The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-03-28
ISSUES STATEMENT THAT LACK
ING AUTHORITY FROM CON-
GRESS HE CANNOT TAKE
STEPS AGAINST U-BOATS.
HE CALLS ON SENATE TO
REVISE OBSTRUCTlNG RULES
Would Do Away With Methods Which
Permit Small Minority to Keep
Overwhelming Majority From
Acting, Rendering Govern
ment Helpless.

Washington, March 6. - President
Wilson has informed the country in a
statement that he may be without
power to arm merchant ships and
take other steps to meet the German
submarine menace in the absence of
the authority from Congress-
The Presidents statement follows:
The termination of the last session
of the sixty-fourth Congress by con-
stitutional limitation disclosed a sit
uation unparalleled in the history of
the country, perhaps unparalleled in
the history of any modern govern
| ment. In immediate presence of a
| crisis fraught with more subtle and
far-reaching possibilities of national
danger than any other government
has known within the whole history
of it's international relations, the Con-
gress has been unable to act either
to safeguard the country or to vindi-
cate the elementary rights of it's citi-
zens.
More than 500 of the 531 members
Of the two houses were ready and
anxious to act; the House of Repre-
sentatives had acted by an overwhelm-
ing majority, but the Senate was I'm.
able to act because a little group of
II senators had determined that it
should not.
One Man Can Block Road.
The Senate has no rules by which
debate can be limited or brought to
| an end, no rules by which dilatory tao.
| tics Of any kind can be prevented. A
single member can stand in the way
of action if he have but the physical
endurance. The result in this case
is a complete paralysis alike of the
legislative and of the executive
branches of the government.
This inability of the Senate to act
has rendered some of the most neces
sary legislation of the session impos
sible, at time when the need for ii
was most pressing and most evident
The bill which would have permitted
organization in the export and import
trade Of the country as the circum
stances of International competition
have made imperative-a bill which
the business Judgment of the whole
country approved and demanded-has
failed.
Vital Measures Are Killed.
The opposition of one or two sena
tors has made it impossible to in
crease the membership of the Inter
state Commerce commission or tc
give 1t the altered organization nee
essary for it's efficiency. The conser
walton bill which should have released
for immediate use the mineral re
sources which are still locked up II
the public lands now that their re
lease is more imperatively necessary
than ever, and the bill which would
have made the unused water power
of the country Immediately availabl,
for industry have both failed, though
they have been under consideration
throughout the session of two con
crosses and have been twice passet
by the House of Representatives.
Army Appropriations Fall.
The appropriations for the arm.
failed, along with the appropriation
for the civil establishment of the gov
eminent, the appropriations for tn
military academy at West Point, an
the general deficiency bill. 1t ha
proved impossible to extend the pow
ers of the shipping board to meet tn
special needs of the new situation
into which our commerce has bee]
forced, or to increase the gold reserv
Of oar national banking system t.
meet the unusual circumstances o
the existing financial situation.
1t would not cure the difficulty t.
call the sixty-fifth Congress in extra
ordinary session. The paralysis of tn
Senate would remain. The purpos
, and the spirit of action are not lacl
, ing now. The Congress is more def
, nitely united in thought and purpos
, at this moment. l venture to say