LAND gold, coal
OF THE LAST
FRONTIER I 1 AND FISH |
THE ALASKA EVENING POST
Vftllllt^ XI Number 90 SEWARD, ALASK, MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1917. Ten Cents the Copy
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PRESIDENT WILSON DENOUNCES
WILLFUL MEN FOR MAKING
UNITED STATES CONTEMPTIBLE
WASHINGTON, Sunday, March 4.—Twelve senators
led by LaFollette and encouraged by Stone in a filibuster,
which blocked all legislation during the closing hours of
the 64th Congress, were publicly denounced in a state
ment issued by President Wilson late tonight.
The president informed the country in this statement
thathe is left without power to arm merchant ships and
take other steps to meet the German submarine menace,
in the absence of authority from congress, and that he
was mistaken when he said in his recent address that he
could act under “broad constitutional authority.”
An extra session of congress, the president says, is
required to clothe him with the necessary authority.
He declared, however, that it was useless to call one
while the senate works under the present rule which per
mits a small minority to block legislation by fillibusters, j
which prevent a majority from acting.
The president proposes, therefore, that the special
session of the senate which he has called to meet Monday,
revise the rules “to supply means for action and save the
country from a disaster.”
“A little group of willful men,, said the president in
his statement, “representing no opinion but their own
have rendered the great government of the United States
helpless and contimptible."
He pointed out how the failure of the senate to act
had blocked some of the most necessary legislation of the
session, stating that appropriations for the army failed to
pass along with the appropriations for the civil estimates
of the government.
President Wilson’s spokesmen in the senate heaped
ignominy on the heads of the filibustered, denouncing
their act as the most reprehensible in the history of any
civilized nation, pointing out that by the aid of a rule
which enables a small minority to keep the majority from
acting they had defied the will of an overwhelming ma
jority in congress to the last minute of the session and de
nied to the president a la wauthorizing him to arm and
protect mei-chantmen to meet Germany’s threat of unre
stricted submarine warfare.
Early Sunday morning when it became apparent
that the filibustered would not yield, Sen. Hitchcock in
charge of the adminsirtation “armed neutrality bill,”
which was intended to give the president power to arm
American merchantmen, put into the senate record at 3:30
o’clock in the morning, a manifesto signed by 80 Demo
cratic and Republican senatod.
This manifesto was designed to inform the country
just who were responsible for the failure of the measures
to safeguard the country, which at that hour apparently
had been hopelessly blocked by the opposition of a hand
ful of Progressives and Republicans. The manifesto was
not signed by the “twelve,” or by seven other senators j
who had maintained a more or less neutral attitude in the j
debate.
Those not signing are:
Democrats—Kerby, Lane, Martine, Reed, Stone,
Thompson, Tillman and Vardeman.
Republicans—Clapp, Cummins, Dupont, Gronna,|
Kenyon, LaFollette, Lippit, Norris, Penrose, Warren,
Weeks and Works.
Unyielding throughout 26 hours of continuous ses
sion and debate to the appeals that their defiance would
be humiliating to the country, uncompromising in the
crisis described to them as the most serious to the nation
since the days of the Civil war, LaFollette and his small
group of supporters refused to allow the majority of their (
colleagues an opportunity to vote on the anned neutrality
bill and it died with the 64th Congress at noon.
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POTATO ADVICE
GIVEN BY CHIEF
OF AGRICULTURE
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Prof. Georgeson Tells How!
to Get Better Returns !
on Spud Crop
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Prof. C. C. Georgeson, of the de
partment of agriculture, who is in
charge of government work in this
line in Alaska, was here for a short
stay this morning enroute to the ex
perimental station at Kodiak.
While here the professor gave an
enlightening talk on raising potatoes,
which he considers a most vital move
for Alaskans this season.
“With potatoes at $100 per ton
there should be no need for further
encouragement in this line of agri
cultural development for the terri
tory,” said Georgeson. “All that is
needed now is a hint on how to get
the best results.
“As the season is short ami the
growth rapid in this latitude, best re
sults are secured by keeping the seed
in a warm cellar under cover until it
sprouts. Plant as soon as the ground
is worked, but not until the new
shoots have sprouted sufficently to
turn green at the tips. This will in
sure a maximum growth and return
for your efforts.
“Do not plant potatoes in marshy
ground, but in ground that is well
drained, the sunny side of low rises
being preferable.
