The Washington times., 1917-04-06
PRESIDENT SIGNS
WAR DECLARATION
HostiIities Formally Opened
Between United States and
Kaiser's Government.
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page.)
perisl German government and the
Government and the people of the
United tSates, and making provision
to prosecute the same"
Marshall Signs War Measure.
Trimble cleared his throat rasping-
ly. Marshall followed suit. And 1t
sounded like everyone else there emu
lated the example set. Then quiet
came again.
81 present also" continued South,
House resolution No. u, an act max
ing Appropriations for the army"
South turned to leave the Senate,
banding the bill to Mr.. Marshall.
As he waited for a clerk to record
the bill on the big Senate official
ledger, Marshall took up a new pen,
wet it carefully with his tongue, and
held 1t ready.
As the pen was put on his desk,
after a little smudge had been erased
from the space left for his signature,
Marshall dipped the pen into an ink
wei land signed "Thos. r. Marshall"
As Marshall finished his grim task
there was a long drawn sigh from
everyone.
War News FLASHED To Nation.
Those in galleries and on the floor
sQuirmed and twisted for q better
chance to see history in the making.
There was a wild scramble in the
press gallery as newspaper men
dashed for the wires with the news
of q nation going to war.
The buzz and apparent confusion
not noticeable in normal times
sounded like a threshing mill On
operation in contract to the quiet
that had preceded It.
on its way to receive the Presidents
signature.
Before the bill was out of the room
the Senate had resumed its usual
slow, dignified course.
The clerk proceeded to read more
kilograms and letters demanding war
or peace-the the Senate and the Vice
President had finished their bit to-
ward a declaration of a state of war
The bill was sent into the office of
Secretary of the Senate Baker.
Delivered at White House.
There the single sheet of parch-
ment, containing two of the three
signatures needed to plunge the ma
tion into the world war was wrapped
up, carefully sealed, tied with the lit
eral red tape that accompanies the
eolloquial red tape at the Capitol, and
dispatched to the White House by a
bicycle messenger.
The messenger, having run the
gantlet of the White House guards,
delivered this message.
Out in the Secretary's office, some
what bewildered clerks saw the docu-
ment receive its nnal scrutiny.
As the entry was made in the immor-
tai Senate records alongside Of all the
history-making papers Of the nation.
Solemnity settled over the little office
Then. an impatient interval while the
message arrived and was carefully in
gtructed.
All concerned seemed somewhat anx-
ious to get the paper on its way-as II
q great weight would then be lifted.
--essaEe Started on Way.
At the stroke OF 12:35, the long,
slim official envelope was intrustsd
TO the messenger who went whistling
on his epochal mission. And routine
returned to the Secretary's office.
Senators relaxed I'd leaned back In
their chairs.
The gallery breathed again and the
youthful pages on the floor scurried
toward the entrances.
Then the drowsy monotony of the
session resumed. Several more Sena-
tors rose to offer kilograms for inser-
ton into the record.
Senator Fletcher introduced a reso-
luton proposing that 125,OOO copies
Of President Wilson's "war speech"
be printed for the document rooms.
II was adopted.