New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-20
Loss of Citizens
On Vigilancia
Warrant for a
State of War
Wilson Will Not
Hurry Congress,
Capital Believes
No Steps Beyond Armed Ncu-
trality Are Expected by
Officials
BY STEVENSON II. EVANS

Washington, March lS.--Desplte
the big headlines and the undoubted
wave Of feeling which swept the
country upon the announcement of
the destruction of three American
ships by German submarines in one
day, the situation apparently has
not changed. Ii may change when
Congress meets. 1t may change if
the st. Louis or some other Ameri-
can liner puts four-inch shell
through a submarine, but in that
event Germany will do the changing.
There is not the slightest ground
for the prediction that the President
is about to send out a new call for
Congress, so that the war-making
body may convene before April 10
and declare war on Germany.
There is no present reason for
stating that President Wilson con-
templates a single step beyond that
of armed neutrality, under which
guns and gunners are placed on
American merchantmen.
Two high officials of the Admins
tration, apparently speaking with
profound regret, gave it as their
opinion tonight that there would DC
no session of Congress before April
Is, the date of the original call, near
ly month away.
There was great activity in the
Navy Department to-day. Indeed,
this is the only department of the
government in which even a pre-
tence of preparing for war is made.
At last the President has authorized
the expenditure of that emergency
fund of Sl15,000,000 available
through a bond issue.
Chasers May BE Too Late
Part Of this sum will be invested IN
submarine chasers. Part of it will go
toward speeding up work Of naval
construction now under contract. What
will be done with the submarine
chasers when they are ready for busi-
ness. three or four months hence, has
not been determined upon.
The smallest Of the submarine
chasers, if the shipysrds work day and
night. may be completed in sixty days,
but the larger boats, the l10-footers
the high seas squadron of the mos
quito feet-cannot be made ready for
active service before the latter part of
July.
A certain distinguished foreigner
who was at the State Department to-
day made special inquiry as to when
the chasers would be ready to chase
submarines. In three or four months
he was told by high American Of
fetal. Up went both eloquent hands as
he said:
"Oh, Mon Dieu, The war will be over
by them"
Might Patrol Barred Zone
The nothing g-more-we-could-do argu-
ment runs as follows: Germany is do
ing exactly what she threatened TO do.
She has never made an empty threat.
This country is arm;RS is merchant
ships What more can be done? Would
a declaration OF war help US in the
least?
In addition 10 srming the merchantmen
and supplying the gunners the Admin
istration, under constitutional law and
pending the extra session OF Congress,
might follow the precedent set by Pres
ident Polk in l845. and send the fleet,
or part Of il. to the barred zones. When
Congress assembled in December, 1916,
President Polk said:
Since that time (the severance Of
diplomatic relations) Mexico has. un-
til recently, occupied an attitude Of
hostility toward the United States
has been marshalling and organizing
armies, issuing proclamatlons and
avowing the intention 20 make war
on the United States, either by an
open declaration, or By invading
Texas. ..
/ therefore deemed it proper. as a
precautionary measure. 20 order a
strong squadron TO the coasts OF
Mexico. and to concentrate an eff
cient military force on the western
frontier of Texas.