“Alaska is awakened at last to its
agricultural possibilities, and I be
lieve there will be great strides this
year. The territory is capable of sup
porting a large population within it
self, and the sooner it raises instead
of imports food products, the better
for development in other lines."
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COMMISSION j
FIXES PRICE OF i
PRINT PAPER
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WASHINGTON, Monday, March 5.1
—The federal trade commission after
an extensive hearing on the high price
of paper has fixed a maximum price
of $2.50 per hundred pounds on this
product when purchased in car loads.
This is a tremendous cut from the
present price, which has ranged dur
ing the past four months from $6 to
$6.50 per hundred on purchases of 40,
000 pounds.
Trails
Trail condition fair with a tempera
ture of 30 above at Mile 71, 10 above
at Mile 34.
IMERGENCY ACT NABLES
CONTINUATION OF WORK
ON GOVERNM NT RAILROAD
Washington, Monday, March 5.-When it became appar
ent early Sunday morning that the Stone-LaFollette filibus
ter against the administration would result in blocking all
appropriations for the army along with those for civil esti
mates of the government, friends of the government railroad
in Alaska bestirred themselves and rushed through an emer
gency appropriation for $3,000,000 to continue the work to
the end of the fiscal year. This joint resolution passed
both houses in spite of the deadlock on other measures, show
ing that all factions were agreed that the work must go on.
Had the civil sundry bill been passed according to sched
ule it contained a provision which made $3,000,000 of the
$10,500,000 appropriation available immediately.
ALASKAN LEGISLATURE
CONVENES AT JUNEAU
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JUNEAU,Monday, March 5.— The territorial legis
lature convened at noon today, with all members present
except Murray.
In the house Charles Day was elected temporary
speaker and an adjournment was taken until noon Tues
day. Burns will probably be elected permanent chairman.
The senate elected Heckman temporary president and!
then adjourned until 3 o’clock as there was a deadlock over;
the method of voting on everything else.
WARNING SOUN ) IN j
WILSON’S INAUGURAL
WASHINGTON, Monday, March 5.—President Wil
son was sworn in for his second term in his room at the
capitol at noon yesterday and was formally inaugurated
today.
In his inaugural address the president said in part:
“We may even be drawn on by circumstances, not by
our own purpose or desire, to a more active assertion of i
our rights as we see them and a mo,re immediate associa-J
tion with the great struggle itself.
“Our own fortunes as a nation are involved, whether
we would have it so or not.
“It is imperative that we should stand together for
we are being forged into a new unity amid fires that now
blaze throughout the world.”_
DR. ALLEN LEADS ANOTHER JAIL
RREAK: ONE PRISONER RETDRNS
SEATTLE, Monday, March 5.—Dr. P. U. Allen, who
was caught in California after his first br§ak for ljberty,;
escaped from the county jail again yesterday, taking with
him John Soudas, convicted of murder, J. Dusky, convict
ed of bank robbery and one other prisoner.
Allen is held in connection with the death of a young
woman.
This morning J. F. Dusky returned to the county jail
and asked to be locked up again. . ..
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H. C. FOSTER
DIES FROM
PARALYSIS
Harry C Foster, of the engineering
staff on the U. S. railroad, was
stricken with paralysis early this
morning, and died at the Seward Gen
eral hospital at just before noon. His
left side was affected and he was un
able to speak following the first
stroke.
Foster complained of ill health for
the past month, and recently he spent
two weeks at Mile 40 with the inten
tion of recuperating.
He was apparently stricken just af
ter arising from bed, and in an effort
to maintain his balance, upset a chair
and stand in his room and knocked
several objects off the dresser. When
found he was in a semi-conscious con
dition.
Foster was formerly mayor of
Gloucester, Mass., and took an active
part in politics in that state.
BOATS AND TRAINS
The Admiral Watson arrived this
morning at 9 o’clock and sailed for the
westward at 11 o’clock.
The Alameda left Juneau yesterday
morning at 2 o’clock.
The Dora was. in Unalaska Satur
day.
The Admiral Evans is due in Ju
neau tomorrow.
The train left this morning for Mile
40 at 8:80 o’clock.
THE WEATHER
Yesterday.
Maximum .;.. 42
Minimum . 28
Current . 34
Weather . Clear
Wind . Calm
WEATHER TOMORROW
Unsettled.