Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-06
ARMED NEUTRALITY
MEASURE KILLED IN .
SENATE F|L|BUSTER
Twelve Senators, Led by La
Toilette and Encouraged by
Stone, Defeat viii of Major
ity in Closing Hours
by AEsociated Press. J

WASHINGTON, March 5.-The s4th
congress expired at noon Sunday with
out a vote being reached in the senate on
the armed neutrality bill.
Twelve senators. led by Senator La
Toilette and encouraged by Senator
Stone Democratic chairman of the for
eign relations committee, in a flibuster
denounced by President wilson's spokes-
man as thu most reprehensible in the
history of any civilized nation, defied he
] will OF an overwhelming majority in
congress upito the last minute and de-
MED to the president a law authorizing
| him to arm American merchants ships
to meet the German submarine menace.
Cnyielding throughout twenty-siT
hours of continuous session to appeals
/ that their defiance of the president
would be humiliating to the country; un-
I compromising in a crisis described to
them as the most serious to the nation
since the Civil war, LaFollette and his
small group of Supporters refused ma
| jority of their collea CUES an opportunity
TO vote on the armed neutrality bill and
il died with the sixty-fourth congress.
: To fix responsibility before the coun-
Z try. seventy-six senator's, thirty Re-
I publicans and forty-six Democrats,
signed a manifesto proclaiming to the
.
measure.
The text of the manifesto follows:
The majority of United States
senators favored the passage OF
the senate bill authorizing the
president OF the United States to
arm American merchant vessels,
a similar bill having already pass
ed the house by vote of 400 to IS.
/ Under the rules of the senate al
to be impossible to obtain a vote
previous to noon, March 4, 1917,
when this session of congress ex-
pires We desire the statement
entered on the record to establish
the fact that senate favored the
| legislation and would pass 1t il
vote could be obtained.
! Thirteen senator declined to sign the
/ declaration, but one Of them, Senator
| Penrose, Republican, of Pennsylvania,
/ announced that he would have voted for
/ the bill had opportunity been afforded
him.
NAMES OF FILIBUSTERERS.
The twelve who went on record with
the thirteen member Of the house
\ against granting to President Wilson
| the authority he asked from congress
/ in the crisis were:
Republicans-Clapp. Minnesota; Cum
minis. Iowa: Gronna, North Dakota; Ken
| yon. Iowa: LaFollette, Wisconsin; Nor
ris. Nebraska; Works. CALIFORNIA;.
Democrats-Kirby. Arkansas; Lane,
/ Oregon; O'Gorman. New York; Stone,
/ Missouri: Vardaman, Mississippi.
Associated with them in opposition to
I the armed neutrality bill were the fol-
Y lowing thirteen representatives who
I voted against the house bill Thursday
| night:
/ Observation-Disclosures, California; Ca
\ ~. Wisconsin: Cooper, Wisconsin,: Da-
Wis. Minnesota; Helgesen, North Dako-
u ia: Lindbergh. Minnesota: Nelson, Wis
\ consin: Stafford. Wisconsin. Wilson, IL
/ linois-9.
I Democrats-Decker, Missouri: Shack
/ elford. Missouri; Sherwood. Ohio-3.
Il Socialist-London, New York..
/ The rs senators who signed the mani
\ festo were:
u Democrats-Ashurst, Bankhead. Beck
haS. Broussard: Bryan, Chamberlain,
]. Chiffon. Fletcher. Hardwick, Hitchcock,
I Hollis Hughes. Husting. James, John
son. South Dakota; Kern. Lea, Lee,
Lewis. Martin. Virginia; MARITIME. New
4 Jersey: Myers. Newlands. Overman,
I owen. Phelan. Pittman. Pomerene, Rams
d dell. Reed. Robinson, Salisbury, Shat
roth. Sheppard. Shields. simmons, Smith,
. Georgia: Smith, Maryland; Smith. South
4. Carolina: Swanson. Thomas, Thompson,
f. rillman. Underwood. Walsh and Will
liams.
Republicans-Borah. Brady. Brande-
I gee. Catron, Clark. Colt, Curtis Dilling-
=. ham. DUPONT, Fall, Fernald. Harding,
. Jones. Lodge. McCumber, Mclean, Mel
son. oliver. Page, Poindexter, Sherman.
. Smith. Michigan: Smoot. Sterling. Suth-
erlavd. Townsend. wadsworth. Warren,
II Watson and weeks-30.
/ or the seven senator's not recorded,
l three. Gsllinger ana Con. republicans.
\ and Gore. democrat, were absent on ac-
\ count of sickness. Senators bippitt.
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