AMERICA'S IMPOTENCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11948, 6 March 1917, Page 1

AMERICA'S IMPOTENCE.

SIM!! Si ?mMM, SENATE MUST ALTER RULES. M UORTTY POWERLESS TO ACT. A-.i*»r»?u:i snd ~,\ Z. Cf}'li A««os:aMrr,. (Revivor! Marsh 0. 9.10 a.m.) NEW YORK, March o. President WiLon's statement at the 'termination of t-l>.> said th?.t i'& j disclosed a i-ititatk:! unparn'lek'd in Jiho history of the- country, in the ! immediate presence of a crisis fraught with more possibilities of na■tjonrd danger than the Government iiad ever been faced with. ! Congress had been unable to net as p, safeguard of the country or vindicate elementary right. 'Jim Senate was unable to act because eleven senators ob-juct-od. The Senate had nm rules ] whereby debate could %*» limited, and j

i ! lit hat! thereby proved impotable to j 1 extend the powers of the Shipping j i Board or increase, the., gold reserve-to J- : meet tho. needs of a new-situation. j : If ho called an extraordinary sesj sion the Senate's paralysis.- would J'o- \ main, as tho majority ivas powerless I Thus in the midst of a crisis of extra- : ordinary peril, when only definite and ! decided return v, onhl make tho nation j ■ safe and shield it. from war by the | ; aggression cf others, action was impos- ; j sible. j \ Tho impression abroad would he that) i | other Governments could act as they j ] pleased wi:,h no [ear of the United j j States Government acting. < | "Tho explanation," said tho Presi- j (dent, "seems incredible. 'Die Senate f' lis the only legislative body in tho i ! world which cannot net, when the ma- j f jority wishes. A little group of wilful j men has thus rendered tho great Gov- \ j eminent of the United States helpless : I and contemptible. Tho reined y lies in ; i altering tho rules of the Senate so that j jit will be ablo to act. I believe tho : Senate can bo relied upon to do this i and save tho country from disaster."'' j What had rendered tho situation i graver was th 0 discovery that while it I had been thought that.the President ! could do much of what ho had asked i Congress to do, certain old statutes ! i bad raised insuperable, practical ob- i i siades, virtually miilifvina his powers. i :_____L_ ! ! 1