Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-03-05
REPUBLICAN RESPONSIBILITY

Republican senators are already beginning to squeal as a result
of their own narrow partsanship. Senator Moses, Republican, sena-
tor of New Hampshire, issued a statement yesterday in which he tried
to shift the blame to President Wilson for failure to have enacted
necessary legislation for bringing the American soldiers home from
Europe. The statement declares that the failure of President Wilson
TO call an extra session of congress to pass, among other measures, the
army appropriation bill, would mean that nearly one-half million
homes in the United States must continue TO see their sons held for.
military service on foreign SOIL"
But such whining after one Of the most contemplate fiibusters
that has ever taken place in congress will not deceive the people. The
appropriation bills, including the one that would furnish the necessary
money to bring the boys home, have been before the senate for some
time and they could easily have been passed during the session that has
just ended had the senate wanted to pass them. But Republican SEN
ators, knowing that they would be in control of the next congress,
thought they would force the President to call an extra session of the
new congress as soon as the old congress passed out of existence so
they might remain in session indefinitely and do everything possible
to embarrass the administration.
But the President called their bluff and now they are stewing in
their own mess. Senators Lodge and Penrose, the reactionary, stand
pat leaders of the Republicans in the senate, started the wheels in
motion to hold up all legislation until congress adjourned. Because
of the rule of unlimited debate senators can get the floor and keep it
indefinitely and as long as they talk no legislation can be enacted.
Senator LaFOllette, a past master in blocking legislation, took the
floor about midnight and with the aid of volumes from which he read
prOfusely, continued to speak until 55 o'clock yesterday morning,
the senate being in continuous session all night.
By prearrangement he yielded at that time to Senator France,
who spoke for two hours and then, at 80 O'Clock, yesterday morning,
Senator Sherman began his TRADE, announcing his intention of pre-
venting the passage of the appropriation bill under consideration Thus
the harrangue continued until the hour for final adjournment arrived.
All this time the senators might have been considering important
legislation, passing appropriation bills and otherwise performing their
duties a IS members of the legislative branch of the government.
During the closing hours President Wilson let it be known that he
could not be forced into calling an extra session by any such petty
tactics as were going on. Some of the more thoughtful Republicans,
such as Senator Lodge, began to weaken and seemed TO desire the
passage of some of the appropriation bills, but it was too late. The
i1lbuster that he had helped to get in motion could not be stopped.
Now, as a full realization of what they had done begins to dawn
upon them, such Republican senator's as Senator Moses are trying to
throw the blame over on the President because he refused to play
into the hands of his opponents and call the extra session that they
were lighting for. But the people are not fools. They know that the
President IS not to blame for the refusal of the senate to do its plain
duty when there was ample time to do it. The people can see the
trick just as well as the President saw il, and the President stands
out all the stronger in the eyes of the people for not falling into the
trap set for him.
The Republicans started a hlbuster in the senate TO prevent the
passage of much needed legiSlation-legislatio that was needed to
bring the boys home from France. They succeeded in preventing
such legislauon The responsibility Is ell theirs let them take the
consequences.