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Show nupiiy Failure of Senate to Pass the Armed Neutrality Bill Leaves Executive Helpless and the Commerce Com-merce of the United States in State of Paralysis. BLAME PLACED IN STATEMENT Extraordinary Session y of Congress No Cure r Unless the Senate (s Amends Its Rules So That the Will of the Majority Cannot Be Defeated. WASHINGTON, March 4. President Wilson tonight 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 subma-rine menace in the absence of authority j from congress. An extra session of congress, the president says, is required to clothe him with authority, but it is useless to call one while the senate works under the present rules which permit a smaJl minority mi-nority to keep an overwhelming majority ma-jority from acting. The president proposes, therefore, that the special session of the senate which he has called to meet tomorrow revise tho rules "to supply the means of action and save the country from 'disaster." "A little group of wilful men," says the president in his statement, "representing "repre-senting no opinion but their own, have rendered the great government of the r United States helpless and contempti ble." , y Text of Statement. f Following is the statement: Nfc. The termination of the last session of the Sixty-fourth congress by constitutional con-stitutional limitation discloses a situation situa-tion unparalleled in the history of the country, perhaps unparalleled in the history of any modern govern- j uicnt. In the immediate presence of . a crisis fraught with more subtle nnd far-reaching possi bill lies of national danger than any of her tho government govern-ment has known within the whole history of its interua.tiona.l relation?, the congress has been unable to act cither to safeguard the country or to vindicate the. elementary rights of its citizens. More than five hundred of the five hundred and thirty-one members of the two houses were, ready and anxious to act; the house of representative?, by an overwhelming overwhelm-ing majority; but the -senate was unable un-able to act. because a little group of J eleven senators had dctorminod that E it should not, The senate has no rules by which debate can be limited or brought to an end. no rules by which dilatory tactics of any kind cam be prevented. A f-ingle member can stand in the. way of action if he have but the physical endurance. The result in llii 8 case is a. complete paralysis alike of the executive ami of the lecisla-I lecisla-I ive branches of the government. Bills That Failed. This inability of the senate to act has rendered some of the most ith -cssa rv legislation of the session impossible, im-possible, at a time when the need for it was most pressing and most evident. The bill which would have permitted such combinations or" capital cap-ital and of nrH nifcai ion in the cx-A cx-A port and import trade of the eonntry ;s the eireumslances o interna I ional competition h:ie made imperii live- V a bill which the business judgment of (Continued on Pago Three.) V CHIEF JUSTICE EDWARD DOUGLAS WHITE of the United States supreme court, who administered the oath to President Wilson. if ' PRESIDENT TAKES PATH IT CAPITOL (Continued from Page One.) office. Accompanied by Mrs. Wilson and Vance C. McCormick, who managed the president's campaign for re-election, Mr. Wilson had come to the eapito! two hours before to clear up odds and ends of the executive business passed on to him by I the expiring congress. Secretary Tumulty and most of the cabinet members had gathered In the room while the president worked. As he took the oath Mrs. Wilson stood near him, dressed in mourning because be-cause of the recent death of her sister. sis-ter. Oath Administered. Mr. Wilson was sworn In at 12:03 p. m., a few minutes after congress had adjourned.- With a stern inflection in his voice he repeated the oath as it was read by the chief justice: "I do solemnly swear that T will faithfully faith-fully execute the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States." James D. Maher, clerk of the supreme court, held out the Bible used by Mr. Wilson when he was inaugurated as governor gov-ernor of New Jersey, and as president before, be-fore, and the president bent low and kissed it. The president, completely worn out by laborious work in connection with1 the ending of the session of congress and the international situation, remained indoors today except for his trip to the capitol. Before noon tomorrow the president, with Mrs. Wilson, will go to the capitol to witness the inauguration of Vice President Presi-dent Marshall. After the return to the White House the customary presidential luncheon will be served, with about. 300 people, including the members of the Democratic Dem-ocratic national committee, as the president's presi-dent's guests. |