IN FUNDS
»/
w
Wimts
■ i i
VOL. 2. NO. 105.
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 5, 1917.
PRICE TEN CENTS.
IMPORTANT LEGISLATION LEFT UP IN THE AIR
Handful of Senators FHwsler and Defeat W1 of Majority
JOINT RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION OF
THREE MILLION DOLLARS RUSHED THROUGH NEAR CLOSE OF CONGRESS
Washington, March 5—A joint resolution proposing an emergency appro
priation of $3,000,000, for the continuance of work on the government railway
if *oject in Alaska passed the senate and house at a late hour Saturday night.
The funds thus appropriated are immediately available. This emergency ap
propriation is a part of the $10,400,000 passed by the congress but the remain
der vyill not be available for use until July 1 next.
PRESIDENT SAYS SENATE RULES
SHOULD BE CHANGED, SO IHAT
FEW COUU* NOT CONTROL MATTERS
WASHINGTON, M' *.h 5.—President Wilson, in a state
ment issued this w c*f. failure
senate to act had rendered some of the most necessary legisla
tion impossible. He declared that appropriations for the army,
to be employed in the government’s comprehensive prepared
ness plans, have failed, along with appropritions for civil esti
mates for the government. He declared that an extra session
of the congress would be useless and stated that the “only rem
edy is that jrules in the senate be altered so that it can act. He
added thatW believed that the “senate can be called upon to
supply the n^eans and save the country from disaster.”
FILIBUSTERERS ARE PANNED BY WILSON
IN STATEMENT ISSUED TO THE PUBLIC
WASHINGTON, Maxell 5.—President Wilson, in his state
| raent to the public issued today, says he is without power to
I arm merchant ships and take other steps that may be necessary
I rfjkmeet the German submarine menace, in the absence of au
( inority from the congress. He said he finds himself mistaken
when he said, in a recent address to the congress, that he could
act under a broad interpretation of the constitixtion. An extra
session of congress, the president says, is required to clothe him
with authority, but he deems it useless to call one while the
senate works under its present rules, which permit a small mi
nority to keep an overwhelming majority from acting. The
president says that a special session of the senate, which he has
called to convene tomoiTow, will be urged to revise the rules,
so as to supply means of action and thus save the country fi’om
disastei-. “A little gi'oup of willful men,” says the px*esident in
his statement, ‘‘representing no opinion but their own, have
rendered the great government of the United States helpless
and contemptible.”
' The president took the oath of office in his room in the
senate chamber yesterday noon, after the adjournment of the
sixty-fourth congress, and formal inaugural ceremonies are on
today.
REPUBLICAN FLOOR LEADER SAYS
AN EXTRA SESSION UNAVOIDABLE
WASHINGTON, March 0.—In a speech in the house of
representatives Saturday, James Mann, republican floor leader,
declared that the senate had become so jammed with important
legislation that it could not possibly pass before the .hour of
*■ adjournment, that an extra session of the congress would prob
ably be unavoidable. While Mann is opposed to an exti’a ses
sion, he said he did not see how it could be helped, in the cir
cumstances.
PLAYS PRANK ON HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, March 5.—A hoax was perpetrated on
f^e members of the house, during the closing hours, when the
ife of Congressman Edmonds was introduced and received by
, congressmen as Miss Rankin, member-elect from the west.
Three-fourths of the members were unaware as to the real iden
*ji tity of the lady.
IMPORTANT LEGISLATION FAILS TO
PASS THE CONGRESS BECAUSE OF
FILIBUSTER OF CERTAIN SENATORS
WASHINGTON, March 5.—Senator Hitchcock, of the oom
foreign relations, in chargi of the president’s armed
neutrality bill, put into the senate'record, at 3:30 o’clock Sun
day morning, a manifesto signed by 80 democratic and republi
can senators, designed to inform the country just who are re
sponsible for the failure of measures which, at that hour, had
apparently been hopelessly blocked by the filibuster tactics of
a handful of progressives, democrats and republicans, who
were opposed to giving the president more power to handle the
war situation. Those who did not sign the manifesto, and thus
approved the filibuster tactics, were: Democrats—Kirby, Lane,
Martine, Reed, Stone, Thompson, Tillman and Vardeman; re
publicans—DuPont, Lippitt, Weeks, Gronna, Kenyon, Penrose,
Warren; progressives—Works, LaFollette, Clapp, Norris and
Cummins.
