
full and complete powers to meet the
German crisis
At midnight administration leaders
had practically abandoned hope of
securing action in the Senate on the
administration armed neutrality bill,
and other imperative legislation be-
fore Congress.
In the House, with the way to final
adjournment clear, resolutions to save
absolutely necessary appropriations
were rushed through in the hope that
they might possibly run the Senate
blockade.
The Senate fight to prevent enactment
OF the armed neutrality bill reached a
crisis shortly after midnight. when Sen
ators Clapp. Of Minnesota, and Works. of
! California. blocked an effort TO limit de-
bate on the measure. At that time Sen
ators La Toilette. CIapp. Norris. Gronna.
and possibly Senator O'Cornan were ex-
pected TO make speeches. Senator CIspp
| declared that he himself would need until
o'clock TO finish his speech.
Petition Circulated. ~
Confronted with this situation Sena-
tors, both Democrats and Republicans
f, who support the proposal to authorize
the President to protect American rights
at sea circulated a petition designed to
place the majority of the Senate on rec
d Gpf nTfh hat
Senate favored the armed neutrality bill.
but that the rules of he Senate enabled
the opponents OF the measure to prevent
a vote
The petition which was quickly signed
by members on both sides OF the SEN
ate reft:
The majority OF United States Sen
ators favored the passage of the Senate
hill authorizing the President Of the Unit
ed states to arm American merchant YES
sells. similar bill h..ving already passed
the House OF Representatives by a vote
sos to IL. Under the rules Of the Sen
ate. allowing unlimited debate. il a7-
pears to be impossible to obtain a vote
previous to noon, March T. 1917, when this
| session of Congress expires We desire
the statement entered on the record TO
establish the fact that the Senate IA
Vored the legislation and would pass il II
vote could be obtained
"llhih an hour after the petition in
dorsing the armed neutrality bill was
started around the Senate, seventy Sena
tors. an overwhelming majority OF tho
body. had signed the document Party
! lines were absolutely diregarded as the
following Senators affixed their sigma
| lures to the petition:
Senators AshVrst. Bankhead. Beckhan.
Boreh. Brady, Brandegee Broussard.
Bryan, Catron, Chamberlain, Chiffon
Clark. Colt. Curtis. Dillingham;. Fan.
Eernald. Fletcher. Harding. Hardwick.
Hitchcock. Hollis. Hughes. HustinE,
James. johnson IS. Dak.D. johnson CMeD.
Jones. Kern. Lea CTenn). Lee Md.
Lewis, Lodge. McCumber, Mclean. Mar
tin. Myers. Nelson. Newlands, Oliver.
Overman, Owen, Page, Phelan. Pittrnan,
| Pomerene, Poindexter, RansdCu Robin
son. salisbury. Shafroth. Shepard. Sher-
| man, Shields. Simmons, smith CGaD.
| Smith (MiChl. Smith Is c., Smoot.
/ Sterling. Sutherland. Swanson, Thomas.
Townsend. Underwood. wadsworth,
Walsh, Watson and Williams
stone Flights Bill.
Against the overwhelming majority Of
! the Senate which favored the armed neu.
| trality bill, stood the single venerable
| hgure OF Senator Stone, Of Missouri fight-
| ing TO limit the authority to be granted TO
| ule fTeSloenI IN order to prevent the
protection of ships carrying munitions 70
beiltSerents. For long hours the Missouri
statesman held the Senate floor, as with
! grave and solemn mien he warned the
Senate that the general authorization car
ried in the pending bill would make war
with Germany Inevitable.
| Utterly deserving the administration
which for nearly four years he has repre-
sented on the Senate floor, as its smokes
man in foreign affairs. Senator Stone de-
! clared that the Congress proposed to dele
gate TO the President the power TO force
the nation into war.
Into the midst of a debate which had
bristled with war talk, demands for i'm
mediate and aggressive action, and decIa-
| rations that Germany had already START
| ed war on the United States. Senator
Stone threw the statement that he was
] opposed TO war without further provo
cation" and that he believed the Presi-
dent took the same view
"TOO Much Power"
IT would rather trust the President
to keep us out Of war" said the erst-
Iwhile administration leader. than the
Hngoes so prevalent in some parts OF
the country and in Congress Unless
I am woefuIly mistaken. believe that
the President wants peace more than
lwar. But I cannot vote for this bill,
CONTINUED or PAGE TWO.