ARMED NEUTRALITY BILL IS KILLED
IN THE SENATE BY LA FOLLETTE ET AL
WASHINGTON, March 5.—Twelve senators, led by LaFol
lette, of Wisconsin, and encouraged by Stone, of Missouri, en
gaged in a filibuster lasting for 26 hours of continuous session
of the senate and up to the hour of adjournment at high noon
yesterday, and effectually blocked legislation of the highest im
portance, including the armed neutrality bill and appropriation
measures. The president’s spokesman in the senate bitterly
denounced the senators participating in the filibuster that de
fied the will of the big majority of the senate, declaring their
conduct to be the most represensible, in the present crisis, in the
history of any civilized nation. Other senators pointed out, in
appeals to the recalcitrant solons, that their defiance of the
president, in this trying hour, would be most humiliating to
the country, which was facing the most serious crisis since the
civil war. To these repeated appeals and pleadings, LaFollette
paid no heed whatever, but continued the dilatory tactics and
refused a majority of their colleagues an opportunity to vote
on the armed neutrality bill, which died with the ending of the
session at noon.
IMPEACHMENT CHARGES ARE FILED
AGAINST GOV. FERGUSON, OF TEXAS
AUSTIN, Tex, March 5.—Impeachment charges were filed
in the house of representatives Saturday afternoon, against
Governor Ferguson, of Texas. The charges were filed by Con
gressman H. P. Davis, of Texas. The charges recite that the
Texas governor, who has been a bitter opponent of the admin
istration’s Mexican policy, has been guilty of treasonable con
duct against the federal government.
KING FERDINAND OF BULGARIA NEARS END
GENEVA, March 5.—King Ferdinand, of Bulgaria, is dan
gerously ill and his life is despaired of by those who know his
condition. The monarch is now at a noted Austrian health
resort. King Ferdinand has reached an advanced age. At the
beginning of the war he was in robust health and gave prom
ise of long years of life before him. But the worries of war
have tended to wreck his health.
DELEGATE ELECTION CONTEST WILL
COME UP BEFORE JUDGE JENNINGS
AT JUNEAU, TOMORROW AFTERNOON
.JUNEAU, March 5.—At 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon, the
mandamus proceedings compelling the canvassing board to
issue a certificate of election to Charles A. Sulzer, democratic
candidate for delegate to congress from Alaska, came on for
hearing before Judge Jennings. District Attorney Smizer. who
had been retained by the canvassing board to appeal1 in its be
half, told the court that he was not qualified to appear and
asked to be excused from participation in the case. Where
upon, the court postponed the hearing until Tuesday afternoon,
fo permit the canvassing board to secure another legal repre
sentative. Attorney-General Grigsby is appearing in behalf
of the contestant, taking the ground that the election law is
mandatory and that the disputed precincts should bo thrown
out because official ballots were not employed,
SUPPLIES FOR GERMAN BASE CARRIED
FROM PUGET SOUND BY SCHOONER WASP
i <% i
j WASHINGTON, March 5.—The steam schooner Wasp,
1 which sailed from Puget sound in September, last year, en
i route to a port on the west coast of Mexico, carried a cargo
| which is believed is for the purpose of a German submarine
base, to be established on the east coast of the southern re
public. The crew of the schooner was composed of Germans
and Swedes. Since sailing from Puget sound, nothing has
been heard of the vessel, so far as the public is concerned, but
special agents of the United States have been following its
movements, on a tip secured at the time of sailing. These spe
cial agents, in a report to the government, express the belief
that the cargo is for the German submarine base.
ARMED TRANSPORT SUNK BY DIVER
AND FIVE HUNDRED TROOPS LOST
BERLIN, March f>.—An aimed transport of 15,450 tons ca
pacity, carrying 500 colonial troops, was sunk by a German sub
marine in the Mediterranean sea February 24, according to a
statement issued by the German admiralty today. The name of
the transport was not given.
BRITISH DESTROYER SUNK.
LONDON, March 5.—A British destroyer was sunk in the
North Sea yesterday and all on board met a watery grave, ac
j cording to a report issued by the British admiralty today. It
is believed the destroyer encountered a mine.
BONE DRY PROHIBITION MEASURE
BECOMES EFFECTIVE JULY 1,1917
WASHINGTON, March 5.—Early yesterday morning, the
senate agreed to a house resolution, hurriedly rushed through,
postponing the date of the enaftt^aent of the bone dry prohibi
tion law until July 1, 1917. This law was passed as an amend
ment to the postoffice appropriation bill and prohibits the im
portation of liquors into states that are prohibition.
PRESIDENT SIGNS BONE-DRY POSTPONEMENT.
WASHINGTON, March 5.—President Wilson has signed
the congressional resolution postponing the date until July 1
tor the effectiveness of the bone dry prohibition amendment.
BIDS ASKED FOR CAR EQUIPMENT
FOR ANCHORAGE DIVISION OF ROAD
SEATTLE, March 5.—Bids have been asked by the Alas
kan Engineering Commission for six new refrigerator cars, two
combination baggage and smoking cars and two passenger
coaches for the Anchorage division of the government railway
line. The bids call for the early delivery of the equipment. The
refrigerator cars are wanted for the delivery of food supplies
to construction camps along the line.